[scorned]

Breathitt has a wealth of talent returning this year, but they have no coaches returning. For some reason politics might just cost Holcomb another championship (that is assuming he will stay). The politically driven madmen running the situation have pink slipped two of Holcomb's assistants along with 3 others who have quit because of this rediculous turn of events along with a couple of other coaches who coach the grade schools and midde school. Holcomb is left with 3 coaches to coach a high school football team and everyone knows Holcomb can do it with that, but by forcing a man with a resume' such as his in a corner, he couldn't be blamed to leave himself. Just seems like a sad situation here in Breathitt where so much hope should have been.

[TheGuyYouLoveToHate]

I agree 100% on this situation. It is rediculous that Kyle Moore and Jermey Noble were let go as coaches. The only coaches that I know of at Breathitt right now are Holcomb, Collins, Glenn Gross, Jonathon Chapman and Tim Noble. I'm not sure if any of those coaches have been let go or not, but Arch along with his board of memebers are destroying the football program!

[Altro Cat]

The board didn't have a lot of options. They had to let some of them go. Due to poor school attendance the last 2 years they have lost title 1 status and the funding that goes with it. District wide they will have to cut down 16 teachers by the start of next year as well as many aids and classified employees.

Don't be surprised, however, if they add a couple coaches in late July.

[Lambert #1]

Hate to hear this is happening down that way. Up here in Letcher County rumor has it that we are losing as many as 20 teachers and numerous amounts of aids and classified workers. Doesn't the state realize that education should be the last area to make cuts from. As of now we do not have a defensive coordinator and our coaching staff is minimal at best. If it were not for the volunteers that do it for free we would be in real bad trouble up here. I think currently we only one or two coaches that are actually employees of the board that are working with our boys. Holcomb is a great coach, don't expect him to sit around and take this for long. I worry that if it gets bad enough he will leave for greener pastures and the mountains don't need to lose him for sure.

[TheGuyYouLoveToHate]

The board didn't have a lot of options. They had to let some of them go. Due to poor school attendance the last 2 years they have lost title 1 status and the funding that goes with it. District wide they will have to cut down 16 teachers by the start of next year as well as many aids and classified employees.

Don't be surprised, however, if they add a couple coaches in late July.

I know an option, how about Arch takes a pay cut! But from what they put in the papers and school letter they send out every month, the attendance is supposed to be on the rise, not on the decline. But also if they can't afford to keep teachers, how wil they justify firing a teacher, then turning around and hiring a coach? And also from what I hear it is only "select teachers" being fired...

[hawkeye]

They had to get the money from somewhere to pay the new basketball coach. The board would like to see basketball grow not football. Everybody knows that.

[Altro Cat]

They had to get the money from somewhere to pay the new basketball coach. The board would like to see basketball grow not football. Everybody knows that.

You don't have to pay a coach much when he is already drawing teacher retirement from the years he worked in Perry Co. I don't want to get into specifics on this but he is not making Al Holland money, not even close.

IMO he just wanted to get back into coaching at a place he could win and compete.

[RoShamBo]

Hate to hear this is happening down that way. Up here in Letcher County rumor has it that we are losing as many as 20 teachers and numerous amounts of aids and classified workers. Doesn't the state realize that education should be the last area to make cuts from. As of now we do not have a defensive coordinator and our coaching staff is minimal at best. If it were not for the volunteers that do it for free we would be in real bad trouble up here. I think currently we only one or two coaches that are actually employees of the board that are working with our boys. Holcomb is a great coach, don't expect him to sit around and take this for long. I worry that if it gets bad enough he will leave for greener pastures and the mountains don't need to lose him for sure.

And they wonder why Southeastern KY is one of the poorest regions in the country. Neglect.

[Lambert #1]

RoShamBo,
What do you mean by your statement? I was just stating that I hate to hear that Breathitt County is losing some good coaches/teachers. I know these guys and they do a great job on the field and in the classroom. The education field is being hit very hard at the current time and it is going to take it's toll on the student athletes on the athletic fields and the classroom in the very near future. I was not only talking about Eastern Kentucky but I was talking about Kentucky as a whole. Less teachers means less qualified coaches that truly care about the students for the right reasons (education on and off the fields of play.)

[scorned]

I agree 100% on this situation. It is rediculous that Kyle Moore and Jermey Noble were let go as coaches. The only coaches that I know of at Breathitt right now are Holcomb, Collins, Glenn Gross, Jonathon Chapman and Tim Noble. I'm not sure if any of those coaches have been let go or not, but Arch along with his board of memebers are destroying the football program!

Tim Noble has already turned in his resignation and I've heard that Jonathan Chapman has made the statement that he will not coach without Kyle there. They did play together and are pretty close so I wouldn't see that as being out of the realm of possibilities considering he's already tenured.

[Gitback Coach]

The education field is being hit very hard at the current time and it is going to take it's toll on the student athletes on the athletic fields and the classroom in the very near future.

Wow, so all of the outcry for "less government" and "lower taxes" that we've been hearing for the past couple years actually has real-world consequences? Wow, go figger.

Maybe an interesting "real-world" life lesson for some.

[Lambert #1]

I had no other reason to comment on this post besides the fact that I think that Coach Holcomb is a class act. He deserves better than this from the Breathitt County Board of Education. He has worked extremely hard for better than a decade to assure that Breathitt County fields a top notch football program. Politics and the state has ruined several programs by cutting back on state funding and it hurts nobody but the kids. I am from Letcher County and we have them on our schedule this season but I wish nothing but the best for Breathitt County, it could be our county next. I hope they are able to fix the coaching problems that they face. If not some county will benefit from the ignorance that Breathitt County has displayed and gain a new head coach (Holcomb) in the process.

[Roundabout]

Sad situation. I’m originally from Breathitt and even went to school there and played for Holcomb; he’s a great coach. I don’t know what is going on but it is unfortunate for the program and community. I’m worried these situations will take some of the pride and prestige away from the football programs of Eastern Kentucky. :boosign:

[wildthang3]

The problem with the education in general, is the TENURE set up. Get Rid of Tenure, get better students, better teachers and the ones who don't do crap all day would be the ones leaving not the good ones.

[fbcoachnoitall]

How is tenure bad for teachers? Bad teachers can be relieved of their duties if the administration wants to get rid of them. All the administration has to do is place the teacher on an ICAP (Intervention Corrected Action Plan) and if the teacher doesn't meet the ICAP expectations they can be relieved of their duties. How do you get better students?