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School board stays the course on coach firing

School Board votes 5-2 to reject motion to retain Burnett

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 7/28/16

REGIONAL— A plea by nearly 20 parents and volleyball players to restore Tom Burnett as the North Woods volleyball coach didn’t persuade the St. Louis County School Board during their meeting on …

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School board stays the course on coach firing

School Board votes 5-2 to reject motion to retain Burnett

Posted

REGIONAL— A plea by nearly 20 parents and volleyball players to restore Tom Burnett as the North Woods volleyball coach didn’t persuade the St. Louis County School Board during their meeting on Monday. The board, after hearing from Burnett, their own athletic director, and others during a two hour-long comment session, voted 5-2 to reject a motion by board member Nancy Wall Glowaski to reinstate Burnett to the position he has held for the past 11 years.

The board later hired Gabrielle Sundquist to the head coach position, which has been vacant since the board opted not to renew Burnett as coach last month.

The decisions came after a sometimes emotional hearing, requested by Burnett, during which tears were shed by people on both sides of the issue. Several noted that the issue has become a divisive one in the Cook and Orr community, and several expressed fears of possible retaliation for speaking out.

In his own comments, Burnett said that 90 percent of parents had been “wonderful” during his years as coach, while ten percent have made his work a struggle at times. “From my experience, the friction is over perceptions of their daughters’ ability. Or not playing the position they should play,” he said.

He said the frictions increased last year when the school held volleyball tryouts due to the large amount of interest in the program. As a result, he said, some girls were cut from the varsity team and others saw their playing time limited.

Burnett noted that the relationship between Cook area coaches and what he called “overzealous” parents has been a strained one for years. “A former basketball coach was falsely accused of harassment so he would be removed. An investigation was completed which found the allegations to be false, but the damage was done to his reputation,” said Burnett. “The next coach had his tires slashed by a parent during a game. A previous volleyball coach had to file a restraining order against parents who were so upset over their daughters’ playing time.”

Burnett said he had similar experiences himself, noting that he had been investigated after business manager Kim Johnson accused him of “bullying her daughter” after benching her during a game. “It was a very serious accusation and because of it, I was put on administrative leave” although a subsequent investigation cleared him, he said, and prompted his reinstatement. “During that investigation, Kim Johnson’s husband sent me an email threatening me not to show up at the section game or if I did, they would lead a verbal protest against me at the start of the game.”

“Thankfully, Superintendent Sallee told Kim to back off and not cause an embarrassing situation for our school. And this was all because I had made the necessary decision to bench a player for poor attitude.”

Johnson, who spoke during the hearing, took issue with the portrayal of her actions in a story in the July 15 Timberjay, which had cited multiple emails from her to Burnett. She said she had written only one email to Burnett, while her husband sent a second one himself. “The innuendo is just shameful,” she said. “I’m the one who should be calling the foul, not Mr. Burnett,” she added.

A large majority of those who spoke, however, indicated their support for Burnett. “He has helped me grow so much as a player,” said Kayla Tschida, a member of the volleyball team. “I came from the Twin Cities where I dealt with many coaches. He’s one of the best I’ve ever had. He doesn’t play favorites,” she added.

Todd Olson, who has taught and coached in the district, lauded Burnett’s efforts to build a successful volleyball program at North Woods and he questioned why neither board members nor school administration contacted Burnett to hear his side of the events that led up to his non-renewal. “He was made to sound like an ogre,” said Olson. “Nothing could be further from the truth. And good coaches are hard to find.”

Karis Antikainen became emotional in describing her disappointment with the decision to sack Burnett and had a friend read a letter for her to the board. “We should let the coach coach, the players play, and the parents parent,” she stated. “To parents I say, if you want to coach fill out an application.”

Mike Friend said the board was teaching students the wrong lessons, by letting complaints from a handful of parents drive their decision. “It was easier to just satisfy these people,” Friend said. “You’re teaching our children that they can get something for nothing.”

“My daughter was looking forward to volleyball this year,” said Jodi Pierce. “All of that was destroyed a little over a month ago,” she said, referencing Burnett’s non-renewal. “My family strongly supports Tom Burnett.”

But Vikki Vandervort saw it differently, recounting an incident between her daughter and Burnett that had made a mark on the entire team. “I don’t see any varsity players here,” she said, adding, “my daughter didn’t want to come here because she doesn’t want to ever see him again.” Talking directly to Burnett, she said he had embarrassed her at a game, noting that she had quit volleyball and now plays basketball. “I feel your heart is pure, but I just don’t think your effort is varsity level,” she said. “This is about concerned parents and fed up players.”

Tori Johnson and Brooklyn Isham, two incoming seniors who played on the varsity squad last year, said some members of the team would not return if Burnett was reinstated. “We need a coach who will give us the respect we deserve,” said Isham. “My five fellow teammates believe appointing a new coach would be the most beneficial approach.”

Board members clearly felt they had been pulled into a no-win situation. “The community is split,” said board member Bob Larson. “I’m not sure how we’re going to make this better no matter what we do.”

Board member Troy Swanson said he favored relying on the recommendation of athletic director John Jirik, who reiterated his support for keeping Burnett in his coaching position during the hearing. Swanson seconded Glowaski’s motion, but found no other support on the board.

Despite a new state law that prohibits school districts from firing coaches solely on the basis of parent complaints, Burnett said he has no plans to pursue civil enforcement of the law, which would require expensive court action.