Joshua , I know you meant well here . However , I’m not sure the adequate research was done . To begin with , a teacher and a school psychologist are on a 196 day pay scale because they get two months off . An athletic director has to work all year . Why you ask? It’s because sports go year round so they have to be managed . A teacher works 7-330 in clay county high school and may occasionally have to grade or lesson plan a little in the evening. An athletic director is one of the first employees at a school each day and most leave after the last event or team gets back to school . Around 8 if they are lucky. They budget , handle transportation, eligibility, facilities ( cutting. and lining several fields a week) , scheduling. I could go on for days . These issues have ALWAYS been handled by Athletic directors . I’d bet every school in the country has a athletic director . The budgets( that are “hidden” ) are public record just like most anything else at a school. Like most schools in this state , athletics in clay county are significantly underfunded . A better story might would be why most coaches eventually leave the state because the pay is egregiously low . Go check the supplements on the clay county schools website . Coaches work 20-30 hours a week extra and are paid pennies . If you ever want to chat feel free to reach out to me . I’m adding a link to an article that discusses how low the coaching pay is in Florida.
Still waiting to see a response to my reply or anyone else’s from the author of the post. The “historic teacher shortage” from the article is a response to the awful teacher pay and treatment from school districts and the state . Teachers , administrators, coaches , and support staff like athletic directors should all be paid a fair wage based on the amount of hours they work and the expectations of the job .
No one spends more time at the school or with kids than an AD. They are paid on a 12 month not 10 month pay schedule. The shear volume of work they do, roles they play ( not just in the Athletic Office either), responsibilities in their purview from local, state and federal authorities on top of dealing with sports officials, parents, competing schools, vendors, trainers, concessions stands, social media, guidance counselors and principals is staggering. I know I left some things out too.
I submit they aren’t paid enough along with our teachers.
I believe the tone and tenor of the piece is an attack on many of the hardest working county employees that’s lacking context and displayed your lack of curiosity in your reporting.
This piece sounds like it’s from the kid that was never picked for the kickball team and always out first in dodgeball.
I challenge you to spend a day or so with an AD then report back to us. You’ll be amazed by their dedication, work ethic, hours alway from their families and pride they show and bring to each school. Clay County is lucky to have the ADs we do and that includes the County AD.
I’m genuinely curious who would deal with all the responsibilities the athletic directors deal with if they were let go. Athletic fields, scheduling, compliance, budgeting, staffing, etc….
It has always been in the purview of the AD role. If you cared to properly research their role you’d find that out with two minutes. Serious question, have you ever interacted with anybody from an athletic department? Your lack of curiosity and basic facts on the subject along with simple context being omitted from this piece is rather concerning.
Josh Allen, That might have been an excellent question to ask yourself BEFORE you decided to do a hatchet job. But then again, it would require some journalism skills
Joshua , I know you meant well here . However , I’m not sure the adequate research was done . To begin with , a teacher and a school psychologist are on a 196 day pay scale because they get two months off . An athletic director has to work all year . Why you ask? It’s because sports go year round so they have to be managed . A teacher works 7-330 in clay county high school and may occasionally have to grade or lesson plan a little in the evening. An athletic director is one of the first employees at a school each day and most leave after the last event or team gets back to school . Around 8 if they are lucky. They budget , handle transportation, eligibility, facilities ( cutting. and lining several fields a week) , scheduling. I could go on for days . These issues have ALWAYS been handled by Athletic directors . I’d bet every school in the country has a athletic director . The budgets( that are “hidden” ) are public record just like most anything else at a school. Like most schools in this state , athletics in clay county are significantly underfunded . A better story might would be why most coaches eventually leave the state because the pay is egregiously low . Go check the supplements on the clay county schools website . Coaches work 20-30 hours a week extra and are paid pennies . If you ever want to chat feel free to reach out to me . I’m adding a link to an article that discusses how low the coaching pay is in Florida.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/high-school/2024/04/01/florida-high-school-football-faces-growing-problem-coach-defections/73117929007/
Still waiting to see a response to my reply or anyone else’s from the author of the post. The “historic teacher shortage” from the article is a response to the awful teacher pay and treatment from school districts and the state . Teachers , administrators, coaches , and support staff like athletic directors should all be paid a fair wage based on the amount of hours they work and the expectations of the job .
No one spends more time at the school or with kids than an AD. They are paid on a 12 month not 10 month pay schedule. The shear volume of work they do, roles they play ( not just in the Athletic Office either), responsibilities in their purview from local, state and federal authorities on top of dealing with sports officials, parents, competing schools, vendors, trainers, concessions stands, social media, guidance counselors and principals is staggering. I know I left some things out too.
I submit they aren’t paid enough along with our teachers.
I believe the tone and tenor of the piece is an attack on many of the hardest working county employees that’s lacking context and displayed your lack of curiosity in your reporting.
This piece sounds like it’s from the kid that was never picked for the kickball team and always out first in dodgeball.
I challenge you to spend a day or so with an AD then report back to us. You’ll be amazed by their dedication, work ethic, hours alway from their families and pride they show and bring to each school. Clay County is lucky to have the ADs we do and that includes the County AD.
I’m genuinely curious who would deal with all the responsibilities the athletic directors deal with if they were let go. Athletic fields, scheduling, compliance, budgeting, staffing, etc….
These things have existed for decades. Who was dealing with them prior to these positions being created?
It has always been in the purview of the AD role. If you cared to properly research their role you’d find that out with two minutes. Serious question, have you ever interacted with anybody from an athletic department? Your lack of curiosity and basic facts on the subject along with simple context being omitted from this piece is rather concerning.
The position of Athletic Director isn’t new. At least the high schools have had them for decades. Not sure about the jr. highs
Josh Allen, That might have been an excellent question to ask yourself BEFORE you decided to do a hatchet job. But then again, it would require some journalism skills
Do yo think the position of Athletic Director is new? That position has been there for decades