Whiten Discusses SCHS Football Coach Hiring Process

Stephens County High School is moving quickly to start the process of hiring a new head football coach.

School Superintendent Sherrie Whiten outlined the process for filling the vacancy at Tuesday’s Stephens County Board of Education meeting.

Stephens County is looking for a new football coach after Travis Noland resigned last week to take the head job at Oconee County High School

Whiten said a committee will be established to conduct the search and provide input on the eventual final choice.

That committee of about six or so individuals would include Whiten, High School Principal Sandy Steele, Assistant Superintendent Jason Kaup, along with parents, and a current high school staff member.

Whiten said she feels the committee approach will work best for Stephens County.

“We have a lot of stakeholders that have a vested interest in what happens here in Stephens County as far as football, so we want to be able to hear from them, so I look forward to working with them as we try to select the very best person for our students,” said Whiten.

The position is being advertised immediately with applications being accepted through February 14.

Whiten said there has already been interest in the position and she feels the school system will have some excellent candidates.

The timeline calls for initial interviews are expected the week of February 18 through February 21, with follow-up interviews set for the following week if necessary.

Whiten said she hopes to have a recommendation for a new head football coach at the Board of Education’s work session in March.

As for filling the position of Athletic Director, which Noland also did at StephensCounty, Whiten said the school system has not determined yet whether the football coach will serve as AD or whether the positions will be split.

“There are some options we are looking at,” said Whiten.  “We also looked at what other school systems around us do and can we get some ideas about how we can do this better.”

Whiten said that decision would likely be made about how to fill the athletic director’s spot in conjunction with the decision on the football coach.

The Board of Education approved the proposed hiring process for a new football coach unanimously.