The spring sports coaching positions at Española Valley High School have been reopened once more, after there was some controversy about the amount of time they were advertised on the Española School District’s website.
According to interim athletic director Theresa Flores, several individuals brought to her attention that the spring sports positions were only advertised online for a few days. Once she learned this information, she contacted the Human Resources department and made certain that the jobs would be advertised for 10 days.
The coaching jobs were initially opened for anyone to apply, once Flores took charge of the Athletic Department and was able to sift through applications.
The three coaching jobs — tennis, baseball and softball — became available as Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez wished to maintain the same course that former acting superintendent Denise Johnston started, when she opened all of the fall and winter coaching positions in March.
“While on one hand, I understand the decision that Ms. Johnston made, on the other hand I understand that it is very difficult to build programs when coaches do not know from year to year, if they are still going to be in the position the following year,” Gutierrez said.
She added that she is not sure whether the opening of coaching positions on an annual basis will become the status quo at the high school. She will work closely with newly-appointed Athletic Director Paul Roybal, in order to make a decision regarding the issue.
Head tennis coach Nancy Suazo said that she was not surprised when she learned that her job was on the line and she had to reapply for her position along with a number of other candidates.
“I had known since probably during tennis season,” she said. “I was going to assume that they were going to open the spring sports, since they opened all of the fall and winter.”
She accepted the news with relative positivity and confidence, even though she mentioned she is going into “unknown territory.”
“It (applying) wasn’t that bad,” she said. “I thought it was going to be way more stringent. It is what it is. I guess I am fortunate I have never had to do it in the past.”
Head baseball coach Miguel Duran and head softball coach Robert Garcia did not respond to multiple calls.
According to former athletic coordinator Eric Vigil, Johnston wanted him to hire or rehire the spring sports coaches after the seasons ended, but he wanted to learn the nature of his standing with the District before he made those decisions.
Vigil quit his post in June, after being demoted from athletic coordinator position. One week later, the Española School Board hired Gutierrez as superintendent.
With necessary work to be done, Gutierrez hired former athletic director Theresa Flores as the interim athletic director, in early July, and one of her tasks during her eight-week tenure was to hire coaches for spring sports.
Previously, Flores was the athletic director at the high school from 2001 to 2004, then from 2009 to 2012.