VOORHEESVILLE – As it would for an important game, the public filed into Voorheesville’s high school on Monday night, but, rather than cheering on a team, clashing sides – residents, teachers, and students – battled over the varsity girls’ basketball coaching appointment.

In years past, the victorious girls’ teams inspired parades through town as they won eight sectional titles in a row and two state championships.

Rumors had been surfacing around town for weeks about who the board was going to appoint to replace Coach John McClement. He resigned in June after he was approved to coach Albany High School’s varsity boys’ basketball team.

At Monday’s school board meeting, the board appointed Dennis McCormick, a physical education teacher in the elementary school, and girls’ junior varsity basketball coach for eight years, after a lengthy public comment session.

McCormick had resigned as JV coach after he heard he would not get the varsity job, said the teachers’ union president. He could not be reached for comment this week, and it was unclear yesterday if he would accept the post.

Many people believed that the board was going to appoint Robert Baron, violating the regulations of the commissioner of education.

Baron was recommended for the post by the school’s athletic director, Joseph Sapienza. The superintendent, Linda Langevin, considered recommending Baron for the school board’s approval but reversed herself after learning the teachers’ union would sue.
Baron, a former school board president, is not a certified teacher. According to the state’s regulations, "A person who does not hold a current New York State teaching certificate may be employed as a temporary coach only if there are no certified teachers available with experience and qualifications to coach the team."
"I was never under the understanding that I had the job," Baron told The Enterprise this week. "I was just told that I was going to be recommended to the superintendent by Joe Sapienza," he said.
As a former school-board member, Baron said, "I’ve learned that you don’t have a job until you’re recommended by the superintendent, and appointed by the board."

Baron said he plans to coach again at Scotia this year.
"It’s like all things in life, you don’t always get what you want, you just move on," he said of not being appointed at Voorheesville.
Board President David Gibson opened up the public comment phase of the meeting by saying, "After some of the comments I’ve heard, I wonder why anyone would serve on the board, and why anyone would serve as a coach."

Robert Burns, a resident, who said he is a friend of Baron, wanted the board to describe the process by which Baron’s name was distributed to the community as the candidate that was going to be appointed to the position.

Burns also said that McCormick had told a group of female basketball players that he had not been appointed to the position.
"Individually, board members have zero authority," Gibson said. "No one has the backing of the board until it makes a vote."

Superintendent Linda Langevin explained that she had contacted the attorney for the district, Norma Meacham, to find out if there was any flexibility within the regulations.

Meacham informed her that the New York State Union of Teachers would appeal if Baron were appointed.
"This board is very careful to be sure to put good people in place," said Langevin, who was visibly flustered by the public criticism. Many people came forward on McCormick’s behalf, she said. "There is no question that he would be a good coach," she said of McCormick.
"The mix-up came because people were on the streets, talking about this before there was board action," Langevin said. "People went everywhere in the community but not to me," she said, adding that former board member Richard Brackett called her to ask what she was thinking.
"I am not the reason for the problem," Langevin said. "In the future, we’re going to have a more inclusive process."

Regan Burns, a former Voorheesville basketball star, who now teaches, and coaches girls’ varsity basketball at Scotia, spoke about Baron’s coaching qualifications.
"I know he has qualifications," she said, adding that he was her assistant coach last year at Scotia. "He’s demanding, he’s fair, the kids respond well to him," she said. "Mr. Baron has the passion, and he has the experience."
One resident, who didn’t identify herself, asked if there were any teaching positions that the board had ever spent as much time discussing. "We’re responsible for the rumors – we’re the adults," she said. "The first responsibility of this school district is to educate our students," she said.

The process

The selection process began in June after McClement’s resignation. The district advertised the position for two weeks, Sapienza told The Enterprise.
The district then "screened applications, set up interviews, conducted interviews, did reference checks," and finally made a recommendation to the superintendent, Sapienza said.

Four individuals inquired about the position; three people applied, and two were interviewed – McCormick and Baron, said Langevin.

Sapienza’s recommendation was Baron.
"I did go to the superintendent and state my recommendation was Bob Baron," Sapienza said at Monday’s meeting. "The recommendation came from my desk," he said.

That recommendation came in late July, Langevin told The Enterprise. At that time, she said, she was aware of the commissioner’s regulations, "but didn’t know if there was any flexibility within that framework."

She verified with Meacham that there was not.
Sapienza’s recommendation, she said, "was a judgment call. Both men are really good coaches."
The rest, she said, "is a personnel matter."

Sapienza would not say why he recommended Baron over McCormick, but he did confirm to The Enterprise that he was "fully aware of the commissioner’s regulations" when he made his decision.

He felt confident in his recommendation, even though it violated the state’s regulations, he said.

Numerous residents stated at Monday’s meeting that they had been informed by basketball players that McCormick had not been appointed to the position.
Several girls from the team spoke to Langevin regarding the matter, she said. "They asked that the conversation be kept confidential," she said.
"My decision stands on its own," Langevin said of recommending McCormick.

In the week before the board meeting, Langevin said that she spoke to McCormick and informed him that she would be recommending that the board appoint him.

Typically, the board doesn’t make basketball-coaching decisions until September or October, because the season doesn’t start until November, said Langevin.

"Severe concerns"
Kathy Fiero, president of the Voorheesville Teachers’ Association, expressed "severe concerns" with the process to the board.

She explained to the board that, during the week of July 16, she was out of town and received a call indicating that the decision had been made to hire Baron.

At a school board negotiations committee meeting on July 23, Fiero said that she expressed her concerns with Meacham, Langevin, and committee members Timothy Blow, C. James Coffin, and Kevin Kroencke. She informed the group of the commissioner’s regulations, she said.

Fiero said Langevin was uncomfortable discussing it without a quorum of the board.
"I wasn’t looking for a decision, I was trying to share information," Fiero said. "The commissioner’s regulations were my concern," she said.
"My issue is with the process," Fiero told The Enterprise. "They seem to feel that they can make exceptions," she said, adding that she believes the district owes both Baron and McCormick an apology.
"It shouldn’t have gotten this far" I don’t think it was fair to either candidate," Fiero said.
"It’s a messy process," Gibson said on Monday. "No state law has been violated" We encourage you to not jump to conclusions," he said.
"We want the best coaches in the district," Coffin said at the public meeting. The board discussed the differences in the two candidates, Coffin explained. "Our administrator’s recommendation was to appoint Baron," he said. "We talked about the regulations" and took the time "to dig into the details," he said.
"The bottom line," he said, "is that no decision is made until the board fully digests what’s going on". We took time to make sure we’re on solid ground."
"Basically, I’m at the point now where I’m glad it’s resolved, and I’m anxious to move forward," Sapienza said yesterday of McCormick’s appointment.
"Mr. McCormick is a positive, passionate coach," Sapienza said. "We’re going to move forward and get the girls ready for their season," he added.
"I think it was the right decision," Fiero said. "He deserves an opportunity to coach the Voorheesville girls," she said of McCormick.
"I applaud the board for doing the right thing. I think they have an obligation to uphold the commissioner’s regulations," Fiero said.