Football coaches voted bonuses for winning state football title

SYLVANIA - For winning the Class AAA state football championship, the coaches at Screven County High School were awarded $20,250 in bonuses from the school board. <br> <br> But not everyone approved of the gifts. A divided Screven County Board of Education approved the bonuses four-to-two, prompting dozens of residents to complain at the school board meeting Monday night. <br> <br> Football coach and athletic director Mark Daniel, who guided the school to its first-ever state title with a 15-0 record, spoke Monday night to dispel rumors that he lobbied for the bonuses. <br> <br> He said Superintendent Whit Myers approached him about the bonuses. <br> <br> Under the plan, Daniel would receive $4,000 and the 14 other assistant coaches would get between $500 and $2,000 each. <br> <br> Daniels says Myers said some supporters in the community approached him and wanted him to put together something that would make him and the other coaches want to stay and not be attracted by an offer elsewhere. <br> <br> School board chairman Ainsworth Zeagler voted against the bonuses and said he doesn&#39;t know where the money will come from. <br> <br> Nick Smith, a Georgia Department of Education spokesman, said the state does not get involved in the bonus issue, which is legal. He says it&#39;s a local issue. <br> <br> Gary Phillips, the Georgia High School Association&#39;s associate director in charge of compliance, says bonuses are fairly common in some places of the state. He says that booster clubs often come up with the money. <br> <br> Head football coach and athletic director Dexter Wood of Buford High School, which won the Class AA football title, said the school has a bonus system in place for all sports. <br> <br> The Class A state champion, Clinch County, does not give bonuses. <br> <br> Screven County Elementary School Principal Rebecca Martin said she thought the bonus offer was unfair to other teachers throughout the system, particularly when the system faces state funding cuts.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/3/182248