Teacher/Coach Shortage?

[lonewolf]

Is this a widespread problem?
Two years ago, before the pandemic, I was actively recruited by the principal of a 6A OKC HS to be Head Track Coach.
His son was on Charlie Lonewolf's soccer team and I only knew him as a sideline roaming team fan. Somehow, he knew something of my track background but I don't think he knew how old I was until he witnessed my 88th bday, 84th second 440, escorted by the entire soccer team.
He insisted my lack of coaching experience or teaching credentials was not a problem. I thanked him, said I was flattered but had not had a job in 44 years and was not inclined to come out of retirement.
This HS is strong in football and basketball but I can only recall one notable track athlete from the school who went on to compete in college.
Today, he called me to see if I had changed my mind. I thanked him again but confessed I did not really feel up to the rigor of getting up before noon and commuting 6 suburban miles daily.

[guru]

It's becoming a problem for several reasons. One is the pay. Here locally the suburbs pay in the 3-5K a year range for track, which isnt bad(but isnt football), while the city schools pay around 2K, which sucks. Another is the increasing number of hoops you have to jump through to get "certified". In most cases the required classes on things like concussions have nothing to do with track, but you have to take them anyway. I have no problem with background checks and the like, but those classes are a pain in the ass. Fortunately many, like the "Fundamentals of coaching" are one-offs.

Me personally, I quit back in 2010 at the relatively tender age of 43 when the AD decided it would be a great idea to institute pay to play at an urban school. I found most of my top sprinters by convincing stars in sports like soccer and basketball to give track a try. It's hard enough to get them to say yes when it's free. I knew what the answers would be when I told them they get to pay $200 to do something they didnt want to do in the first place. My AD was dumbfounded when I walked in and plunked my resignation letter on his desk. I get a few inquiries each year - including by my former school when a new AD took over - but it just seems these days the minuses outweigh the pluses.

[Atticus]

I am toying with the idea of applying for the job at a brand new HS opening next year in a well-off suburb that 4 of my g-kids live in; they will go to that school.
I don't know how serious I am about this, so I have a fatalistic approach. If I don't follow through or don't get selected, then I dodged a bullet on the work-front.
If I get the job, I will pour my heart into building a program that they can be proud of. The pay is not important, but how much they are willing to fund the team is a deal-maker/breaker. A new, fully outfitted team costs a LOT!!! Hurdles and uniforms/warmups can be north of $20K. HJ/PV pits, standards, poles, DT cage, etc. are a ton more. Not to mention the track itself.

[lonewolf]

Go for it Atticus. A young buck like you can do it.

[NotDutra5]

I am toying with the idea of applying for the job at a brand new HS opening next year in a well-off suburb that 4 of my g-kids live in; they will go to that school.
I don't know how serious I am about this, so I have a fatalistic approach. If I don't follow through or don't get selected, then I dodged a bullet on the work-front.
If I get the job, I will pour my heart into building a program that they can be proud of. The pay is not important, but how much they are willing to fund the team is a deal-maker/breaker. A new, fully outfitted team costs a LOT!!! Hurdles and uniforms/warmups can be north of $20K. HJ/PV pits, standards, poles, DT cage, etc. are a ton more. Not to mention the track itself.

Public or Private and if it is Private is it affiliated with a religious organization such as a Roman Catholic Diocese?

[Atticus]

Public or Private and if it is Private is it affiliated with a religious organization such as a Roman Catholic Diocese?

Public.
Do Catholic parochial schools have more $$$? The local one down the road doesn't have a great T&F program, but the other one outside town does.
My old Protestant school supported us well.

[NotDutra5]

Public.
Do Catholic parochial schools have more $$$? The local one down the road doesn't have a great T&F program, but the other one outside town does.
My old Protestant school supported us well.

In this area the Catholic schools seem to have more available dollars for school sports programs. They are almost universally excellent across the board. In the public schools case, I assume the track, unis, etc come out of the budget of the district although I'm aware of some schools which seem to have more dollars available. I guess those schools have more organized and wealthier PTA's, etc. In general it doesn't seem as if the public schools have universally good (across all sports) programs that many, if not most, private schools do.

[Atticus]

The pay-to-play policy is alive and well here. Plus, parental booster clubs are big business and are expected for every sport. Then there are community 'sponsors' (names to go up around the facility). Now that electronic scoreboards are ubiquitous, getting your business up there is a money-maker in both directions.

Sports, thy name is money.

[gm]

I don't know about other states, but Texas has fairly strict regulations about who can be a high school coach -- https://www.tasb.org/services/hr-ser...uirements.aspx

I don't know very many who aren't also full-time teachers.

[Atticus]

I don't know very many who aren't also full-time teachers.

Background checks necessary, of course, but there are lots of 'adjunct' coaches in Florida.

[jc203]

In California high school walk-on coaches are common, especially at small schools.
One reason is the proliferation of programs resulting from Title IX and new sport additions with the result that more coaches are required.
Here is the list of sports sanctioned by CIF-Southern Section (the administrative body for high school sports in most of Southern California):

Fall Season[edit] American Football (14-man) (divided into 13 divisions) 8-man football (2 divisions) Competitive Traditional Cheer Cross country (5 divisions) Field Hockey Girls Volleyball (9 divisions) Girls Tennis (5 divisions) Boys Water Polo (7 divisions) Girls Golf (4 divisions)[6]

Winter Season[edit] Boys Basketball (10 divisions)[7] Girls Basketball (10 Divisions) Soccer (Boys and Girls) (7 divisions) Girls Water Polo (7 divisions)[8] Boys Wrestling (7 Divisions) Girls Wrestling (7 divisions)[9]

Spring Season[edit] Baseball (7 Divisions) Badminton Boys Golf (6 Divisions) Gymnastics Lacrosse (Boys and Girls) (2 Divisions) Softball (7 Divisions) Swimming (Boys and Girls - 4 Divisions) Boys Tennis (5 Divisions) Track and Field (Boys and Girls - 4 Divisions) Boys Volleyball (6 Divisions)

The school where I taught and coached currently has a student population in the mid-600's with a faculty of 36 teachers and only offers 20 of these sports but have JV and/or frosh teams as well as varsity level.
i'd guess that only 1/3rd of the teachers have the interest, experience or time to adequately coach any sport, although some are willing and able to coach teams in more than one season.
The result is a lot of walk-on coaches (some very highly qualified, others... not so much) who have to pass background checks and spend a lot of time working for very low wages.
On a big school campus there would be more potential coaches but more students to deal with... one of the most successful high school T&F programs in California (enrollment 3,700) typically has more than 300 girls and boys on the team!
Even with a large on-campus staff, walk-on and even volunteer help is needed on most campuses.
Some of the powerhouse private schools have enough revenue to hire multiple coaches at reasonable pay. Some even employe administrators specifically for high profile teams (Director of Aquatics or Football, etc.) either in addition to coaches or as coaches with no other duties.
I've been told by a person I trust and who would know that one football coach was offered $200,000 annually to run the football program at an upscale private high school.

[jc203]

Hah... Here's a first for me... I just got flagged for a long post as potential spam :-)
I plead innocence so maybe the post will show up after verdict from the appeals court!

[Atticus]

Not sure how to play 14-a-side football!!
2 QBs would up the ante for trickery!

[jc203]

Yeah, that 14-man football game is a wild affair.... :-)
My bad for trusting a Wiki list!!!

[jazzcyclist]

Even if you don't want to take the job yourself, perhaps you might be able to find him someone. After all, you probably have a lot more contacts in the world of track and field than he has.