Plymouth-Canton to Get New Athletic, Activities Director and Assistant Principal

Changes will soon be coming to Plymouth-Canton Community Schools athletics and co-curricular activities programs. 

During Tuesday night's meeting, the Board of Education unanimously approved to restructure leadership and hire two new positions: a director of K-12 student activities and athletics and assistant principal of activities and athletics.

Currently, the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park (P-CEP) shares two athletic directors for all three high schools. Under the new structure, each high school will have its own assistant principal who in turn will be overseen by the director.

Todd McCall, president of the Plymouth High School Football Booster Club, said that Plymouth athletics and the football program as well, has dealt with injustices such as the football team forfeiting its whole season last year. 

"We had an ineligible kid playing on the team - it was an oversight within the athletic department that the football program didn't know about it," McCall said. "There's a list of requirements that the kids have to meet and we weren't aware of it and didn't find out about it until after the season. And we think that's because there's only two athletic directors to cover all the schools. There's just not enough people to cover everything that needed to be done."

McCall said he was happy with the Board's action, but the culture of the Park also needs to be addressed. 

"Changing the structure doesn't always change the culture within a program," he said. "Just remember this is about the kids, regardless of if its red uniforms, black uniforms or blue uniforms. All the kids are together in The Park. They go to class together, they eat lunch together, they get together after school and all the activities, and if we divide them by dividing our athletics the way we have the past couple of years, it doesn't do any good for these programs."

According to Deputy Superintendent of Business and Operations Brodie Killian, the estimated cost of the new structure will be between $200,000 and $350,000 at the very top end, depending on where the new hires come in experience wise. Killian said the cost will most likely be around $300,000.

The additional cost would be budget neutral that the district can execute over two years, according to Killian. 

The savings would come from central office restructuring, re-examination of existing athletics and activities resources, alternative revenue development and student full time equivalent (FTE) attraction and retention.  

Superintendent Michael Meissen said the next step is to post the job and recruit and interview qualified candidates. He said he hopes to have people in those positions within the next month. 

For more information, visit www.pccs.k12.mi.us.