Cloverdale School Board votes to remove Butler as coach

This was not about his record. It was about a coach that wanted to build a program against steep odds. Some attention needs to be paid to the way Cloverdale School Corporation does business.

What is REALLY going on with the Cloverdale School Corp? is the problem them? or the coaching staff? I see a pattern that does not shed a positive light on the Corporation ....

start off with 50+ boys and end the season with 26, due to injuries(90%) or grades or etc. Coach Butler did alot more than just coach, he counceled, taught on the field and encouraged. He brought a group of boys together as a "Team". I believe we only played 2 class A schools and done well (please don't quate that)the rest were 2A plus. The majority of the parents feel this release was done just because Butler butted heads with 1 or 2 people. Funny how he is good enough to teach a mandantory subject (with the same enthusiasm,but with winning results and support) and not coach a "game". Glad the athletic directer isn't in charge of Butlers classroom.

Not one of the boys had to sit out of football due to grades or disciplinary action. (unlike their precious basketball program) They are an outstanding group of boys, actually the best I have ever met. Some of them quit because they could not handle the dedication football requires and many were injured. We had a team where many of the players signed up for the first time ever bc the boys told them how much fun they had and how much they loved and respected coach Butler the year before. So they weren't experienced and had not been training athletically for years the way some of the other boys had. So they had a bad season. Those things happen. And those boys kept pushing hard even though they lost each week. They were polite and they never gave up. They worked their tails off. I also find it funny that he is good enough to teach the classroom, but not good enough to teach football (when MANY other schools are biting at the bit to get him on their coaching staff). That and the fact that his evaluation was full of ridiculous lies, that he was never allowed to dispute or defend, only proves that this was a personal agenda. Cloverdale does not want a good football program. They never have. They treat the football players terribly. From denying them warm up music (even though the other sports are allowed)to making them get rid of the temporary green in their mohawks that they got after winning sectionals last year (although as we sat in the stands and watched the band..front and center there was a boy with a different colored mohawk every week. And girls with pink, purple, blue and green hair walking around the school every day)to outright lying about their behavior plus many other things. They did not want Coach butler doing anything to build a nice football program. I'm sad that this will be my son's third coach in his four years of high school. He is a talented athlete that is hoping for a scholarship to help pay for college (as many of the kids are bc we live in s small community where there are many low income families). It is very hard to show how good you are to a college scout when everyone has to learn a new way of playing almost every single year. The school board has not only ruined someone's job, but potentially these boys' futures as well. I'm disappointed in the way the school board and administration handled this. They were sneaky at the board meeting in the way they "voted" on coach Butler's coaching job. They have handled this issue very unfairly and unprofessionally. I have lost what little respect I had for the board and administration. Personally I can't wait until the next election. I hope coach Butler can find a school that will appreciate his talents and everything that he can bring to their football program. He will be greatly missed here at Cloverdale.

Cloverdale football is abysmally bad, not even close to being competetive to any county school. No improvement the last two years.

Fact- they were allowed warm up music, I listened to it while sitting in my house a block away.

Cut the drama...it is what it is putnammom, if you are relying on football to shape your kids future then shame on you. Did you voice your complaints to administration concerning "hair color"...

"his evaluation was full of ridiculous lies"....you know this how?

Looks like another example of Cloverdale being Cloverdale. That's sad. Sounds like Coach Butler was doing things the right way. Too bad people in position of power chose to get rid of him. Coach, don't worry. Anyone around the state knows what's going on in Cloverdale and they won't hold it against you for trying to what's right.

Crunch, did you see the evaluation? I never noticed any music before the games that was not connected with the band. Sure that wasn't a flashback?

Boy 1, if the previous coach had been able to get the turn out that Coach Butler had, there might have been a difference. Due to equipment shortages, some players did not get to have full contact practices until game 2. Coach Butler had to clean up a mess and REQUEST new equipment. That was met with resistance. Why not ask the administration about why they did not want to replace the junk with safe equipment instead of making uninformed hit and run comments. Player development takes time.

Not sure what was meant by the comment "flashback"

but yes I am positive it was warm up music....some of which not quite appropriate in my opinion.

WRONG crunch, I have been at every single varsity game for the last three years. 30 minutes before the game started. We were specifically told NO warm up music. They wouldn't even allow them to play one song to come out of the locker rooms to at the start of the game. So I don't know what you heard, but it was not warm up music for football players. We were told it would "bother the people in the stands". Many parents, including myself voiced our concerns to administration about many things including the hair color issue. When we brought up the fact that the band memeber had a different colored mohawk every week, we were told "that's being addressed" But we still saw that same kid with the colored mohawk every week after that in the band. Football is not the only thing that I rely on to shape my son's future. When did I ever say that?? What I meant is that Cloverdale is a school where many low income families attend. Some of those kids will not be able to afford college without a scholarship of some sort. Sports do give out scholarships you know. And yes, some football players have dreams of playing football beyond high school and would love to have a football scholarship. I find nothing wrong with that. Were you involved in this? Did you speak to the coach, did you speak to administration, did you attend the meetings, do you know anything about what happened or how this was handled? Before you make rude comments like "cut the drama", you should ask yourself if you are in any position to do so.

Boy1..how do you expect a team to get any better when they have to change coaches, and learn new ways of playing almost every single year? You are wrong when you say there has been no change in the last two years. First, they won their first sectionals game in many years last year. Second, even though they may not be a winning team, they have become very close, Seniors to Freshman. They work as a team they love each other like brothers. Which was not the case with the previous coach. Who allowed bullying of underclassman. You can't turn a football program around in 2 years, it takes time. Especially when eveything you try to do is met with resistance.

nope not wrong, there was music being played prior to game. Maybe you should have arrived sooner and you would have heard it also.

Looks like the timing is not good for finding a "Qualified" coach to be ready by summer. They may have to find an interim coach. Seems that the only qualified person in the Cloverdale system now would be Mr. Boyette. He has great experience and the players know him and he knows the players. I'm sure he would be able to keep the team going in the right direction.

Right Logic- What is your definition of "Qualified" Coach? No offense to Billy, but it obvious that change is needed in the Cloverdale football program. I have known Billy for over 20 years; he is a great person and great with the kids. You can't try to put a Band-Aid on the problem. Cloverdale is not the only school system in the state of Indiana without a head Coach right now. The first thing that needs to happen is for the boys to pull together and get ready for the next chapter in Cloverdale football. If a Head coach was in place right now the only thing that would be going on is strength and conditioning, I'm sure we have a coach or two currently in the school system that would be willing to get that rolling again. It's time to let the administrators do the job they were hired to do, just like everything in life you can't please all the people all the time.

Late, you apparently did not read my entire post. I meant for short term until a reasonable decision is made. The administration consists of humans, which means that they are capable of making mistakes, note plural. A "Qualified" coach would be someone that has exhibited ability to coach as well as the ability to work with the Athletic Director and Administration and someone without any baggage. In the era of coach scandals, i.e. Sandusky and Petrino, the administration cannot afford to make a rash decision. Character Matters. I do not think the decision should be rushed. If you want to be the devil's advocate, you could say that the last two coach selections were rushed. Maybe if some good due diligence was taken on this matter instead of a panic to throw in someone at the last minute, these problems may not have occurred to begin with.

Regarding change, that was why Mr. Butler was brought in. Change was not as comfortable in practice as in speech.

Regarding Mr. Boyette, he is not a band-aid. If you notice, he did have a nearly flawless record with the 7th grade team this year. Yes, it had a lot of natural talent, but he did a great job of using that talent effectively. As I understand, the young men are still in the weight room, if not in a spring sport. They, however, feel like they have been cheated by the administration. I hope they can get past that and realize the life lesson it has taught them. Adversity builds character.

Logic-It sounds as if any decision other than one "YOU" approve of wouldn't reasonable. The decision to "Not" re-new Mr. Butler's contract was put off for another month so the board could review the decision. If I'm correct, the school board was voted in by their peers to represent the public, and make the best informed decisions they could. If it wasn't for a school board, no decisions would ever be made because everyone has their own idea of what the correct way should be. I'm sure not one single board member or administrator takes his or her position lightly. To even bring up Penn State in the same topic as what is going one in Cloverdale is absolutely absurd.

I understand that most people don't like change, me included at times. The key is to have an open mind and teach the kids this as well. I hope that the new coach doesn't have too much of an uphill battle when he selected. Whoever they select will need just as much or more support than Mr. Butler received.

To put the "interim" tag on anyone would be a Band-Aid. You shouldn't compare coaching a 7th grade team to running a Varsity program, even at the smallest schools in the state. Kids will be kids, just as they change who they hang out with and what their hairs looks like, they will find a new and different respect for the new coach they end up with.

Late, I'm sorry if my upfront manner intimidated you. I understand that decisions are made that can change things that I cannot control. Do I like them? Absolutely not. Do I get on with my life? Yes. Am I always right? No, but I try to find the truth. You mentioned that the school board had an extra month to examine this issue. As I understand, it was not on the January agenda. Why was it put off the extra month. Mr. Butler did not get to address the board in the executive session. I did not think that was in good faith to do so. Many other people thought the same, including teachers and staff that were afraid to show support. Why would Cloverdale staff be afraid to show support? How many people went to the board meetings to say that Mr. Butler should be removed? You seem to think that your opinion is important, who do you think should step up that is in the system at this time? I never said that your opinion does not count. You can't be wrong if you never say anything.

I do not see any problem of the magnitude of Penn State or others at Cloverdale. I just stated that the administration has a duty to properly vet all candidates equally to prevent a bad apple from coming in.

Regarding Mr. Boyette, he has coached in both middle school and high school. Let's not diminish his coaching ability by mentioning who he coaches. He has a football mind and knows what to do. I hope whoever the new coach is would be someone that can be respected.

Logic-You have in no way intimidated me with your so called upfront manner. Just as everything in life, you'll always have 2 sides to every story. I'm sure Mr. Butler has supports just as he has haters. Everyone in any position of authority will have supports and non-supports alike. If we have teachers afraid to show support or voice their opinions we have a totally different problem that needs to be addressed before we hire a football coach. Maybe a few of these teachers should contact Dr. Milner or a few of the board members privately to address this issue. You must have ran the numbers already, how many people showed up to support Mr. Butler? How many people showed up just to make sure they are informed about Cloverdale Community School Corporation and what goes on within the walls?

My opinions are no more important than any other tax paying citizen.

Do the administrators or board members from Cloverdale have a history of endangering the students we have placed them in charge of? I don't believe they do, but I don't know everything. To compare this situation to one that it seems that everyone in a position of authority had turned a blind eye and didn't care about the children that were hurt would be a travesty and injustice to those children that were hurt.

Mentioning who he coaches has everything to do with his success. You even stated the obvious, "Natural talent"! I'm not saying he's not "qualified" but if he is, let's give people the time to do the job they were hired to do.

Late, your statement"let's give people the time to do the job they were hired to do." is valid as long as the administration lives up to it. Funny that they did not with Mr. Butler.

You did not answer my question, "Who else is qualified in the Cloverdale system?" I'll ask about the numbers, not sure if there was a count. I'll bet the other side of the story is very interesting. Why didn't the administration let Mr. Butler speak to the board? That seems to be fishy any way you look at it.

The best players in the world still need a coach to bring them together. Mr. Boyette is capable.