White County Citizens pack the Board of Education meeting room Tuesday night
(Cleveland)- In a 3-2 vote Tuesday night the White County Board of Education approved hiring a new high school girls’ basketball coach. That decision has been surrounded by controversy after Quint Moss was named the interim girls’ basketball head coach for the 2023-2024 season last August. Moss’s appointment was made for the upcoming basketball season with a re-evaluation of the coaching position to be conducted at the end of the season.
Two weeks ago the board received a recommendation from Superintendent Laurie Burkett to hire Banks County High School Coach Steve Shedd, to lead the girl’s basketball program this next season. However several people expressed their opinion, at that time mostly on social media, that Moss should be given the job.
Because the board had just received the recommendation and lots of calls from the public the board decided to postpone the appointment until April 9th in a special called meeting.
Prior to that meeting Tuesday night the BOE heard from ten people about the issue, and most of those expressed their desire that Moss should be selected. Some also attacked the overall process that led up to the decision-making and called on the board to look at that process.
Steven Shedd- Photo blitzsportsga.com
After an executive session board members Charlie Thomas, Jon Estes, and Linda Erbele voted to hire Shedd with John Solmon and board chair Missy Jarrard voting no.
Steve Shedd, led the Banks County girls to the 2023 Class 2A state championship. He spent the past eight seasons in Homer, leading the Lady Leopards to three Elite 8 appearances overall and the program’s first state title game since 1965.
Missy Jarrard commented to reporters after the meeting that her vote to go against the superintendent’s recommendation should be a strong message to the public, “ we will be looking at the hiring process, hiring procedures, we’re going to look at what happened here and we are going to ensure that does not happen, we will change how we conduct those interviews, we’ve got a lot to do.” Commented Jarrard.
Jarrard emphasized even though she voted no, as a member of the board, she respects the board’s decision on the matter.
Something just seems out of order with this hire. Obviously, the man can coach; however, Coach Moss wasn’t a slouch either. How many first-year coaches led their team to the Elite 8? Not many. This reeks of politics or someone doing a friend a favor. Now that the board has made its decision, seemingly against the “will of the people,” the only recourse left is for the returning players to boycott next season, that is, if they truly wanted Coach Moss to return. With all the travel ball teams out there, the players shouldn’t have any issues finding a team to play for, should they choose the boycott route. While only the superintendent and BOE know exactly what went on in the hiring process, I agree with Ms. Jarrard when she says, “We will be looking at the hiring process and hiring procedures; we’re going to look at what happened here, and we are going to ensure that does not happen; we will change how we conduct those interviews; we’ve got a lot to do.” Coach Moss deserved better than this.
Public school system is done. And this kind of stuff is why.
It sounds like the hiring committee knows basketball. And anyone that knows the 11 and 12 graders in this team know how well they can play. The varsity got into the state bracket by only 1 basketball shot. If coach Moss had been so so good then why did the jv never make the varsity better when he was the coach of that. Moss got lucky with the players to take him as far as they did. The sad part is that if they would had another coach how much farther they may have gotten. The bottom line is someone has gotten their feelings hurt and has turned this in to a big deal when the basketball program was needing a change.
I’m a believer that you promote within. Moss has been a loyal employee and stuck with the girls program. This is a shame and I feel it doesn’t look good for the county. Good ol’ boy politics strikes again.
PEOPLE NEED TO VOTE AND GET RID OF THESE BOE MEMBERS
Who do NOT care about our future or our kids!!!! Politicians need to be politician NOT Board of Education members that only care about their social status or the proof in there businesses. Just saying. I am sure Coach/Shedd is/could be a good coach. The administration leader are at fault as well.
I hate this for Coach Moss, God will bless him beyond measures.