Scoop27
07-24-2015, 12:44 PM
From The Victoria Advocate
GOLIAD - Goliad football players will return to the practice field Aug. 3, and Kyle Taylor will be with them.
Taylor was reinstated as the Tigers' head football coach and awarded a one-year contract by the Goliad school board late Wednesday night.
"I can't wait," Taylor said. "I've never looked forward to two-a-days this much in my career."
Taylor was placed on paid administrative leave in March after a parent filed a complaint alleging Taylor made inappropriate remarks to her daughter.
Taylor denied the allegations.
The school board voted 4-3 in April not to renew Taylor's contract, and he requested a hearing.
The hearing was originally scheduled for earlier this month but was postponed until Wednesday at Goliad Middle School.
The trustees heard testimony from school officials and students in an executive session that lasted 10 hours and 11 minutes and included Taylor and his attorneys.
The trustees voted 4-3 in favor of Taylor's reinstatement after first voting by an identical margin not to uphold the non-renewal of his contract.
Trustees Trey Wimberly, Destry Gruetzmacher, Robert De La Garza and Steven Webel voted in favor of reinstating Taylor. Trustees Carlos Gutierrez, Michelle Reitz and Brandon Huber were opposed.
Webel was not on the board when it voted not to renew Taylor's contract in April.
Webel replaced board president Bob Gayle, who had retired, in June. Gayle had voted against renewing Taylor's contract.
"What I would like to think is that this community and this community within this district - both the faculty and kids - are going to be able put this behind them and come together," Wimberly said. "Everything I have been told is about supporting the coach, and so I'm assuming his players and his supporters will rally around him. I guess on a bigger scale, I would say how we move forward is we've got this done, and now we've got to focus on some positive stuff."
Gutierrez was the only trustee to comment in open session. He spoke after the motion to reinstate Taylor was made and did not hide his displeasure.
"We teach our kids from a very young age to report any wrong actions an adult may have with them - discussions, language," he said. "We teach them to report that. That is what we tell them to do. We have had kids that have done that. Now, they're trusting us to do our job. We've listened to many hours and always comes down to that - to the kids, what they are saying.
"If we do not believe them, then we are calling them liars," he continued. "Either you believe someone or they're lying. What kind of message are we sending off to the rest of the students? If all these allegations are true, then it's OK to speak this kind of language. Everybody's seen it. Every type of word that's in the dictionary and shouldn't be in the dictionary can be spoken to our females - can be spoken now. We've just given permission if we approve this. They have spoken out, and let's do our job and believe them."
Brent Dornburg, one of Taylor's attorneys, participated in the hearing and was pleased with the outcome but not entirely satisfied.
"He hasn't been completely vindicated yet," Dornburg said. "I don't think he can ever be completely vindicated. Just these accusations alone are horrible. I think this is the first fair shake he's gotten. This is the first time the board has heard from him. This is the first time he's been allowed to speak and be listened to."
Taylor said the entire process has been difficult for him and his family.
"The hardest five months of my life," Taylor said. "I know people have got it worse than me around the world, but I wouldn't wish the last five months on anybody. But I'm glad it's over, and I know it's been tough on a lot of people - my family and other people, too. I don't wish ill will on anybody. I'm just excited to be back."
Taylor still faces a Class B misdemeanor charge of harassment of a Goliad High School student.
He was arrested June 30 and posted $2,500 bail.
Dornburg has filed four motions in the case, and a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.
"It's been quite an ordeal, and there is still some stuff hanging fire out there, but what we did is what we had to deal with," Wimberly said. "It's going to be so great for the community through the school district to put this to bed, and let's move forward positively. We've got it done."
Taylor was promoted from offensive coordinator to athletic director and head football coach in February after John Mares retired.
He will return as head football coach after former elementary school principal Debra Bauer was named athletic director by the board of trustees in June.
"(I'm) just excited about being able to come back and work with kids I love and a town that I love," Taylor said. "This is where I want to end my dadgum career in coaching - and the coaches I love. I just couldn't be any more excited. This is exactly where I want to end my coaching career, and I'm going to get to do it with the kids I love."
GOLIAD - Goliad football players will return to the practice field Aug. 3, and Kyle Taylor will be with them.
Taylor was reinstated as the Tigers' head football coach and awarded a one-year contract by the Goliad school board late Wednesday night.
"I can't wait," Taylor said. "I've never looked forward to two-a-days this much in my career."
Taylor was placed on paid administrative leave in March after a parent filed a complaint alleging Taylor made inappropriate remarks to her daughter.
Taylor denied the allegations.
The school board voted 4-3 in April not to renew Taylor's contract, and he requested a hearing.
The hearing was originally scheduled for earlier this month but was postponed until Wednesday at Goliad Middle School.
The trustees heard testimony from school officials and students in an executive session that lasted 10 hours and 11 minutes and included Taylor and his attorneys.
The trustees voted 4-3 in favor of Taylor's reinstatement after first voting by an identical margin not to uphold the non-renewal of his contract.
Trustees Trey Wimberly, Destry Gruetzmacher, Robert De La Garza and Steven Webel voted in favor of reinstating Taylor. Trustees Carlos Gutierrez, Michelle Reitz and Brandon Huber were opposed.
Webel was not on the board when it voted not to renew Taylor's contract in April.
Webel replaced board president Bob Gayle, who had retired, in June. Gayle had voted against renewing Taylor's contract.
"What I would like to think is that this community and this community within this district - both the faculty and kids - are going to be able put this behind them and come together," Wimberly said. "Everything I have been told is about supporting the coach, and so I'm assuming his players and his supporters will rally around him. I guess on a bigger scale, I would say how we move forward is we've got this done, and now we've got to focus on some positive stuff."
Gutierrez was the only trustee to comment in open session. He spoke after the motion to reinstate Taylor was made and did not hide his displeasure.
"We teach our kids from a very young age to report any wrong actions an adult may have with them - discussions, language," he said. "We teach them to report that. That is what we tell them to do. We have had kids that have done that. Now, they're trusting us to do our job. We've listened to many hours and always comes down to that - to the kids, what they are saying.
"If we do not believe them, then we are calling them liars," he continued. "Either you believe someone or they're lying. What kind of message are we sending off to the rest of the students? If all these allegations are true, then it's OK to speak this kind of language. Everybody's seen it. Every type of word that's in the dictionary and shouldn't be in the dictionary can be spoken to our females - can be spoken now. We've just given permission if we approve this. They have spoken out, and let's do our job and believe them."
Brent Dornburg, one of Taylor's attorneys, participated in the hearing and was pleased with the outcome but not entirely satisfied.
"He hasn't been completely vindicated yet," Dornburg said. "I don't think he can ever be completely vindicated. Just these accusations alone are horrible. I think this is the first fair shake he's gotten. This is the first time the board has heard from him. This is the first time he's been allowed to speak and be listened to."
Taylor said the entire process has been difficult for him and his family.
"The hardest five months of my life," Taylor said. "I know people have got it worse than me around the world, but I wouldn't wish the last five months on anybody. But I'm glad it's over, and I know it's been tough on a lot of people - my family and other people, too. I don't wish ill will on anybody. I'm just excited to be back."
Taylor still faces a Class B misdemeanor charge of harassment of a Goliad High School student.
He was arrested June 30 and posted $2,500 bail.
Dornburg has filed four motions in the case, and a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.
"It's been quite an ordeal, and there is still some stuff hanging fire out there, but what we did is what we had to deal with," Wimberly said. "It's going to be so great for the community through the school district to put this to bed, and let's move forward positively. We've got it done."
Taylor was promoted from offensive coordinator to athletic director and head football coach in February after John Mares retired.
He will return as head football coach after former elementary school principal Debra Bauer was named athletic director by the board of trustees in June.
"(I'm) just excited about being able to come back and work with kids I love and a town that I love," Taylor said. "This is where I want to end my dadgum career in coaching - and the coaches I love. I just couldn't be any more excited. This is exactly where I want to end my coaching career, and I'm going to get to do it with the kids I love."