PRINCETON — Princeton High School Board will be required to make some changes to its executive session policies following a complaint by a former coach.
The complaint, filed by former boys basketball coach Kevin Howard, centers around an April 24 meeting in which the board was to discuss his future employment. Howard, a first year coach was not rehired for a second season. He alleges the board didn’t give supporters an opportunity to speak in open session in his defense before voting behind closed doors not to rehire him. (Howard was not at the meeting, having been on his honeymoon at the time.)
The response from the Attorney General’s Office finds that the board did improperly close the meeting and will need to update its policies to reflect the correct procedure. Going forward, when entering into closed session, the board is required to be specific about its reasons — they cannot just say ‘personnel issues’. Additionally, they will be required to take a roll call and not a simple voice vote when entering closes session.
At the April meeting, Howard provided a statement that read in part:
“I took this job to change people’s lives for the better and to positively impact kids in a way that no one else has done before, I have an incredible amount of passion and love for basketball, the kids, the coaches, this high school and this community.”
“I believe we made a difference in the kids’ lives and that the program is in better standing than it was a year ago. Unlike in previous seasons, not one kid quit, not one kid got kicked off the team, not one kid got kicked out of practice, not one kid got sent to the locker room by the coaches during a game, and not one kid walked off the court to the locker room in the middle of a game.”
“We did so despite being micromanaged by the dysfunctional administration, being undermined by the administration’s influence on the kids to turn against the coaching staff and the administration’s efforts to try and turn the coaches against each other.”
Howard alleges Matt Mestan who is a PHS graduate and Doug Robbins, whose son, Beck, was a senior on last year’s team asked to speak in open session (which is conducted in front of the public) but were told by the board they could only speak during closed session (which is the board only) due to it being a personnel issue.
Howard said he’s satisfied with the ruling, but said he thinks the underlying issues regarding communication of the administration and board run deeper than a simple meeting violation.
“I don’t think it starts and stops with just this,” he said. “I think manipulation has been going on and will continue until there’s change.”
“I want to show the public that things are manipulated to what the board and administration wants. They’re both equally to blame and the manipulation by the head of the administration is where it starts, but it isn’t just one person.”
Howard said his aim isn’t to try to get his job back, in fact he hasn’t even considered it.
“The pain and anguish has been on my kids and wife,” he said. “I personally don’t want to coach under this administration if things continue this way. I would love to coach these kids, and see their progress, but not this way.”
“It’s not just myself — I think people are being treated unfairly and I hope this is a drive for change by the board and administration. The kids need someone to do the right thing to grow the school and the community.”
Howard said he thinks there is an intimidation factor about speaking to the board when they are ‘pushing’ for executive session and people don’t know what the process is.
“I was intimidated into not going to the board in January after being told I could be released from my job,” he said.
PHS Superintendent Kirk Haring was asked to contribute to this story, but deferred comment to the board.
Board response:
Board President Colleen Sailer said the following:
“We respect the resolution of the Public Access Counselor that the matter does not require the issuance of a binding opinion and that the matter is closed. ‘We will adopt the recommendation of the Public Access Counselor and revise our procedures for entering executive session.”