POSTSEASON PAY
York coaches receive bonus with tournament play
YORK, Maine — Coaches at York High School received a survey early in the 2022-23 school year to obtain information about the hours they worked in a typical season.
York athletic director Jeff Oliver and York School Board member Dave Herbein took the data from those surveys to determine stipend pay that was fair and equitable for all parties.
Then Barb Marois and Nick Hanlon, two varsity head coaches at York High School and part of the York Teachers Association, brought forth the idea of paying coaches an extra hourly rate for any practices or games that went beyond the regular season.
With the approval of the school board and teacher’s union, not only did stipends increase, but also the implementation of coach’s receiving additional money if their teams qualified for the postseason at an hourly rate of $25 for varsity coaches and $20 for sub-varsity.
Oliver said most varsity coaches receive stipends of $5,000 to $7,000 per season, depending on experience, while sub-varsity coaching stipends are typically $4,000 to $5,000.
Now coaches whose teams qualify for the playoffs have the opportunity to make extra money.
“The idea of paying coaches an extra hourly rate for postseason hours came from the York Teachers Association,” Oliver said. “I supported it, and thankfully the School Committee did as well.
“It just made sense to reward the coaches for all that extra work, those are the most intense hours,” Oliver continued. “Playoff games, driving, any hours with the team, any prep hours watching film, anything that falls under a coaching duty, coaches can put in for. This has been pretty well received by our coaches.”
Hanlon is the head coach of two varsity sports at York: girls soccer and baseball.
“It’s definitely a positive thing we were able to come together and work out,” Hanlon said. “Thinking about the time that goes into preparing for a postseason run, I think the coaches are very deserving of this additional recognition for their time.”
“It’s a nice perk to have at end of the season to get that extra check and know all the extra time they’re getting paid for,” Oliver said. “I know a lot other things go on with retention, but your pay is one of them. Hopefully, this helps with (our retention) and bringing in new coaches.”
Kevin Giannino, who is beginning his seventh season as the York softball coach, led the Wildcats to the Class B state championship last June after falling in the regional championship in 2022.
“We go well beyond the regular season, and like any other profession, you like to be compensated for the time and work you put in,” Giannino said. “Don’t get me wrong, 99% of coaches coach for the love of the game, they don’t do it for the money. But the simple fact we’re getting recognized and compensated is a feather in the cap for not only the coaches, but the administration who was thinking about the coaches.”
“It’s greatly appreciated and very generous of the school district,” York boys basketball head coach Jerry Hill said.
York football coach Matt Nelson, like Giannino, said he did not get into coaching for the money, but appreciates the extra compensation.
“We get into coaching to influence young people in a positive way,” Nelson said. “I am very fortunate the school board recognizes that all coaches put a lot of time into their programs outside of the practice and game fields.”
Yarmouth High School is the only school in Maine, that Hanlon knows of, that does something similar. At Yarmouth, coaches receive 1% of the annual base teacher’s salary if they qualify for the postseason.
“I don’t know if we would have done this if not for another example,” Oliver said.
“It’s extremely rare. I know our stipends are super competitive, no doubt about that. And on top of that, we have this hourly pay system. We have no plans of dismissing this.”