By Antonio D. French
Filed Wednesday, July 12 at 6:40 AM
In closed session last night, the St. Louis Board of Education approved a resolution to reduce the size of the office that oversees sports for the district, leaving its current director, Floyd Irons, at least temporarily unemployed.
The resolution called for the Office of Health, P.E., and Sports Administration to be dissolved and the current positions in that office to be eliminated "due to insufficient funds." The administration of the public high school league is now to be directed by just one person and one secretary, as has was the case for many years before.
Steve Giegerich of the Post-Dispatch broke this story last night, while the Board was still meeting. He reports that Irons' salary was around $90,000 per year.
It is possible that Superintendent Creg Williams may reassign Irons to other duties in the district, but he will not be coaching. The resolution specifically called for former employees of the office to be transferred to a "teaching, non-coaching or clerical assignment where they possess the required qualifications."
12 Comments:
Yahoo! One embezzler down can the district remove any more? Maybe the playing field will be fairer without Irons recruiting the best players throughout the district. He didn’t care about education just getting the best players to make him look good. And before you Irons supporters state otherwise explain to me why wasn’t this shown in MAP scores? Why were there still gang fights at the V when he was the principal there?
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 7:26:00 AM
Just leave the students at Vashon High in misery. A new principal, new staff members, and no one to be confortable with. WE, the students desevre a voice. The Board of Education is messing up everything but the children are supposed to be "the focus of all our efforts" thats bullshit, the Board is for themselves and not at all thing about us.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 5:44:00 PM
Irons didn't recruit the best players throughout the district---he recruited the best players throughout the region. It is obvious when a child attends another school district where his family's home is and then suddenly shows up at "Irons Court" touting an address of his Auntie or cousin. This practice has happened regularly and everybody knows it. When the players were placed in summer jobs at the BOE their home addresses on their checks were from Normandy, Riverview and East St Louis just to name a few. This can be verified if they haven't destroyed or "can't find" the students records
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 7:02:00 PM
What ever happened to money for the soda and snacks money that were sold at Vashon???
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 7:03:00 PM
Without the ability to post anonymously, I could never risk sharing this information as long as there is any possibility that he could return because I would be too afraid of the consequesnces. The man intimidated teachers at the school who displeased him, including those who tried to give his players the grades they deserved instead of the grades that would keep them on the team. That is how Vashon's grade inflation began. Explain how these students were earning such high marks, yet scoring below proficient on the MAP tests. Some even got scholarships with their inflated grades and sports ability, but ask him how many ever graduated college over his decades of doing this. They were set up to fail unless they got the same grade inflation in college for being the big star on the court that they did at Vashon. He and his players even intimidated teachers out of much needed disciplinary actions. It's like they (he and his players) ran the school the way a gang runs a neighborhood - through fear. The school can never turn around academically until sports stop trumping behavior and learning expectations. As long as the team was winning, everyone looked the other way while teachers and other administrators were bullied into doing his bidding. The people who put sports first absolutely love him, and the rest of us who believe that the job of a school is educating students look like the bad guys. I gave up trying to buck the status quo and I know I'm not the only one. How sad for these students never to realize thier true potential.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:32:00 PM
How sad for these students never to realize thier true potential.
Sic.
Thursday, July 13, 2006 5:53:00 AM
Many of us see this as the end of a long reign of terror.
Thursday, July 13, 2006 6:50:00 AM
Some of these comments should get to the Post-Dispatch, to the Commissioner of Education, Kent King, kking@dese.mo.gov, to state legislators, and to city leaders.
Thursday, July 13, 2006 7:16:00 AM
To the Vashon Class of 2007. I challenge you to take control of your school. Are you willing to work with the teachers and administrators to show how your school could be another Metro? Stop the gangs from fighting (so what if you are from the north, south, east, or west side of the city – what is up with that)? You! The students are the reason the V gets a new principal is because of all of the discipline problems. The principal cannot suspend everyone. Another reason is the lack of student and parent support in education not sports, EDUCATION. I thought that Vashon Collation was about education not about supporting an embezzler whose main concern is seeing how many state titles he can get. The Board is not messing up you are. Hold a mirror up to yourself to see the source of the problems. Hold yourself accountable in the same manner you are holding the teachers, administrators, and the Board accountable for education. Teachers, administrators and the Board have been working very hard but you the students want something for nothing or you destroy whatever caring adults try to do for you. Be grateful for what you have and if you do want something work for it and be grateful for achieving your success. Stop whining and start doing something about the problems among the students in your school. Then you get teachers and administrators who want to be part of the school instead of requesting transfers or quitting.
Thursday, July 13, 2006 8:21:00 AM
Duh! Don’t you think we know that there are problems in all of the high schools including Metro (actually I wish all I have to worry about is students not doing their homework or quiet a argument)?
Hmmmm! Why do you think the Vashon Compact, Collation, or whatever it was called didn’t happen? It can’t be the schools fault. Look at the area you are talking about. Children represent their parent(s) fairly well. During the gang fights that were in the news last September parents were also involved. I am sure it is the teachers’ fault at Vashon for construction areas getting broken into, tools and supplies are stolen, and maybe a fire also starts. I would stop any kind of funding in the area as well not because of the schools but because of the ungrateful people who live there. I would look somewhere else to make money from a development. And what does north side development have to do with Irons getting fired?
Thursday, July 13, 2006 7:25:00 PM
As an ardent fan of the local high school basketball and an African-American, I am ecstatic about the firing. How long can one man bully people and break the rules before someone puts a stop to it? Apparently 30+ years. The last straw for me was when Floyd came and got Johnny and Bobby Hill from Alton. I know the whole story regarding how they got there, yet he denies to this day that he recruits players. I think that he gives all of us a bad name when he chooses to conduct himself in the manner that he does.
Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:10:00 PM
Now is the time for people to come together and March and protest thru-out the city for what is right. No one is perfect in life, only after failing many times, then you become truly successful, Mr. Irons has failed over the years what teacher hasn't but did he give up, no because his spirit for helping, guiding, training, teaching, wouldn't quit. Even when he had the worst students or the worst basketball team, or when he was brutalized, threaten by students he stayed and he continued to believe, teach, instruct. He has truly done a fantastic job and should not be treated as bad as this from his superiors. We who know him, we who haveor had kids he coach, we who were entertained from the basketball games, we who were his basketball team players year after year, should organized and come to his AID, Everyone wanted to shake his hand, where are we team, Floyd definitely taught us to be a team,no matter what the odds are. Lets be prideful, lets be intelligent on handling keeping him in our schools as a consultant. Our people have struggled enough in life look at the prisons ratio. Floyd detoured hundreds of youths into a positive direction. In the White race they stick together and they have for a very long time. If they had a Floyd Iron with a successful coaching record, consideration would have been given out of respect for his effort and success. We can do this too,this is a delicate situation and needs to be thought thru. A leave of absense would be better. People this is an opportunity, SEE IT FOR OUR FAMILYS, FRIENDS, NEIGBORS TO COME TOGETHER MAKE A STAND AND PROTEST THIS UNDERSERVED ACTION!
The firing of a great coach and eliminating athletics. Wow, St. Louis People where are you and what happen to your Spirit of protest. We cant just allow poor decision from our Leaders in education to destroy our proven Black Leaders. Appointment need to be made, meeting need to be set. We are a great people, are we going to allow these failures, someones son, newphew, grandson, will end up dead, in jail, shot, because of no sports in our education, dont take away the recess from our kids.
If our great Teachers are belittled, torn down because of success, we will have NO future for dreams of our kids. People that practice doing the right things in life, I am calling you....I am calling all Former Basketball Players for Vashon, from the 1972 State Champions, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 etc.. To come and help and be a part of a Team call democracy. Petitions, need to be started, signatures, we must come together and build a team for the future that will hold together for this century.....May God Help us with our endeavors, God Bless you all....Stephen Herron, saherron@yahoo.com
Sunday, September 17, 2006 7:58:00 AM
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