Charlo retains board chairman, assistant coach
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RONAN — Charlo School Board Chairman Shane Reum will continue to serve on the district’s board and as an assistant junior varsity boys’ basketball coach in the upcoming year, after addressing concerns about a possible conflict of interest at a July 21 board meeting.
Reum said he really enjoyed serving as assistant boys’ basketball coach last year, and was ready to resign from the school board if necessary to continue coaching.
“I want to see if I can coach,” Reum said.
Reum was one of two applicants for two open assistant junior varsity boys’ basketball coaching positions. He had the written support of varsity coach Gale Decker, but some board members had concerns about whether or not there was a conflict of interest.
One attorney gave the OK for Reum to serve as coach. Another did not give the OK, saying it was a conflict of interest.
Board member Tonya Truman said she didn’t doubt Reum’s coaching capabilities, but that the attorney’s letter made her cautious about hiring him.
“It’s just we have this letter from our attorney saying not to do it,” Truman said.
Boardmember Duane Weible was also concerned.
“I worry that it takes away some checks and balances,” Weible said, pointing out that if a complaint was made about Reum, the board is ultimately where the complaint could end up. He also wondered whether or not having a board member as a coach might deter other staff from applying from the position.
Reum promised to recuse himself if complaints about him ended up before the board. He said that when a complaint came up in the previous year the superintendent pulled him into the office to handle the problem.
Board member LaDonna Fryberger said she thought Reum was “a big enough person” to wear both hats.
“I don’t see anyone beating down the door to be coach,” Fryberger said.
The board voted to appoint Reum as coach, and he said he would turn in his resignation as board member in the future if he proved to be a problem.
