MCSD directors grant superintendent authority to retroactively approve basketball coaches

LEWISTOWN -- The Mifflin County School District Board of Directors granted Superintendent of Schools Vance Varner the authority to retroactively approve seven basketball coaches and assistant coaches Thursday after a staffing-transition error.

During the board's Committee of the Whole meeting, Director E. Terry Styers told the board that two open gyms had to be canceled because of staffing issues.

"I’d like to suggest that the school board grant Mr. Varner the authority to retroactively approve our basketball coaches due to the fact that they were not approved in a timely fashion, through no fault of their own," Styers said. "This is detrimental to our basketball program, and it’s detrimental to our basketball student-athletes."

Varner said, "We don’t know if it was because of the change of two athletic directors or if it was because we had a change in HR."

Pending clearances and training for some, the seven basketball coaches and assistant coaches approved are:

•First assistant boys basketball coach Adam D. Sheetz at a salary of $2,800 for the Winter 2026 season of the 2026-27 school year;

•Assistant seventh grade boys basketball coach Alexis L. Tellish at a salary of $2,352 for the Winter 2026 season of the 2026-27 school year;

•Assistant fifth grade boys basketball coach Kevin L. Walker at a salary of $2,240 for the Winter 2026 season of the 2026-27 school year;

•Assistant freshmen boys basketball coach Jordan S. Wise at a salary of $2,240 for the Winter 2026 season of the 2026-27 school year;

•Head ninth grade boys basketball coach Noah K. Wright at a salary of $2,912 for the Winter 2026 season of the 2026-27 school year;

•Volunteer boys basketball coach Holly M. Harman for the Winter 2026 season of the 2026-27 school year;

•Volunteer boys basketball coach Aaron J. Hartsock for the Winter 2026 season of the 2026-27 school year.

Before directors granted him authority to approve coaches, Varner clarified that the board mandated no more retroactive approvals unless the agenda item impeded education or classroom coverage.

However, the directors made the exception to allow basketball student-athletes to move forward with their activities.

Directors stressed that they must put a system of checks and balances in place to ensure this staffing issue does not recur.

Varner said he would check in with the athletic director to ensure an athletics staffing spreadsheet is completed and reviewed.

Further information from the Committee of the Whole meeting will appear in a future edition of the Sentinel.