Coaching at Rush-Henrietta: Proposed Program Improvements

The Rush-Henrietta Parents for Change organization believes scholastic athletics are a CRUCIAL form of instruction at RH:

• Sports teach our students the value of hard work and perseverance
• They transform teamwork from an idea into a lived experience.
• When they compete, our athletes learn that by committing to each other, acting selflessly, and working toward a common goal, that they can do great things.

This elevates us as a community, and as a society.

Quality coaching is CRUCIAL. 

As some of our students’ most impactful role models, coaches make an indelible mark on the minds and hearts of our students. When the coaching is great, these positive experiences buoy our athletes for a lifetime. But when coaching is sub-optimal, that damage also endures.

Our coaching at Rush-Henrietta is inconsistent.

Unfortunately, our coaching roster at RH wasn’t produced by a well thought-out program. Our program is long overdue for a disciplined approach to attract, develop, and retain great coaches. It’s time for our district to put more formal processes in place for managing our coaching pipeline.

We ask the Rush Henrietta District to take action now.

On August 7, 2023 the founding members of Rush-Henrietta Parents for Action presented the Superintendent and Board of Education with the following recommendations, outlined in this proposal:

• Develop and implement a structured program for coach recruitment, training, mentorship, evaluation, and continuing education
• Consider increasing coach compensation to a level that is commensurate with the instructional value of these roles, and the many, year-round responsibilities borne by leaders within each program
• Standardize job descriptions for different coaching levels across the program – each with reasonable, common-sense criteria that follow HR best practices
• Cultivate diversity within our coaching ranks through active attention and effort

To read the current proposal in its entirety, you can access it via Google Drive, by clicking here.