SPRINGFIELD SCHOOLS Crowd blames board after coach resigns

Springfield officials said they couldn't match the salary offered by Salem.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- Dozens of people accused the school board of letting veteran boys basketball coach Jeffrey Brink slip through the school district's grasp.
The board accepted Brink's resignation Tuesday as varsity coach and intermediate school boys intramurals coach. He accepted the top coaching position at Salem.
Superintendent Debra Mettee said she believes Brink also is planning to accept a teaching position at Salem but hasn't resigned as a teacher yet.
Brink was very successful during his tenure, guiding the team to four straight conference titles. He compiled a 94-19 record in his five years as coach, and won 45 straight Inter-County League games.
During the 90-minute meeting, Mettee told board members and a crowd of about 150 people that Brink informed her earlier this year of an offer he had received from Salem. She said she tried to work out an arrangement to keep Brink at Springfield, but wasn't able to match Salem's salary offer.
If Brink stayed at Springfield, the 2003-04 school year would mark his 10th year with the school district. His annual salary as a teacher would be $55,092.
Edward Sobnosky, district treasurer, said Mettee was willing to forgo $13,000 in health benefits -- relying on benefits provided by her husband -- to allow the school district to use the money to raise Brink's salary next year. "But it still wasn't as high as what he said Salem is willing to offer him," she said, which was $17,000 more a year than he is making at Springfield Local.
Shuffling duties
Mettee said Brink approached her last year about an open position as an assistant high school principal. Brink was promoted to the position and permitted to continue coaching.
However, many of his administrative duties were divided among Mettee and the district's other administrators because of his coaching responsibilities, with the understanding that if Brink continued as an assistant principal past the first year, he would give up coaching to devote his time to administrative duties.
Mettee said Brink also was given the option of going back to the classroom and continue coaching. She said Brink decided to return to the classroom, concerned he would lose his seniority as a teacher in the district if he became a full-time administrator. He teaches social studies at the high school.
"But he did a fine job," she said. "He did everything he was expected to do" as assistant principal.
Mettee said earlier this month, after Brink told her of the Salem salary offer, she and Brink worked out an arrangement that would allow him to spend a portion of his week working as an administrator at the middle school, and the remainder of his time teaching at the high school.
She said where the other administrators work 260 days a year, Brink would have been allowed to work 204 days because of the extra hours he devotes to basketball camp and other coaching-related activities.
"But even with the $13,000, we weren't able to offer him as much as Salem was offering him," she said.
Mettee said that on May 12, Brink told her he appreciated the offer, but had decided to go to Salem so he could concentrate on coaching basketball.
Criticism
During the meeting, seven people, including three students, spoke in support of Brink and applauded his work at Springfield. Many in the crowd blasted the board, saying it didn't work hard enough to keep Brink at Springfield.
"You have failed to represent the people who elected you," said student Dan Schuler. "Losing Coach Brink is not in the best interest of Springfield."
As members of the crowd became more vocal, the board adjourned the meeting with little comment.