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Published on 09/25/1995 All articles from this issue

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LAHS coach controversy not handled well by district

The Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District's decision not to re-hire 7-year baseball coach Bob Bowers has precipitated a storm of controversy that shows no signs of letting up.

Parents of athletes who have played under Bowers have been particularly vocal in their criticism of the way the Los Altos High School coach was released.

On its face, the issue doesn't appear to be a big deal. Bowers was tied to a $2,700 contract that was temporary in nature. And contracts aren't renewed all the time, with little or no hubbub.

But Bowers was apparently well-liked - to the point that hordes of upset parents are willing to go to bat for him, even to pay his attorney's fees.

We may never publicly know the definitive answer to the question, "Why was Bowers' contract not renewed?" What we do know is the district has no legal obligation to reveal its reasons for not renewing this contract. The distinction also has to be made that the action is not a termination.

Still, the district's handling of this, headed by LAHS principal David Brazer, has been baffling and less than diplomatic.

After the end of the baseball season in June, parents sought conference with Brazer. The principal initually refused, then eventually met with a few parents under his own restricted terms.

The most puzzling aspect of the process was that Brazer apparently never talked to Bowers himself. Bowers was notified of his release through a July 3 letter. If this is indeed the case, then surely Brazer and the district could have been more gracious about it. At the very least, Brazer could have told Bowers face-to-face he was not renewing his contact before Bowers read it in a letter.

We're also bothered by the impression here that the high school has shunned parent input. Parent involvement is strong in this school district, and for that district officials should be thankful: surveys show that districts with strong parent involvement are better off. District officials have an obligation to work with parents - it comes with the territory.

At the same time, officials have to be careful about taking sides and balancing the input before making decisions. As the Bowers situation demonstrates, the district could stand some improvement in public relations.