UPDATE: Southridge High football coach Munson quits

Southridge High School’s head football coach resigned Wednesday.

Keith Munson, who lead the team to its first playoff appearance since 2011, quit after the Kennewick School Board unanimously voted last week to end his teaching contract after just one year.

The coaching position paid about $8,800, compared to the $65,000 he made teaching biology and weight training, according to state records.

“There is that value in football, but that doesn’t support a family,” Munson told the Herald on Wednesday. “I’m going to have to find a teaching job.”

Munson said he was told his teaching contract wasn’t renewed because of a poor evaluation, after a series of good reviews.

“They’re saying it’s my evaluation, and that’s where I get real confused,” he said. “My evaluation scores were real good until April 28.”

After the last review was lackluster, Munson said believed he was still meeting expectations and didn’t expect his teaching contract would end.

District policies say the evaluations are meant for teachers to use to improve their performance, but he said he didn’t have a chance to accomplish that.

“It just became very confusing,” he said.

Teachers on their first year in a Kennewick classroom typically receive three evaluations, said Robyn Chastain, the district’s director of communications and public relations.

“After the classroom observation portion of the evaluation, the evaluator and the (teacher) sit down to discuss the results in a post-observation conference,” she said.

Teachers are required to meet a set of standards laid out by the state. They include knowing the material, being able to communicate it with students, creating an environment of respect and rapport, as well as considering how to improve their methods.

District officials say the issue is a personnel matter that cannot be released publicly without Munson’s consent. Superintendent Dave Bond has said Munson declined to sign a waiver, allowing more information to be released.

The former coach said he declined to sign the waiver because they approached him within a couple of days of making the decision, when he had 10 days to respond.

“I needed to talk to the union reps and have some time to think,” he said. “It always seemed to be in their advantage.”

Munson, 49, said he was never disciplined for any unethical or inappropriate behavior.

“They would have gotten rid of my football contract if it was something I did wrong,” he said.

Several football players and their parents attended last week’s school board meeting to plead with the board to keep Munson, saying he was good for the program and players.

Munson said he was impressed and touched by the persistence of the players who posted signs and painted the school’s spirit rock with the message “#keepmunson.”

“I’ve been told by many that the conduct of the football players improved dramatically this year,” he said. “It’s just so tough. You’re building relationships with them.”

He said the parents’ support was also tremendous. They often came together on Saturday mornings to eat breakfast, watch the film of the previous night’s game and plan for the next.

“We did a lot of great things this year,” he said.

He came to the job last year after working at the defensive coordinator at Belen High School in New Mexico. Munson played college football at Montana Tech, and coached at high schools and colleges for 23 years.

The district is committed to continuing the Southridge football program, Chastain said. The coaching position is going to be posted on the website this week. “We will hire a coach as soon as possible,” she said.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 3:43 PM with the headline "UPDATE: Southridge High football coach Munson quits."