By SCOTT TYLER
The Palestine Herald
PALESTINE
January 15, 2008 04:19 am
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On an emotional night, the Glen Tunstall saga at Palestine High School may have finally come to an end.
Monday night, the Palestine Independent School District Board of Trustees heard a grievance filed by Tunstall, PISD’s former athletic director and head football coach who was reassigned by PISD Superintendent Jerry Mayo earlier this month.
After hearing from both sides, the board on a 6-1 vote denied Tunstall’s grievance and affirmed the administration’s decision for reassignment. The lone opposing vote came from board member Dana Staples.
“This is a situation where it is never easy and very emotional, no matter how it comes out,” Mayo said after the Monday school board meeting.
In November, Tunstall was reassigned out of the athletic director/head football coaching position. Earlier this month, Mayo made the decision that Tunstall was to be reassigned as the Director of Elementary Physical Education.
Per Tunstall’s request, Tunstall and Mayo had 15 minutes to present their sides to the board in open forum.
Tunstall’s attorney, Chad Rook, took most of the time for Tunstall’s presentation, stating that the reassignment was not in the best interest of the district and that two incidents did not warrant Tunstall’s reassignment.
Rook spoke about Tunstall’s track record as the athletic director and head football coach, including a 33-14 football record and an athletic program that produced two state golf championships and a soccer team that reached the state tournament.
Rook also talked about how Tunstall wanted to be at Palestine for life, which could only be beneficial to the district.
“It is the best interest of the district to have a coach and athletic director that wants to stay here,” Rook said. “He has pushed the athletic program to excel and helped get kids to the next level.
“Coach Tunstall wants to be here and stay here.”
Rook then spoke about two alleged incidents that lead to Tunstall’s reassignment — the first involving basketball players who were punished for missing tutorial by receiving “swats.”
The other incident concerned a soccer player who Tunstall said never talked to him about participating in football’s offseason program.
Rook explained that Tunstall was following a district policy that had been in place for at least the last nine years that Tunstall has been a coach at Palestine and “it had never been an issue before.”
Rook finished by calling Mayo “a lame-duck superintendent who had a personal vendetta against coach Tunstall.”
Tunstall then read a brief statement, telling the board how he had the students’ best interest at heart and how he has spent endless hours at PHS helping the players.
After Tunstall’s remarks, Mayo then presented what he felt were the real issues of the grievance brought before the board.
“Mr. Tunstall’s popularity or lack of popularity is not an issue here,” Mayo said. “What is the issue is the best interest for the school, and that is to make a change in the school’s athletic program.”
Mayo briefly explained Tunstall’s contract and stated that Tunstall had signed an administrator’s contact, meaning he could be reassigned to any administrator-level position.
“The board has given authority to me to make reassignments,” Mayo said. “This is not a demotion. Mr. Tunstall could bring real improvement to the district at the elementary school level.”
Mayo went on to tell the board the reassignment came after Tunstall was warned by the superintendent about his behavior regarding the incidences with students, parents and teachers.
Earlier in the school year, Mayo explained, two grievances were filed against Tunstall for “pressuring teachers to make passing grades for athletes.”
“I warned Mr. Tunstall to be more careful,” Mayo said.
In the incident with two basketball players, Mayo explained that Tunstall had told the students that they were going to be removed from the team, even though later Tunstall said he was “just joking” — a phrase Mayo stated Tunstall has used more than once.
“I have lost confidence in Tunstall using ‘I am just joking’ to get out of controversy,” the Palestine superintendent said. “How are students and teachers suppose to know he was just kidding?”
Mayo ended by rebutting the “lame duck” comment made by Rook.
“I did not take this lightly,” Mayo said. “The decision I made and always make was in counsel.
“If I was a lame duck, I could have closed my eyes and let this go by. But I decided to make a decision so someone else did not have to.”
The board’s final decision came in front of a packed PISD board room which included several supporters of Tunstall who spoke in the early portion of the board meeting.
“I grew up with Glen and I have known his all my life,” Felder Gurganus told the board members. “He is a very honest man, a man of good character who has put his heart and soul into this school.”
Other supporters talked about how Tunstall was the best choice for the school district.
“We want the best for the community and one of the best is Glen Tunstall,” Therrell Thomas said. “He gives everything he has and wants to stay here and give his life to Palestine.”
In other business, the board:
• APPROVED the 2007-08 textbook adoption committee.
• ACKNOWLEDGED the receipt of a Tech Prep Grant for the PHS Career and Technology Department.
• APPROVED June 2-26 as the dates for the PISD Summer Feeding Program at Story Elementary School.
• RESCINDED a motion from a previous meeting regarding relinquishment of all rights to site of the Montalba Methodist Church. After researching the issue, the board learned that the district had no rights to the property.
• HIRED high school English teacher Jefferey Cook, middle school special education teacher Michele Deal and high school SAC teacher Nelson Hardin.
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Scott Tyler may be reached via e-mail at styler@palestineherald.com.
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Staff writer Mary Rainwater contributed to this story.
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