Good article on PTA Coaching hire!!

[KFDM COOP]

www.panews.com

Race second to quality in coaching hire

Would the Port Arthur school district hire a white head football coach?

It's a question plenty of white coaches have asked me in the past few weeks.

Seems a valid question, too. Texas Education Agency reports say only 6.3 percent of Port Arthur's students are white, compared to 62.2 percent who are black.

Should the Port Arthur school district hire a white head football coach?

Odds are it will, since 60.0 percent -- three of five -- of the finalists for the job are white.

But if the PAISD trustees vote to hire a black coach from among the finalists, then it appears that interim athletic director Michael "Shane" Sinegal is the man who'll get the call in a vote that has been postponed until at least next Thursday.

Marvin Sedberry, the only other black coach to garner an interview, earns an annual salary of $92,000, plus a car, from the Bryan school district.

That's $20,000 more than the upper reaches of the salary range ex-superintendent Willis Mackey put on the job when he posted it on the website of the Texas Association of School Administrators.

It doesn't seem likely a coach with Sedberry's record (134 wins and 15 playoff berths in 20 years) would take a paycut at a time in his career when most school employees are looking to max their income and fatten their teacher retirement checks.

A good argument could be made that paying Sedberry -- or any other of the applicants -- an obscene amount of money would be worth it if that coach could turn Memorial High into an all-sports powerhouse that would boost the spirits and uplift a community that was still struggling to overcome the 80's oil bust when a hurricane came and piled on.

But it's easy to speculate that Sedberry is just angling for a pay raise from Bryan.

Wednesday, Sedberry told a reporter for the Bryan Eagle he hadn't pulled his name out of consideration in Port Arthur.

But there appeared to be an implied 'Yet.' He appeared contrite and surprised that he'd upset school board members and other backers by shopping around.

"I would just say that I am not leaving Bryan High," he said, "at least I hope I'm not. I'm concerned that people think I'm unhappy. I'm not unhappy.

"Maybe I made a mistake."

A sampling of movers and shakers in Port Arthur reveals it would be a mistake to assume that the coaching decision will follow racial lines.

Asked if he thought Port Arthur should hire a black coach, Rev. Randy Vaughn said, "I don't have an opinion on that. Not now."

Vaughn is the pastor of Mount Sinai Baptist Church and one of the Port Arthur ministers who called for a student boycott to protest Mackey's departure.

Lonnie Linden is one of the seven school board members who will make the final decision.

"If the question is whether I have the preference of hiring a black or white coach, the preference I have is hiring the very best coach we can hire for this district," he said.

"It's important to hire somebody who can bring us success."

Linden used the cases of local coaching legends to make a point that race is immaterial in this instance.

"Alex Durley (the black coach of West Brook's 1982 state champions) was at an integrated school, probably one primarily of Anglo descent, and they were successful," Linden said. "Dan Hooks (the white West Orange-Stark coach) was probably in the opposite situation, and he was successful.

"What's important is, 'Is this person a good fit for our children?' "

City councilman John Beard echoed Linden.

"Color does not make a difference to me. I want us to hire the best coach that can deal with and work with our children, that can possibly, through athletics, bring the community together," he said.

"It would be good in a perfect society if we didn't need to talk about color. We need to get behind him and support what he's getting done."

Greg Flores, another school board member, said he didn't even know what race the coaches were when he voted to hire David Suggs for Lincoln and Dean Colbert for Thomas Jefferson in 2001.

"The superintendent recommended them and we hired them," Flores recalled. "I wasn't interested in what color they were. I'm still not interested.

"As long as he treats our kids good and teaches them respect, teaches them how to be good sportsmen, that's all I care about. I'd have no regrets if we hire a purple coach."

Former Port Neches-Groves and Kelly High standout Lauren Parker, a freshman at Baylor, has won the starting shortstop job for the No. 11-ranked Bear softball team.

Parker, an all-stater both in the UIL during her three years at PN-G and in TAAPS for her play for Kelly's state champions last spring, had been expected to begin her college career at second base. But both middle infield positions were open and she landed at shortstop, her primary position in high school.

Baylor finished 51-14 last season and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals, coming within one win of the Softball College World Series.

Lauren's brother, Jace Parker, a former PN-G standout and scholarship pitcher at Lamar, has transferred to Baylor and is a manager for the softball team. Jace Parker suffered a rotator cuff injury at Lamar and never was able to recover.

Speaking of PN-G alums, former Rock-A-Noo hitter Sirena LaBurn scored a big double for her new school.

LaBurn, a freshman at Division I Wagner College (Staten Island, New York), led her team in hitting percentage and was second in total kills and in service aces in the fall.

She also made the dean's list with a perfect 4.0 grade point average for the fall semester.

[KFDM COOP]

Thoughts on this!! Would Sedberry leave Bryan for less money?? Let's hear it!!

[ESPN]

I Don't think Sedberry will take the job personally. What is this mess in PTA? I even hear all that crap up here in Dallas!!

[KFDM COOP]

Don't think Sedberry is going to get it!!