BUCYRUS—On Thursday evening at the Bucyrus Board of Education meeting, Nicole Frazier and her father, Al Frazier, once again spoke to the board about their concerns regarding the middle school girls’ basketball program.
“In two years, Bucyrus City Schools taxpayers have paid 15,037.24 dollars for our two girls’ middle school basketball coaches to lead our eighth-grade team to an overall record of 1-27. Need more numbers? These two coaches have been here for seven years, your handouts include scores for the past two years of the eighth-grade season—no winning, no learning, no developing, no competing, and ultimately no respect from none of the schools in our county—the scores speak for themselves: 66-4; 50-6; 54-0; 51-2; 58-5 are just some of them and they’re all like that,” Frazier started. “Craig Orewiler stated to my father during a basketball game this past year that this year has been the worst year of his coaching career. He has been called into the office four separate times over parents’ complaints. Brian Seybert and the AD are aware of the complaints. Tonight, you will vote on whether or not to accept the unconditional recommendation for renewal of the Orewiler contracts, amongst other contracts for coaches of concern. I have also provided copies of the Orewiler evaluations for the past two years according to evaluation through AD and varsity coach for these two coaches are skilled and accomplished—the highest scores despite an overall record of 1-27. I call this falsification of documents presented to the school board. No mention on the evals of the parent complaints of the issues at hand, no mention of records and scores, just gleaming reviews in an unconditional recommendation for renewal. Our evaluation system is poor. So many things are being hidden from you and it feels like the board blindly follows any recommendation without batting an eye or asking questions. Our school board is not being given all the facts to make sound decisions or you just don’t care, you don’t want to see. This is just the surface of issues here in our athletic department we demand better for our kids, and we are asking you to do the right thing here tonight.”
In response to her speech, board president Randy Blankenship said, “I understand you’re very passionate about sports and youth sports, so I think you might be a little confused on what the school board’s role is in this whole process. The school board employs two people, the superintendent, and the treasurer. The superintendent is responsible for administrators, and athletic directors, and athletic directors hire coaches, so coaches are the ones that are hiring those people that are running their program. We are not as a group, we are not micromanagers, and we are not here to hire and fire coaches or teachers—those are all recommendations for people that we pay and employ in this district.”
Frazier’s father, Al Frazier, also gave an impassioned speech to the board.
“I really don’t want to be here I went through the same issues 25 years ago, getting my two daughters through the system. I don’t really want to be here doing this, it’s made me sick, and you sit there and say you don’t want any personal attacks—what did Mr. Hargis do here in the last meeting? I want to apologize to everybody here for my outburst at that last meeting,” Mr. Frazier began. “What you just did sir, was pass the buck. The school board has nothing to do with this? And you’re laying it all on the superintendent? Who has the final vote on approving these coaches tonight? The school board, not the superintendent.”
Mr. Frazier continued with his speech, “I’m requesting that the school board override or rescind Mr. Seybert’s directive that she no longer be allowed to coach the elementary program that she spent two years, heart and soul, for nothing. I’m asking you and I’ll put it in writing if that’s necessary, to rescind that order and she be allowed to coach her the last year—it’s her daughter, my granddaughter’s, last year in the elementary program. He’s going to take that away from her, you guys are going to allow it? Small, petty people. It’s what you’re dealing with. Mr. Hargis, and I will go back a little bit here, so I have my three minutes’ worth. Mr. Hargis, such a great coach, he’s got to have four paid coaches on the softball staff—we haven’t had a JV team in years, but we’re paying $19,000 a year for the softball program: three assistant coaches and one head coach for one team, $19,000. Girls’ basketball, $24,807 a year for girls’ basketball. I don’t see Bart Dennison’s name on any supplementals from last year, was he board-approved? You better be doing some checking on this stuff. Pudge Hargis, such a great coach. You only keep records financial records up to ’04. How much Pudge Hargis has earned from the taxpayers of the city of Bucyrus since ’04? $119,647.77 Pudge gets paid. This was all BS according to him,” Mr. Frazier said.
Nicole added a statement to her father’s three minutes, saying, “I was contacted by a college and asked if I would consider coaching for them, and I have to beg, steal, rob, and borrow to be involved in anything here in this community. You’ve got to be kidding me. Ridiculous.”
Later in the meeting in the personnel – classified staff portion of the meeting, the board voted 5-1 to approve a list of athletic contracts, including the Orewilers’ contracts.
Moving on in the meeting, Superintendent Bob Britton thanked board members for being at graduation and stated that it went well, with this year’s class having a graduation rate of 94.8 percent.
The board approved the overnight student trip for the high school marching band to go to Camp Lancaster in Lancaster, Ohio, from July 17 to July 21.
Another item approved at the meeting was for Lifewise Academy to include second, third, and fourth graders for the next school year.
A donation to the Bucyrus City School District Staff Scholarship fund worth $607.17 was approved.
The next board meeting is July 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Administrative Center on Plymouth St.