On Tuesday, June 20, the Verona Area School District (VASD) Board of Education heard a proposal that could increase the salaries for coaches – something board members, including president Meredith Stier Christensen, voiced support for.
During the meeting, deputy superintendent Chad Wiese and athletic director Joel Zimba presented the board with a request to increase salaries for coaches and establish a ratio policy between staff and students in athletic programs.
On a year-round basis, the Verona Area High School (VAHS) continues to grow and engage hundreds of students in athletics, Wiese said. A total of 1,100 students participate in athletic programs with 75 coaches on staff.
“It’s on us to make sure we’re finding as many things – either in the classroom or outside of the classroom – that get our ninth through 12th-graders excited in the morning and ready to come to school,” he said.
Wiese brought forward a request to use a “nominal” amount of the budget to increase coaches’ salaries – a change he said is “probably long overdue.”
The VASD currently compensates high school coaches below the average of neighboring school districts of similar size, athletic facilities and student-athlete overall population size, along with similar coaching experience, Wiese said.
Non-coaching positions are on the same co-curricular salary schedule as coaching positions, including clubs, leadership opportunities and other student-focused programming. The co-curricular salary has not been reviewed or adjusted in over a decade, according to Wiese.
Based on this information, Wiese presented a proposed implication for the 2023-2034 budget as a 12% increase to the co-curricular salary schedule. Booster-funded coaching positions would become VASD-funded positions to align with coherence within different sports.
Additionally, a proposed longevity bonus would provide employees with an additional $500 for every five years of employment.
The second part of the proposal is an administrative rule that would establish a ratio of players and coaches. It states the deputy superintendent, athletic director and human resources director will meet prior to the school year to review the number of students and staff engaged in a sport the previous year, along with expectations for the upcoming year.
The proposed coach-student ratios for Verona Area High School sports.
The status of an athletic team would be reviewed annually, with staffing to increase or decrease based on participation.
“Our coaches will know that as their programs grow incrementally, they’ll get extra help to support their student athletes,” Wiese said.
During board discussion, Nicole Vafadari said she’d like to use focus groups to understand whether athletic programs and extracurricular activities are reaching all demographics of students equally.
Zimba said by adding more coaches as the programs grow, it will help the district to make sure they don’t lose specific demographics.
Board vice-president Jennifer Murphy thanked Zimba for his work and asked how opportunities extend to the middle school level. Wiese said money will be invested into middle school athletics.
“We really want to highlight what a wonderful job you (Zimba) do, because it is touching so many students – we see the results here are directly tied to our mission, you’re helping build character, you’re providing a hook for all these kids to come in, but you’re also supporting families in the program,” Stier Christensen said.
“It’s not just sports – it’s a reason to have kids engaged here, and that’s what we’re trying to continue to foster,” she said.
Board notes
Zimba provided the board with an update on coaching and athletics. He is going on his fifth year with VASD and said he is fortunate to now be the district athletic director.
The athletic department has made huge strides compared to how it used to be, Zimba said, with sitting assistant directors currently at each of the middle schools and the addition of Adam Stiner at the high school.
“I’m pleased to see that athletics is impacting our students in a positive way – not only during their years in the district, but beyond that too,” he said.
VAHS currently offers over 26 athletics programs in addition to many clubs and activities. For the first time, VAHS will offer boys and girls lacrosse during the 2024 spring season.
During the 2022-2023 school year, Verona student athletes had a multitude of successes not only during competitions, but in the classroom as well. The average grade point average (GPA) for student athletes was 3.46, compared to a 2.96 GPA for students not participating in athletics.
Additionally, the boys swim & dive team had the highest cumulative GPA, 3.844, in the program history. The girls basketball team earned the highest cumulative GPA in the state, 3.956, and every team member was named Academic All-State.
“You can see that our mission is to provide the best experience that we can, and our athletes have truly delivered,” Zimba said.
After the athletics discussion, human resources director Rachelle Hady shared employee handbook compliance-related updates. These include clarifying grievance proceedings and updating co-curricular payments to be paid to active employees during each coaching season.
Following this, assistant superintendent Angela Hawkins and director of pupil services Otistine Jackson shared changes toAdministrative Rule 507(2) on nondiscrimination related to transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive students.
Jackson said updates included the addition of the VASD Equity Framework to the beginning, more inclusive language, links to administrative rules on gender support plans and bullying, an update to the process for access to restrooms and locker rooms, along with a new section on field trips and overnight.
Hawkins said there will be further updates and changes to the rule.
“As we know more, we’ll do more,” she said.
During public comment, Rye Kimmet said she is thankful for steps being made, but thinks more must be done to create a welcoming space for students. She noted the Gender Equity Council has been meeting since October 2022 in the VAHS Large Group Instruction Room and encouraged board members to attend a future meeting, along with talk to students firsthand about their experiences.
