Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Athletics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Athletic director outlines coach‑hiring process, new facilities and recent team successes
Summary
Athletic director Brad Bertani described Grandview Heights’ coach‑hiring procedures (internal five‑day posting, background checks, OHSAA permits), new support systems for coaches, facility upgrades (track, turf, gym renovations) and a string of team and individual successes in 2023–24.
Brad Bertani, Grandview’s athletic director, presented the board with an overview of the district’s coach‑hiring process and recent athletics initiatives.
Bertani said openings are posted internally for five days to give current teachers and staff a first opportunity; if no suitable internal candidate emerges the district advertises externally (district website, OHSAA, director networks and job sites). Finalists—typically three or four—are interviewed, hired subject to background checks and an Ohio Department of Education “people activity” permit, and then presented to the board for approval. For middle‑school and assistant positions Bertani empowers head coaches to recommend finalists to ensure program continuity.
He described the qualities the district looks for: candidates who are teachers where possible, coaching experience in school settings or equivalent programs, a positive coaching philosophy, community ties and scheduling flexibility. Bertani said many of the district’s head coaches live in the community, and he argued that local ties support retention.
Bertani also described support systems for coaches: a coaches manual, an orientation program, professional development speakers, preseason policy meetings and an anonymous end‑of‑season athlete survey (parents-to-be-included this year). He said the district uses a formal review form and follow‑up meetings to set goals for the next season.
On facilities, Bertani said the new track will be operational for team use by Aug. 5 and that the district plans gym renovations this summer, including raising a wall to the ceiling in the wellness/wrestling corner and adding a door to mitigate noise and improve training space.
He closed with athletic highlights from the 2023–24 year: girls cross‑country won league, district and regional titles; girls soccer were district champions; the football team hosted its first playoff game since 2015; Carrie Furby repeated as a two‑event state champion and now has four state titles; several teams had their best seasons in years and 89 student athletes were named all‑CBL, with 58 earning 3.75 GPA or above and all‑league academic honors.
Board members asked detailed questions about bargaining‑unit rules, whether internal applicants receive interviews, how supplemental contracts and nonrenewals work, the district’s rationale for cutting teams, and how community members and board members can help publicize coach openings. Bertani and the superintendent explained that collective‑bargaining agreements constrain some specifics but that the district retains discretion to hire external candidates with experience where defensible.
Board members and administrators agreed to continue using multiple outreach channels (social media, LinkedIn) to recruit coaches and to coordinate communication with parents and booster groups.
