Triad baseball coach Gary Davis gives signals from the third-base coaches box during a 2018 game against Fairbanks. Davis has resigned as the school’s athletic director and baseball coach.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
With the start of the 2019 high school football season just a couple of days away, the Triad school district is looking for a new athletic director.
Gary Davis, who had held the position at the district’s high school and middle school for the past four years, stepped down Tuesday morning.
District superintendent Vickie Hoffman spoke with the Journal-Tribune this morning.
“Gary is certified to teach language arts, but his teaching license had recently expired,” said Hoffman. “We had become aware that this could happen last year and brought it to his attention. At the time, he seemed confused about what he needed to do.”
Hoffman said that Davis did not do four years of a resident education program, which caused the loss of his license.
With the lapse of his license, Davis could not serve as athletic director.
What Davis has to do, according to Hoffman, is take two additional classes in order to regain his license.
“Gary said he has already signed up for college,” she said. “He could get those two classes in during a semester and could be done by Christmas.”
Once Davis, who could not be reached for comment, completes those classes, he would then have to return to active classroom teaching for four full years.
After that, he would move to a five-year professional license and would be eligible to become an athletic director again at that time.
Hoffman said high school principal Kyle Huffman and middle school principal Doug Lowery will handle athletic director duties at their respective buildings on an interim basis.
“We posted the position as being open on Tuesday,” said Hoffman. “If we can find a good candidate, I hope we can hire a new athletic director by Oct. 1.
Hoffman said she hopes to begin initial interviews within the next two weeks.
“If we can’t find a new athletic director by Oct. 1, we will have people on our staff serve as facility managers to help Kyle and Doug with certain AD duties,” she said.
Davis was also Triad High School’s head varsity baseball coach.
His resignation also means the district will be looking for someone to fill that position.
“We will probably post the coaching position as being open in October,” said Hoffman.