Schenck returning as coach

Mike Schenck will be returning as head coach for the Trojan?s varsity football team this fall.

Following the recommendation of district activities director Jeff Courtright, the Fairfield Community School District Board of Directors voted 5-1 to hire Schenck on the Level 1, Step 7, pay scale.

Business manager Kim Sheets explained it is an ?at-will contract,? so it is not renewed each year as it would be for a teacher who also coaches.

?You don?t have to give a reason if you don?t want him the next year,? said Courtright. ?But I think you?ll want the stability.?

Courtright said Schenck?s head coaching experience, football expertise, coaching passion and familiarity with the district and program made him the best candidate for the position.

?If you know Mr. Schenck, you know he bleeds orange and black,? said board member Jeri Kunkle.

?He?s a great coach and still has the desire,? Courtright said. ?We should be glad there is a person in the community willing to step forward and do this.?

Schenck spent 36 years coaching football in the Fairfield school district ? the last 21 as head coach before he retired as a high school social studies teacher in 2010.

While he was head coach, the Trojans won several district championships and qualified for the playoffs eight times. He?s a member of the Iowa Football Coaches Association 100 Win Club and was chosen to coach in the Iowa Shrine Bowl in 2002. He was named the Golden Triangle Coach of the Year several times, and he has players at all college levels, including Division 1. He?s also coached many players who have become very successful in their professional fields and leaders in their communities.

Board member Bob Waugh questioned why when the district hires back a retired teacher, the teacher starts at the base wage level, but when the district hires back a retired coach, the coach starts at the wage level he left off.

Sheets said the district has ?no language? about the wages for returning retired coaches.

?I do have a problem hiring back former teachers as head coaches,? said board president Gail Miller, who cast the lone no vote. ?We have three.?

See a related article in the sports section.