Woll rehire consideration set for May 12
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RONAN — Head Basketball Coach Steve Woll has been recommended for rehire by Ronan Principal Kevin Kenelty.
The Ronan School Board will consider the motion to rehire at its May 12 meeting.
Kenelty explained to the board at its April 14 meeting that he received a recommendation from Activities Director Lucky Larson to not automatically recommend Woll for rehire, as is standard for returning Ronan coaches. Kenelty then advertised for the boys’ basketball head coaching position and advised Woll to apply. Kenelty said he conducted interviews of the candidates, and made the recommendation to rehire Woll.
“Coaching is a year-to-year business,” Kenelty said. “I supported an athletic director’s decision and advised Steve Woll to apply for the job because it is a year-to-year contract.”
There was standing room only in the school library as athletes and parents listened to Kenelty’s account of what happened. Some said they believed the district should have taken a different route in handling Woll’s employment.
Woll was at the meeting, but remained silent. In an interview afterward, he gave a more detailed account of what had transpired.
According to Woll, Larson told the head coach on March 18 that he would not be recommended for rehire.
“I said, ‘OK, reasons?’” Woll recalled. “I don’t want to make the same mistake twice down the road.”
Woll said Larson gave no explanation. For more than a week Woll was stumped. His prior evaluations gave no hints the administration was unsatisfied with performance.
“I’ve never had a bad evaluation,” Woll said. “I’ve never had a plan of improvement. I’ve never had a talking to by the administration.”
After 10 days Larson and Kenelty met with Woll and told him that his win-loss record was not satisfactory. The Ronan Chiefs have had four consecutive losing seasons out of the six with Woll as head coach.
A meeting with Superintendent Andy Holmlund followed, and Woll was asked to meet with Kenelty and Larson again.
The meeting didn’t go well, Woll said. Holmlund then asked Woll to write a paper about the basketball program’s strengths and weaknesses, the current direction of the team, possible pathways to improvement, and how the program should be evaluated.
Woll said he and Holmlund had a productive conversation about the paper.
After the second meeting with Holmlund, Woll said he was pulled into Kenelty’s office, where he was told to apply for the head coaching position with no guarantees to an interview.
Woll was interviewed for the position on April 11. Three days later, Kenelty told the Ronan School Board he was recommending hiring Woll.
Throughout the process, multiple local media reported that Woll had been fired, but much remains unclear about whether or not that was true.
“I think non-renewal was the nice way to put fired,” Woll said. The activities handbook for the school calls for non-renewals to be handed down through the board, Woll said.
The board never entertained a motion to non-renew Woll’s contract before opening the position for hire. Some in the audience at the April 14 meeting questioned whether Woll’s non-renewal was a deviance from that policy, and if the board was setting precedent by routing Woll’s non-renewal through the high school administration. The board did not offer an answer, and only said that Woll’s hiring would be put on the next meeting’s agenda.
Woll is still curious as to whether or not the board will have to move to terminate him before he’s rehired.
Woll said he’ll accept the position if he’s offered the job.
“I will because of the kids,” Woll said. “I’m not ready to give up coaching. I’m not ready to move on.”
Woll likened the ordeal to going through a divorce, but said he’ll know exactly who is likely to show up to his funeral and who to send Christmas cards.
“I’ve had parents come out of the woodwork that I didn’t even know cared about me,” Woll said.
Some supporters addressed the board last week.
“If there were concerns that needed correction, why not put him on a plan of improvement?” parent Karrie Fisher asked.
Fisher praised Woll for work with athletes, including her son.
Award winning sports broadcaster Mick Holien also spoke in support of Woll. Holien talked about how great sports coaches like Vince Lombardi didn’t emphasize the importance of winning, but instead focused on team building.
“Nobody works harder than Steve Woll,” Holien said. “Nobody cares more about what’s going on in this school. No one would be a better asset as head coach.”
Woll said he’s appreciative of his family, friends, and students who supported him.
“Hopefully we can get past this and move on because I know there are a lot of kids ready to get in the gym and get their individual games improved,” Woll said. “We can work on that this summer.”
