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Community voices criticism after coach Troy Blackwell removed; board and staff describe grant transition
Summary
Several speakers, including former colleagues and parents, criticized the district’s decision not to keep coach Troy Blackwell and raised concerns about unequal athletic support; district staff said a previously external grant has been redirected to district-level programming and that district purchases follow directive processes.
Public comments at the March 13 McKeesport Area School District board meeting focused on recent changes in the boys’ basketball coaching position and related athletic supports. Several community members and a former colleague spoke in defense of Troy Blackwell and criticized the district for what they described as inconsistent treatment of coaches and programs.
Speakers said Blackwell provided significant services to student-athletes, including arranging food for away games, leading fundraising activities, securing an earlier grant-based tutoring and mentoring program, and generally serving as a role model. “You’re not gonna find another coach like that,” said one commenter, who identified himself as Harold Allen. Multiple speakers said Blackwell helped secure a program/grant that previously operated through a community foundation and provided tutoring and mentorship for athletes.
District staff and board members responded that an outside grant previously tied to a foundation has been restructured by the grantor and is now being issued to school districts; staff said the district has received that money and is in the process of putting program positions in place. The district said the grant was not specifically for boys’ basketball but will support a program being developed to serve students more broadly across sports and grades. The board also said winter and spring coaches received directives and allotments to procure team equipment, and that district purchasing for athletics is paid by the district when requests are submitted.
Speakers alleged uneven support across teams — for example, that the girls’ teams received equipment purchases while the boys did not — and asked the board to explain why. District staff said an athletic director email sent to coaches with instructions can be produced. Athletic director Mr. Kiss and other administrators were referenced as having issued or administered directives.
No board action related to the coaching assignment was recorded during the public-comment portion of the meeting. The board and administration said they are implementing district-controlled elements of the grant and the related program, and that positions funded by the grant have been voted on in prior agendas and are being filled.
