The Westlake City Schools Board of Education approved superintendent recommendations Monday, July 7, 2025, hiring Colin Bryant as the district athletic director and approving several new teachers, long-term substitutes and classified employees for the district's extended school year program.

Superintendent Dr. Goggin told the board the district aimed to complete staffing before July 10, a date he described as a cutoff that can require employees to be released from their current districts if hired afterward. "July 10 is a big day," Dr. Goggin said, adding that the current teacher market makes delays risky.

Colin Bryant, introduced by Dr. Goggin as the new athletic director, told the board he was "excited to hit the ground running" and thanked district leaders and his family. Bryant described his background as an intervention specialist with Avon schools and said he had shadowed that district's athletic department under long-time athletic director Eric Frambach. "It's really been a career goal for me and dream, and I think this is the right place to do it in a great community," Bryant said.

The board also approved the hiring of Madison Hetzler as a high school science teacher. Hetzler said she grew up locally and earned a biology degree from the University of Findlay, then obtained her teaching license. "Being from the area, I feel like I have a huge advantage," she told the board.

Two long-term substitutes were also approved: Taylor Barrett, who will serve as a Title I reading intervention long-term substitute, and Emily Matejcek, who will work in half-day kindergarten and half-day Title I assignments. Barrett described previous Title I and fourth-grade language-arts experience; Matejcek said she is a Westlake graduate who has worked as a substitute in the district.

Dr. Goggin said two classified employees who already worked in the district's extended school year program were placed on the agenda to be added to payroll now rather than waiting until the end of the month. He also noted transition days for the incoming athletic director and that staff member Carrie will return on Aug. 1 to assist with onboarding.

The board voted on the superintendent's recommendations in separate motions. The record shows motions to approve grouped items 3(a) and 3(b), then 3(c), 3(d), and 3(e) individually; each motion "carried" on roll call. The meeting record states the board "will take no action in executive session nor when we exit executive session." The board later moved into executive session to discuss employment matters.

Why it matters: The board prioritized completing hires before July 10 to avoid release complications with other districts and to secure staff amid tight labor market conditions. The approved hires fill an athletic director vacancy created by an internal administrative shuffle and add classroom capacity for the coming school year.

What happened next: After the votes the board closed the public portion of the meeting and moved to an executive session on personnel matters; the public record states no action would be taken while in executive session.