VOORHEESVILLE – Though the school board has made no decision as to who will replace John McClement as the coach of the girls’ varsity basketball team, rumors are spreading about who will be appointed.

McClement resigned from his coaching position at Voorheesville in June, after his appointment by the Albany City School District to coach the boys’ varsity basketball team at Albany High School. He has been a physical education teacher in the Albany school system since the late 1980s.
McClement led the lady Blackbirds since the 1999-2000 season. "We absolutely had so much success on and off the court," McClement told The Enterprise earlier. "The relationship with the players is what matters no matter what happens on the court. We spent a lot of time together" It was fun on a lot of fronts. That’s one of the things that I will miss most," he said.

The district has received four applications for the position, said Superintendent Linda Langevin, citing it as a personnel matter that prohibits her from further discussing applicants.
Former school board President Robert Baron is one of the applicants. "I have applied," Baron confirmed this week.

Several Voorheesville residents called The Enterprise last week – two of them anonymously and two who wanted their names withheld – concerned that Baron had already been appointed, and was not qualified for the position.
"The school board has not appointed anyone," said David Gibson, the current president. The process is underway, Gibson said. The board, he said, will select "whoever is going to be best suited to meet the needs of the students."

The board will make its decision in a vote at either its August, September, or October meetings, which are open to the public, Langevin said.

Baron, who is not a certified teacher, has been involved in basketball in Voorheesville for more than 20 years, he said. He has never coached for the school district, but has been involved in numerous youth leagues – Catholic Youth Organization, Amateur Athletic Union, and community basketball teams – and coached third- through twelfth-graders, he said.
"I have all my credentials – first aid, CPR, and coaching first aid," Baron told The Enterprise, surprised that residents were concerned about his application for the position.
According to State Education Department guidelines, individuals with coaching experience who are not teachers "may be employed as temporary coaches of interschool sport teams, when certified teachers with coaching qualifications and expertise are not available, upon the issuance by the commissioner of a temporary coaching license."

Temporary coaching licenses are issued by the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Services, said Kevin Kroencke, a school board member who works for the State Education Department’s Office of Licensed Professions. It is valid for one year.

Kroencke himself coached with a temporary-coaching license while working toward his teaching certification, he said.
If a certified educator is interested in the coaching position, Kroencke said,"They have to be offered a job first."
"If anyone is contemplating coaching a high-school varsity sport who is not a certified teacher, I would hope they’d be made aware of the qualifications," Kroencke said.