7/24/13 - The Superintendent of Fowlerville Community Schools says the decision to not renew the contract of a popular coach was his alone. The Board of Education met Tuesday night, where some parents and former Junior Varsity Baseball Coach Dana Fitrakis spoke out about his contract not being renewed earlier this month. Superintendent Wayne Roedel says contracts are renewed on an annual basis for all coaches per policy. He tells WHMI the reason for the non-renewal, which is different than firing someone, really stemmed from a conversation that Fratrakis had with the former district athletic director in which he stated that he consistently has something in his mouth at practices and games, which varies from real chewing tobacco to a coffee ground substance to sunflower seeds. Despite that assertion, Fitrakis and some parents have alleged that Board of Education Trustee Laura Prochnow influenced the decision because she wasnât happy with the amount of field time her son was getting, who plays on the team. Roedel says coaches need to be role models and educational athletics is about more than just winning a game. Roedel says the board is an advisory group that will discuss certain issues but he is in charge of all personnel decisions and the choice was his, saying he has expectations for their coaches and programs, which Fratrakis did not meet. (JM)
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