Taft's Kearin steps down in support of faculty member

Taft football coach Jeff Kearin said Thursday he has stepped down from the position after two seasons because of the way a Taft faculty member has been treated by the school's leadership.

“I have just lost confidence in the leadership of the school and the district in how they have removed an administrator who I hold in high regard,” Kearin said. “This is such a positive time to be at Taft with our roster growing and a brand-new facility about to open. But I just could not sit idly by as they treat good people like this.”

Attempts were made to contact Taft principal Daniel Steiner, but there was no response. But there was a statement made Friday by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“We thank the football coach for his contributions to the Taft Charter High School community,” the Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote via email. “While personnel matters are confidential, administrative matters are thoroughly reviewed by the District in close consultation with the school. Throughout the administrative process, we prioritize a school environment that fosters respect, kindness and compassion.”

The administrator Kearin referred to is a longtime assistant principal in charge of athletics, Neezer McNab, who has worked in LAUSD for 18 years and been at Taft since 2013.

McNab's status as an assistant principal at the school is jeopardy after a situation where McNab disciplined students on campus for loudly playing music with offensive language. The incident was reported by the students, and that resulted in McNab possibly losing her administrative role at Taft.

McNab has been going through arbitration, which has consisted of multiple meetings via Zoom. The process is not complete, but the arbitration could result in her losing the position as a vice principal.

Kearin had been a head coach at Cal State Northridge, Loyola and St. Monica before his stop at Taft. He helped the program stop its 26-game losing streak before going on to win the City Section Division III title in 2021. Kearin is a full-time teacher at Crespi.