Mike Morgan resigns as athletic director

Colfax school district’s athletic director Mike Morgan turned in a letter of resignation Monday, stating the work load had become too much in tandem with his two other jobs at the school.

“I’ve been juggling three jobs the last nine years. It’s just been hard on me. What I would like to do is get back to focusing a little more on my music and a little more on my football and get back to the regular classroom,” Mike Morgan said.

Morgan, who directs the school’s bands and coaches the football team, told the Gazette Tuesday his change of status “leaves the door open for other opportunities.” He declined to say if he had received job offers from other districts.

He acknowledged coaching and other school positions get filled at this time of the year.

Morgan’s resignation comes in light of the school board essentially consolidating the positions of athletic director and assistant athletic director starting with the 2011-2012 school year.

District Superintendent Michael Morgan told the Gazette Mike Morgan’s multiple jobs at the school were stretching his hours too thin to fully manage the athletic director position.

Supt. Morgan announced Morgan’s letter of resignation at the school board meeting Monday. Board members made a motion to accept the resignation and did not comment on it.

The athletic director’s contract officially finishes in August.

Turning in a letter in the spring gives the district enough time to hire and train a new director, Mike Morgan told the Gazette.

In the meantime, he will continue to schedule games for the 2012 winter and spring season with other athletic directors in District 7.

Morgan’s work load as athletic director came into question almost a year ago after a number of issues with extra-curricular activities cropped up. Due to those issues, Supt. Morgan asked for an evaluation of the duties involved with the position of athletic director.

At the time, board members and the superintendent publicly said the series of mishaps could have happened perhaps because Mike Morgan had too many duties.

“It’s very difficult to be an AD and try to teach five periods a day and coach. So, that was a concern Mike and I had talked about. It’s almost too big a position when you are talking about those responsibilities besides being an AD,” Supt. Morgan told the Gazette.

“We felt more of a person that isn’t working full time or maybe [someone who is] retired would be interested in taking on that overall position. It’s a big job,” he said.

A committee of school staff was formed last summer. Over the summer, the committee traced what the specific duties of the activities director were in the first place.

The committee formed a new job description for the position. The committee wrote into the description that the new director could not also be serving as a full-time coach. This detail would eliminate Morgan as a candidate for the job unless he gives up coaching football.

In preparation for the new job coming into effect, the school board in executive session at a March 28 board meeting agreed to go ahead with the planned job description.

The revised job description will go into effect in August, Supt. Morgan said.

“In the board meeting before last [March 28], in executive session, we discussed going in a different direction. My discussion with Mike last week <April 8> was, ‘This is the direction we want to go. Are you interested in pursuing that or not?’” said Supt. Morgan.

The new position will encompass the job duties of Assistant Athletic Director Tony Carter. Carter’s job includes maintaining the school’s athletic facilities.

Mike Morgan was one of the leaders of a group of school staff and Colfax citizens last fall who asked for the resignation of Supt. Morgan. Mike Morgan told the Gazette his resignation from the athletic director’s position had nothing to do with the call for the superintendent to resign.

“There’s no animosity with me or that I’m feeling any pressure. I put that behind me. I believe Michael put that behind him and the school board as well,” Mike Morgan said.

Morgan has served as the school’s bands director since joining the faculty in 1992. He was also promoted to football coach in 1998 after serving as an assistant coach. He was named WIAA District 7 Athletic Director of the Year in the 2005-2006 school year.

Morgan’ and his wife Evanna, a teacher at JES, have three children. Their youngest son, Kellen, is a member of this year’s senior class.

“There are certain opportunities presented to us when your last child leaves home,” Morgan said. “Evanna and I have been evaluating this for the last year.”