In personnel actions approved Tuesday night, the Mathews County School Board appointed Al Thomas to serve as the Mathews High School athletic director for the 2018-2019 school year.
Thomas, a history/government teacher at MHS, replaces Paul White, who accepted a coaching/teaching position at Permian High School in Texas.
Thomas will continue to teach his dual enrollment classes, while the division looks to fill the MHS history teaching position. In the meantime, the school will use a long-term substitute to handle the course load, according to division superintendent Nancy Welch.
To assist Thomas, the school division has hired Al DeWitt. A retired educator, DeWitt served 18 years as MHS athletic director before leaving in 2007 to become activities director of a school in Woodbridge. He served in that post for several years before retiring and returning to Mathews.
While the school board approved the personnel actions unanimously, school board member Jeanice Sadler said she did not like the idea of “chopping up” the athletic director position between Thomas and DeWitt. She said that now the school no longer has a qualified person to instruct weightlifting. She said that it is taking away another opportunity from students, like the previous elimination of behind-the-wheel driver’s education instruction.
Other personnel actions
The school board accepted two resignations Tuesday night and made a number of other teaching and coaching appointments. Resignations were accepted from MHS band/chorus teacher Kristina Watkins and MHS special education teacher Christopher Scott.
The following appointments were also made: Eli Hyman (MHS science teacher), Shelby Salley (part-time gifted education specialist), Mary Newcomb (MHS teacher assistant) and Kelly O’Brien (Thomas Hunter Middle School teacher assistant).
Guy Summers was named the new MHS band/chorus instructor. C.J. Kelly was appointed head varsity football coach, while Charles Forrest was named his assistant. Randy Applegate was named head junior varsity football coach, while Jesse Bristow accepted a volunteer coaching appointment for football.
The school board also approved tuition waivers for three children of school division employees residing outside of the county for the 2018-2019 school year. Sadler criticized the tuition waivers. “I do not think it’s fair for the taxpayers of this county,” she said.
It has been a longstanding policy to grant such waivers and school board chairman John Priest said he believes that some employees are swayed to accept their jobs in Mathews because of that benefit. It was also pointed out that Mathews still receives state aid for the students, even though they do not reside in the county.
Town Hall
The Mathews County School Board will hold its next Town Hall meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11, in the MHS media center. Priest will moderate the forum, with school board members responding to residents’ questions. The school board began holding quarterly town hall meetings last year in an effort to improve dialogue with the community. The public is encouraged to attend.
The following Tuesday, Sept. 18, the school board will hold its regular monthly meeting, also at 6 o’clock in the school’s media center.