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KFDM COOP

KFDM COOP

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Sports review for Mackey's ears only

Nearly a year ago, Port Arthur schools superintendent Willis Mackey told The News that he and athletic director Dean Colbert were working on a thorough evaluation of the district's athletic program.

He said last February, "as soon as the season is over," presumably the school year ending last spring, "I'm going to get an evaluation of all the programs and the coaches ... We (Mackey and Colbert) will sit down and talk about the future of athletics in this district."

The News, in a Texas Public Information Act request in December, sought "a copy of paperwork generated by the superintendent's 2005 review of the district's athletic program under coach Colbert."

In late December, Mackey reported that he was waiting for Colbert to assemble all the information he needed.

This week, Mackey informed The News there was no paper report or paperwork for the newspaper to review.

He said Colbert delivered his report to the superintendent orally.

"That's with coach Colbert," Mackey said. "He kept all his information. He just verbally shared it with me. We don't have the stuff you're asking for."

That was just one of many non-revelations in a 30-minute Tuesday interview with the city's top educator that yielded little to educate this newspaper's readers on specific plans to improve what everyone agrees is an under-achieving athletic program.

A man who earns $208,575 a year from PAISD taxpayers (counting allowances and other benefits), Mackey did offer up a few non-specific opinions.

He was asked his opinion of Memorial High's boys' and girls' basketball teams. Both teams currently stand in the middle of the District 22-5A pack, facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs:

"I feel like they're working hard," he said. "The kids have been aggressive. I think they're going to continue to improve."

Asked his overall opinion of the district's athletic program, Mackey again was positive but non-specific.

"I think we stand great. We have great kids. We have some good coaches. And we're going to work towards next year," he said.

The superintendent started the tape-recorded interview by bringing out his own tape recorder.

And his tape will show what The News' does: that he consistently failed to offer specific answers to questions but peppered his comments with educational buzzwords that mean little to the general public.

He also passed the buck, telling the interviewer that he should seek answers from the various campus principals, from the district's information director and even from Colbert, who is mostly calling in sick at Memorial while waiting to start work in his new job at Humble next month.

Here is a partial transcript of the interview:

The News: Where do we stand on the athletic program?

Mackey: I think we stand great. We have great kids. We have some good coaches. And we're going to work towards next year.

The News: What about athletic periods? That was something the coaches have brought up that have not been consistently scheduled and don't have at the middle schools.

Mackey: I don't know about that. They haven't shared it with me.

The News: Would (assistant superintendent for administrative services) Mrs. Gatson be able to answer that question about athletics?

Mackey: No. I can. The answer hasn't been shared with me.

The News: Who has the answers? You say it hasn't been shared with you. Do you mean there are no answers coming out of the Port Arthur school district to that question? And probably some others I'll ask too?

Mackey: I feel like our principals are doing an adequate job on their campuses taking care of their campus for their course requirements and periods that need to be taken care of. The principals take care of their own campus. They set their own schedules.

The News: So if coach Fonteneaux (girls' basketball coach Joe Fonteneaux), for instance, said for instance he doesn't have an athletic period in the ninth grade, you're not concerned about that?

Mackey: I'm concerned about all of our kids, all of our programs. I think if the coach has a concern, he needs to visit with that principal on that campus.

The News: Do you see there's a difficulty putting the desire for better academics together with a strong athletic program?

Mackey: I think we can have both, strong academics and strong athletic programs. I think that's what we're going to work and strive for.

The News: Do you foresee any particular changes to it (the status quo), the way it's coming about?

Mackey: Well, we're looking forward to it, to making the necessary changes. The commitment we started 2 1/2 years ago in helping and encouraging a strong academic and a strong athletic program.

The News: Can you cite anything that's happened in 2 1/2 years to make it better?

Mackey: Yes. We're working on it. We're working on our curriculum in all our programs.

The News: Can you cite some specifics?

Mackey: Curriculum in all our programs. Staff development. Workshops. And things of that sort.

The News: Can you explain that to my readers, who don't understand (educator jargon)?

Mackey: Strong curriculum program, that's what I would tell them that we're building on, a strong curriculum program.

The News: That's going to help athletics how?

Mackey: That sure will.

The News: How will it help athletics?

Mackey: There's a number of ways. It'll help athletics.

The News: Can you explain them to me?

Mackey: A strong curriculum program helps athletics.

The News: I don't know if you think I have an agenda or what. Maybe it's not me .... I'm just trying to find somebody in the school district that I can talk to for straight answers.

Mackey: Well, you're talking to the superintendent. I'm as straight as I can be.

The News: You're just dancing around answers ...

Mackey: No, I'm not dancing. I'm answering your questions and I said what I wanted to say: A strong academic program, building up curriculum and staff development, that's how we build a program, that's where we start.

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SFA85

SFA85

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I had a longggggggggggggggggggggg talk with the interim AD last night. Trust me, Mackey's ducking and dodgin' to keep somethings under wraps so those clowns on the school board won't have a leg up on what's going on. I offered some suggestions everywhere from potention HC's to maximizing existing buildings at the current campus. My man listened and I hope people in the community will stand behind him while he tries to right the ship and stand against stupidity in the name of Julia Samuels......

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Gtj007

Gtj007

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Quote from SFA :

"Trust me, Mackey's ducking and dodgin' to keep somethings under wraps so those clowns on the school board won't have a leg up on what's going on."

That should about explain PA's poor leadership right there. I might be wrong, but shouldn't a Super and the School Board be working TOGETHER??????? PAISD is doomed to fail with this kind of mentality.

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