BUCYRUS—Former Bucyrus Lady Red Youth Basketball Director Nicole Lee issued a statement to Crawford County Now, other media outlets, and Facebook expressing her disappointment in the Basketball Program in the Bucyrus City Schools:

On May 18, 2023, I spoke up at a Bucyrus School Board meeting.

On May 23, 2023, my father & I requested from the Board Office the 2021-22 girls’ basketball & softball coaches’ evaluations, the 2021-22 total Bucyrus City Schools athletic budget & supplemental contract amounts. Later that night, I have left a voicemail from the Bucyrus Varsity Girl’s Basketball coach that said (even tho my overall record in 3 years as a coach is 35-7) he was “taking the youth program in a different direction & I would not be returning as the director”… I’ve struggled to find what direction he plans on going???

This was a devastating blow for one I am still processing.

While I am being pushed out tomorrow night, the school board will approve the “unconditional recommendation for renewal” from the AD & Varsity Coach of the supplemental contracts for the two coaches in our girl’s middle school basketball program.

From Nicole Lee:

I wanted to share some numbers with our tax-paying citizen

In 2 years, 2020-2021 & 2021-2022, Bucyrus City School taxpayers have paid $15,037.24 for our two girls’ middle school basketball coaches we paid two coaches $15,037.24 to lead our 8th-grade teams in 2 years, to an overall record of 1 and 30. That’s one win and 30 losses. That is $7,500 per year that we pay two coaches to run our girl’s middle school basketball program into the ground … These two coaches have been here for years. I am only focusing on the past two years. It paints a good enough picture. Here are the scores for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 8th-grade seasons … no winning, no learning, no competing … NO RESPECT.

Opponent – Bucyrus (2020-2021)
66-4
31-7
50-6
46-6
37-7
54-0
36-1
16-9
36-2
38-13
35-2
45-4

Opponent – Bucyrus (2021-2022)
33-22
24-22
38-14
51-2
40-3
47-4
42-5
44-8
25-26 (win)
49-10
31-4
48-6
42-4
47-8
53-7
58-5

The 8th-grade coach stated to my father in the stands as they sat together at a basketball game this past year… he said quote, “this is my worst year of coaching I’ve had. I’ve been in the office four times this year over parent complaints”… I know of these complaints because the parents also complained to me … the varsity coach is aware because I told him & he spoke with parents… I had parents from other schools calling me to tell me how bad they felt for our girls as they get beat down every game. The crazy thing is we have really talented, capable athletes to compete; they are just not being taught! Then these kids get to high school & have limited basketball skills; we continue to lose & only compete with the worst teams in the area. That’s not success.

Tomorrow night, our board will accept the “unconditional recommendation for renewal” of these two coaches … dad & I have seen their evaluations.. all threes & fours from the AD & Varsity Coach … 3/4s are the highest scores… these two are “master coaches”… in the eyes of their buddies, the good ol boy club. I call this falsification of documents presented to a school board. No mention on the evals of the parent complaints, no mention of the records or scores.. just gleaming reviews & an unconditional recommendation for renewal. Our evaluation process is a joke. So many things are hidden from the Board & our Board blindly follows any recommendation. Our school board is not being given all the facts, or they just don’t care to ask or see… this is just the surface of issues here in Bucyrus’s Athletic Department .. – a lot of coaches taking our hard-earned taxpayer dollars for the bare minimum effort… it’s been going on for a long time.

I cannot believe this doesn’t upset more people.

All the while… coaches like me are retaliated against for wanting better, demanding better for our girls & I am pushed out. It’s a sad, sad situation over here.

Pray for us; pray our school board makes the right decision for our girls and not their buddies.

Bucyrus City Schools Board Meeting is Thursday, June 15, @ 5:30 PM @ the Admin Office on Plymouth.