Board officially eliminates GW athletics director position
Traci White
Reid Taylor, athletics director at George Washington High School, speaks on his cell phone in his office at the school on May 8.
AND JASON WOLF
Register & Bee staff writers
Published: June 22, 2009
Updated: June 23, 2009
The Danville School Board voted to officially eliminate the athletics director position at George Washington High School at its monthly work session Friday morning, the school district announced in a news release Monday.
The athletics director position is one of 33 school district jobs being eliminated as part of the school board’s effort to combat a nearly $5 million deficit in the district’s budget for next year. But the decision leaves GW, with nearly 1,600 students and 35 varsity and junior varsity teams, as the only high school of its size in the state without an athletics director. The AD’s responsibilities will be absorbed “by one or more of the assistant principals,” according to the release.
Seventeen out of 312 high schools in the state have athletics directors who also hold the title of assistant principal and who are responsible for varying additional duties that the combined role entails, according to Virginia High School League records. But only three of the state’s Group AAA schools — the largest classification by the VHSL and a designation that applies to GW — follow this model.
Danville Public Schools Superintendent Sue Davis initially told Danville City Council on May 5 that the responsibilities associated with running GW’s athletics department would be divided among the high school’s five administrators. Davis then told the Danville Register & Bee on May 8 that those duties would be assigned to one person — GW assistant principal Withers Jackson — who she said would not receive the title of athletics director.
Davis was not available to comment Monday, according to her secretary, who said that all questions should be referred to Rev. George Wilson, the chairman of the school board.
Wilson could not be reached for comment.
Other board members remained quiet on the issue, as well.
“It’s a personnel issue. I’m not going to talk about it,” school board vice chairman Rebecca Bolton said Monday.
“We’ve specified that Rev. Wilson will speak for the board on this issue,” board member Ed Polhamus said.
Danville School Board members also declined to comment after discussing the district’s planned elimination of the athletics director position in a session closed to the public June 2 at the school board office.
Reid Taylor, a GW graduate and the school’s athletics director for the last six years, took part in that closed-door meeting and said Monday that he had given the board “75 pages of documentation about why I think doing away with the athletics director position has nothing to do with the (district’s plans for a) reduction in force.” Taylor said those documents included e-mails from the superintendent and the school’s principal, Chris Carter, who previously expressed his desire not to comment on the issue.
Taylor wouldn’t discuss specifics about why the superintendent and principal might want him removed from the AD role.
“This move saved (the school district) a portion of the current AD position salary plus a full new-teacher salary and the associated fringe benefit costs,” according to the district’s news release.
Taylor, who has tenure, has been offered a position as a physical education instructor at the high school at an annual salary of approximately $15,000 less than he was receiving as the full-time AD.
Taylor said he has tentatively accepted the teaching position, but is unsure if he will actually fulfill that decision.
“I took it a month ago because I didn’t want to overreact and I wanted to weigh my options,” Taylor said Monday. “I’m 62. I’ve got 39 years in teaching. Teaching people what foot to go off of for a layup — that’s a young man’s job.”
Contact Amos at or (434) 791-7983.
Contact Wolf at or (434) 791-7996.
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Reader Reactions
Boy that was Deep..LOL, LOL. Sorry that we aren’t living up to YOUR expectations. I don’t know how in the world someone as Valuable as you ever ended up in a one horse town like this anyway. LOL LOL.
Over the past week I have enjoyed the “melon head” comments concerning money, tenure and salaries. It is a known fact that, in Danville, the success of a person is measured in money. Whenever someone’s perceived wealth or salary exceeds the “norm” for Danville they are considered to be money hungry. The closed minded here believe people should only make a predetermined amount “to live within their means.“ People are passing judgment on Reid Taylor and several other successful unnamed professional athletes. Also, I have heard in many circles that student athletes, that are rewarded with college scholarships, should not receive those benefits at the cost of “hard working” , “politically connected “ Danville students. Folks that is the way it is. Many athletes at GWHS have been fortunate to be rewarded scholarships and then became husbands and fathers to successful citizens. They are not adding to the current plethora of government subsidized families. The future of our nation is based on achievement. Those graduates that wish to achieve success totally avoid Danville, it is because the salaries and jobs are limited and benefits are few. If Danville plans to drop the “failed 1950’s lifestyle” , these college graduates need to see promise here, not bickering over high school employees with full salary and benefits. Mr. Taylor and others before him earned their salary and to degrade them shows that “poor achievers “ wish only to be heard. When or if a national corporation plans to make an enormous investment in Danville those trying to “police morality “ and inhibit achievement will need to be placed on the curb on trash day.
Well if what you are saying is true, then he should have all that he needs for a Law Suit.
Three attempts were made this past year to fire him for performance issues. In each case he was able to provide documentation that the charges were false and each time they backed off.
So a simple task…can’t get the man, get the position. A similiar tactic that the superintendent has taken in several cases over the last few years. She hates to be challenged by anyone and holds a grudge a loooonnngggg time.
Anyone who has ever bucked her is soon gone or had their position “eliminated”.
Why do you think that over the last four years the most talented and experienced people have retired or left the district then in the previous fifteen years combined?
I wont even get a step increase this year due to the budget shortfall so to pay anyone that amount of money to be AD seems ridiculous—I am very thankful not to get a pay cut but I should get my 10 dollar a month increase :))
Maybe you can shed some light on this personal vendetta she has with him—what exactly is that—sounds pretty ridiculous
I think the point here is that a school system allowed a superintendent dissolve a position as a personal beef with Taylor. IT has nothing to do with saving money.
GW will be the ONLY school in Virginia of that size without an athletic director. There are 35 teams at GW to coordinate.
The issue here is that a short sighted school board has allowed a superintendent impose her own personal vendetta on an employee. I hope he sues the pants off of her.
Thanks for the info. I doubt if he can get a job in NC at this time. They are laying off about 600 teachers in the state. I sure hate to see someone lose what they worked so many years for. At the same time I hate to see the school system waste so much money on un-necessary positions.
A teacher can retire after 30 years according to the VA retirement system. Unfortunately Va does not continue to pay health insurance benefits after retirement as NC does—if insurance is the big deal for him then he could take the position doing phys ed—I think its the pay cut that’s making the difference—thats why I would just retire or go across the border and work in NC like many retired teachers do—you get two paychecks—one from VA retirement system and then the NC paycheck—
Well I am not familiar with how retirement works for the teachers in Virginia. Can he retire at 62 with FULL Benefits? I mean it is not as if the cost of living is going to decrease as the years go by. What about his healthcare benefits? These are all things that people have to take into consideration before retiring. No one that has put their entire lives into a job should just be kicked to the curb. It is not as if he will be able to find another job at 62.He may need to continue working until he turns 66. What are the standards for teachers?
As a teacher, I see so much waste in the school systems—both city and county—there are needless central office positions; so many I cannot list them here—but just a few- assistant superintendents, assistants to the assistants, supervisors, etc—we are never told what exactly they do—and never see them in the schools!
I agree that reading and writing are the most important but sports give some kids hope in the future and teach valuable social skills.
Mr. Taylor needs to just retire - he is at the top of the pay scale anyway—go enjoy your grandchildren—
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