The St. James Board of Education approved a new stipend schedule that will restructure the number of paid positions for wrestling and baseball coaches.

The newly approved stipend schedule replaces the existing single head wrestling coach, which is classified as a category-one stipend (first-year earnings of $6,868), with two head wrestling coach stipends that are classified as category-two (first-year earnings of $5,526). The new stipend schedule also eliminates funding for a middle school wrestling coach, a position that St. James R-1 School District Athletic Director Chad Shockley said was difficult to staff.

“We’ve had a hard time ever filling the middle school wrestling coaching position,” Shockley said. “We’ve kind of always ‘voluntold’ someone that they’re going to have to do it. Last year we couldn’t find anybody to do the middle school wrestling, so we gave that stipend to the head wrestling coach, and he was the middle school head coach and the high school head coach.”

The new stipend schedule also eliminates one assistant baseball coach position. Last year’s stipend schedule provided for two category-three assistant baseball coaches, the starting pay for which is $3,391. The new stipend schedule funds one head baseball coach and one assistant baseball coach.

Shockley said that, based on baseball program participation numbers over the last several years, one head coach and one paid assistant will be enough to meet the baseball program’s needs.

“The last couple years in baseball, we’ve carried around 22 students,” Shockley said. “We’ve had three paid coaching positions, where softball only has two, and they carry right around the same number.”

The new baseball program structure will more closely align with St. James’ softball program, which also has one head and one assistant coach.

Under the new stipend schedule, the two category-two high school wrestling coaches will jointly oversee the entire wrestling program, including high school and middle school teams. One coach will serve as head girls’ coach for middle school and high school, while also serving as an assistant to the head boys’ coach. Likewise, the other category-two wrestling coach will serve as head boys’ wrestling coach for high school and middle school teams, while also serving as assistant to the head girls’ coach. An existing high school assistant wrestling coach, a category-three stipend position, will serve as an assistant coach for both programs.

Shockley said that the new stipend schedule will save the school district $460 and better serve students while ensuring that athletic programs are adequately staffed.

“So that’s really the only two adjustments within the proposal: is this dissolve one assistant coaching position and take those funds and move them over,” Shockley said. “We relooked at all the coaching positions and decided what we feel like is going to best meet the needs for our students at this time where we are currently. This way, we can have a female coach and a male coach. If we implement this strategy now, they’ll be in charge of high school, middle school.”

Athletic programs enjoy more than just support from paid positions. Both the baseball and wrestling programs are also able to utilize faculty volunteers, and one permitted non-faculty volunteer, according to district policy.

“These adjustments will create a more equitable and consistent coaching structure between the baseball and softball programs while continuing to provide appropriate support and opportunities for our student-athletes,” Shockley said.