Portage Township School Board member Jeff Smith resigned from the board Monday to become the new Portage High School athletic director.
Smith, who replaced Troy Williams on the board a few years ago, previously was athletic director from 2007 to 2012.
During that time, he oversaw 20 sports programs and worked with more than 80 coaches, organizing youth camps, hosting coaching seminars and partnering with community organizations to strengthen student athletes’ opportunities.
Smith said he plans to foster collaboration among coaches, students, families and community stakeholders.
He was a health and physical education teacher and varsity coach from 1993 to 2007 before becoming athletic director. He was a coach for 20 years, serving as a varsity coach for four different sports programs.
School Board President Andy Maletta said Smith “brought insight and knowledge to us that is very much appreciated.”
“Mr. Smith has extensive experience as both a coach and athletic administrator, and he has deep roots in the Portage community,” Superintendent Amanda Alaniz said. “He understands the tradition and pride associated with Portage athletics and is committed to building programs that support student success both on and off the field.”
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“I believe in championing student athletes by promoting teamwork, discipline and leadership through quality athletic programs,” Smith said. “Collaboration with diverse community stakeholders is essential for a thriving athletic culture, and I am eager to enhance student participation and community engagement.”
His previous experience as athletic director includes working with youth athletic organizations to help build strong feeder systems and develop student athletes at the elementary and middle school levels.
Smith said he is committed to making PHS more competitive with other Duneland Athletic Conference schools.
School Board attorney Ken Elwood explained the process for replacing Smith on the board.
The district will accept applications from interested residents. The board will review the applications and interview finalists before appointing the new member in a public meeting.
“All that will be posted right away on our website,” Elwood said.
Board members are normally elected by the voters. Candidates can now run as either a member of a political party or as a nonpartisan candidate. The same reporting and recordkeeping rules that other candidates must follow apply.
Maletta, after explaining the board doesn’t get involved in the employee hiring process before voting on the candidate, said the board wanted to make sure it was a fair process and not just given to someone serving on the board. He asked PHS Principal Michael Stills to walk the board through the process used to choose the new athletic director and why Smith was chosen.
“It was a really good process. We had a really good rubric,” Stills said.
Several candidates applied, but most had a year or less of experience, he said.
“At the end of the day, we’re looking at the experience this person can provide,” he said. With Smith’s extensive experience, Stills hopes he will “impart some of that experience to the young guy we’ve got in the wings.”
“We know it’s an important position at any high school,” Maletta said.
“We’ve gone through a few of them over the last several years,” he said.
Board Vice President Wilma Vasquez said she is confident Smith is the right person for the job.
Smith replaces Brett St. Germain, whose retirement was announced Monday.
At Monday’s meeting, Alaniz greeted retirees and employees based on their years of service. St. Germain’s name wasn’t on the list of retirees.
The board had scheduled an executive session for Thursday to discuss a personnel issue, followed immediately by a public session to make a personnel decision, but that meeting was canceled Monday morning.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.