Paul White is back as athletic director at Mathews High School.

Less than two weeks after a contentious school board meeting when a number of residents were critical of a decision to restructure the administration of Mathews High School that would have placed the athletic director’s responsibilities with the assistant principal, the school board voted by a 4-1 margin to approve White’s appointment as the school’s athletic director/teacher.

The school board vote was taken during a special meeting which was held on Monday afternoon in the MHS media center. The meeting was held following a three-hour retreat led by a couple representatives from the Virginia School Boards Association.

School board chairman Linda Hodges cast the lone “nay” vote on the personnel actions, which also included appointments of two teacher assistants and the resignation of a bus driver.

White had served for seven years as athletic director at MHS, stepping down in 2014 to accept ...