Hometown Politicking
Many of you already know about the fiasco that has become the firing of Athletic Director Ken Dietz from his position in the administration of our old high school. So basically I just want to break down the fallout of it all in my own words, maybe then you will be able to judge it objectively.
Put past, in your minds, the fact that Dietz may have screwed you over in the past. I know first hand what it is like to be sold out by the guy, more so than almost anyone, save a few guys who stole guns. But just forget about all that and look at the facts, which are numbers not opinions.
Dietz took a over after Jim Webb, a guy that didn’t value much but hard work on the football field and the ability to run track (to stay in shape for the upcoming football year). Having plans to convert Hartford from a single edged football blade into a double edge football and basketball sword, Dietz implemented a summer camp in the UP for basketball players, hosted regional games to earn revenue, and started a holiday tournament to gain more attention for the round-ballers (that tournament indirectly led to this author scoring 44 and setting the single game record for points at the school, but who’s counting?).
Under his tenure, Hartford saw revenue from sporting events climb over $100,000. Now this was not all Dietz at work, obviously there were good athletes, competitive games, winning teams, core groups of student athletes, supportive parents, the ever-important community, etc. But Dietz did play a role. He shed light on Hartford from his post at the MHSAA and his unique ability to host regional events, even though Hartford isn’t the most ubiquitous of school systems. He got the job done as AD like probably no other AD has in the past.
But he was a bad coach. Me and you and everyone we know can agree on that. The guy played favorites, I know because I was one for about two years. And he victimized others, I know because I was on that side of the fence also, for about six months. Not to mention he was just a bad coach. Scatterbrained and unprepared, he would call timeouts at inopportune times and not call timeouts when relevant. He didn’t understand the concept of subbing correctly and he tried to press with the wrong players on the floor. Most importantly, he didn’t take advantage of talent. There were some decent players that weren’t recruited simply because Dietz had a chip on his shoulder.
The damage however is already done. Face it, the guy holds grudges, and if the school was to give him a 5th chance to make up for the mistakes he made, he would hold a grudge. There would be tension between the union and Dietz, the school board and Dietz, and some of the varsity coaches and Dietz. Would Dietz try to fire hometown hero John Johnson from his softball job?
Because he most likely will not be brought back, the community now faces some decisions. From the sounds of it, there were quite a few supporters of Mr. Dietz and the situation has driven a wedge between family, friends, and businesses. What needs to be done is simple: elect a new school board. What most absolutely must not be done: voting down a millage for tax revenue for the school. What doesn’t matter but will be entertaining: boycotting businesses in the area. The board voted to give $30,000 to Pardike to stick around for labor negotiations because, oh yeah, those really important people called teachers have their labor contract up this summer. This is above the line of his already six figure salary, which in my opinion was never earned or merited.
What the new board should do is cut costs. Administrators first. No principal of a school in a district where a house costs barely $100K should be getting paid $85G’s per year. Start improving test scores and monitoring teaching performance. Propose another buyout for long tenured teachers. Pay attenion to students with valid complaints and feedback. And finally, keep an open line of communication with Levstek and teachers of all levels. Not being able to read starts from the bottom up and that is more important than football.
Under no circumstances should any of those hypocrites vote down any millage to increase tax revenue into the school system. That harms too many lives, not to mention the school is already broke. It only gets payouts once a year from the property tax collections and can’t afford to have some petty argument decrease their budget anymore. If that happens, Hartford could end up being another Galien.
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