MASON CITY – Star Mohawk Basketball player Jadda Buckley pleaded with the Mason City School Board Monday night in an emotional speech to spare the job of girl’s basketball assistant coach Tom Kirby.
Naming Kirby as main reason why the Mason City girl’s basketball team is now “on the map,” Buckley said “now, just as we have done so, you’ve decided to propose cutting one of the biggest main attributes of that success from the program. He honestly loves not only the game, but our team.”
The board acted on proposed cuts to 13 coaching positions and other teaching positions brought to it by Mason City School District administrators.
Although other teaching positions were cut – most likely temporarily – the board moved to keep all the proposed coaching positions and “go back to the drawing board” and look at other possible cuts. At this time, due to the gridlock in Des Moines over educational funding and the fact that Mason City has no instructional support levy, the school district is facing some tough choices until those two issues are resolved.
httpv://youtu.be/Xyh2BSLRqLc
There’s no gossip like NIT gossip. This rag rocks!
I can live with that. Glad you enjoy NIT.
Nice to see her stick up for the assistant coach, even when she dogged Curt Klaahsen. Saying he screwed us over. Class act there Jadda.
I’m amazed there are 13 coaches. How many sports are there at MC schools? We had 4-5 coaches/PE teachers at my high school and none in 7th or 8th Grade. We did not have wrestling or swimming, so add 2 more for that. Did anyone even suggest getting volunteers to replace assistant positions? I’m sure not. Winning is what is important, not just playing the game. Gosh, why did anyone at our school even bother to go out for sports? LOL We never won anything.
Look, don’t get me wrong. I really like Jadda from what I’ve seen so it’s not about her. What bothers me is the hero worship society thrusts upon even high school athletes. It’s so much so that the school district uses it when it comes to school funding.
This couldn’t happen if society wasn’t so wrapped up in tradition. The sad fact is, is that for most high school athletes it’ll be the high point of their lives. I can’t understand how some kid who works all through high school isn’t valued as highly. I saved $10,000 in high school. Equal to $30,000 today. Now it’s high enough so that I do not have to work. Everyone who works hard is a star.
You are so right. Academics was much more valued back in my day. The ones who thought they were jocks are now just has beens. A lot of them never amounted to much and some are still bullies at age 65. Their prowess on the football field or basketball court, which wasn’t great, was their crowning glory in life and it was downhill from there, many times into alcoholism. It’s time schools put the emphasis on back on academic achievement instead of athletics. Why doesn’t the local newspaper have an academics section instead of a sports section for the schools? We need pictures of students who got A’s on their tests and over 90% on standardized tests in the paper. They need to be recognized and cheered on more than athletes!
I didn’t know LVS was a high school jock!
@Anonymous-yes, and you couldn’t carry my jock strap sissy.
Real men think instead of playing games.
@Anonymous-what would a sissy wimp like you know about a real man? All you have is a big mouth.
Cut all sports. School is for learning. Let Parks and Rec start up leagues and teams.
Of course Jadda supported her coaches. She doesn’t know any better as that has been her life. It is time to make changes in our education systems. Get rid of the high priced management and duplications in the system and stop the insanity of pay raises for part time teachers every year.
I remember girls like this from high school.
Hope she can find some rich schmuck in college to support her for the rest of her life, being a single mother of a mix raced baby is hard!
The focus on sports and not academics is sickening. Privatize!
This is really a disgusting comment. It doesn’t exactly fit NIT’s terms for deletion, but seriously, get some class and clean it up.
Cry Me a River…..really? You are probably sitting at home on your couch right now collecting from the rest of us.
Nah, I have a great job. Are you sitting at home??
Lets not pit academics against athletics and arts versus sciences. It it high time for us to reassess our entire educational system and our priorities.
As a Nation we spend more per pupil than any other civilized country on earth yet we have the poorest educational outcomes.
Stop rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic and lets get serious. We are going under, turn out the lights.
“hey cry me a river”, you really need to wake up. just about eveyone in the USA has been either laid off or has taken a pay cut. Its not fair that every year the administration and teachers in MC get some kind of raise, Most of these coaches are teachers. If full time administrators and teachers would take a 1% pay cut based on every 10k they make it would solve most of our money problems, Also look at all the free lunches,reduced bus fees in our town but look at the nice cars and houses these people live in and you ask how do they do it. Our socity wants wants and then wants some more but dont want to give any thing back.
Stop attacking a teenager who voices her opinion publicly, while you hide behind your aliases. Good for her for even caring enough to show up. It shows that she is so much more than just a basketball player. Regardless of where you fall on the issue, she should be commended for having the guts to stand up and make her point. Way to go Jadda!
Well, what eva Jadda wants, Jadda gets, because she’s a star. If you chose to excel in other areas, too bad. You’re no Jadda. Jadda’s gonna go places. She’s gonna go to college and then get married and have babies. Everyone that comes in contact with her must keep their jobs forever and never get laid off. She played ball and that makes her better then everyone else.
I would really like to know how much pressure the coaches put on the students to show up to this meeting. Jadda doesn’t realize that her TEACHERS are dedicated, trustworthy, and genuine. But guess what, they are getting CUT while your coaches are getting PAID by the tax payers. There seems to be support for only this Kirby guy, what about the others? Get rid of them all and focus strictly on education. I am tired of seeing tax dollars go to Sports and Music departments. They should be privatized and be paid strictly by the people playing in the sports, similar to how it’s done in other countries. A little crying goes a long way in the school system, and it looks like it worked. Mohawks better actually make it to state next year!!