By JASON GORDON
Hays CISD superintendent Jeremy Lyon said the hiring process the district is using for Lehman’s new athletic coordinator and head football coach will mirror the format used when Hays replaced longtime head coach Bob Shelton last year.
“We are using the exact same process we utilized when we hired Coach Shelton’s replacement,” Lyon said. “We will have a committee made up of parents that have students in both boys and girls sports, faculty members and members of the Hays CISD administration that will interview candidates. They will forward their recommendation to me for a second round of interviews.”
Lehman High School held a meeting Jan. 24 for booster club members, parents of athletes and community members who wanted to have their say on the type of qualities they’d like to see in the Lobos’ new athletic coordinator and head football coach.
“This was a meeting for people to express their concerns, bring up issues and talk about their aspirations for the new athletic coordinator,” Lyon said.
The job opening to replace Steve Davis, who resigned last month, was posted on Jan. 10 and Jan. 27 will be the last day the district takes applications.
A paper screening committee made up of Lyon and members of the Hays CISD human resources department will go through the applications and likely narrow the field to between 5-8 candidates for the interview committee. Lyon said the interview committee would not be limited to the candidates selected by the paper screening committee, but will have the ability to look over anyone’s application before deciding who will be interviewed. The interview committee will include principal Don Ruisinger, one Lehman High teacher, three parents and three central office administrators.
Lyon said he would like to have interviews take place during the first and second week of February and he hopes to be able to present a recommendation to the district’s board of trustees at the February 20 school board meeting.
Lyon expects a strong group of candidates for the Lehman athletic coordinator and head-football coaching job. As of Jan. 24, more than 60 applications have been received.
“We feel this is a growing school with great kids,” he said. “The student population at Lehman (1,993 as of Jan. 24) is actually higher than Hays High School (1,987). I know the future at Lehman High School is bright and I really anticipate a deep pool of great candidates.”
Lyon added the fact Lehman has many new facilities, including the $800,000 athletic turf field installed in the summer of 2010, makes the job an attractive one.
“The district’s commitment to athletics and the kids at Lehman is rock solid,” Lyon said.
Lyon said the new Lehman athletic coordinator and head football coach would make a salary similar to that of Hays’ Coach Feldt. The Lehman job posting offers a salary of between $61,500-$70,233, plus a stipend that will be approximately $17,000. The salary of the new Lehman hire could differ slightly based on years of teaching and coaching experience.
