Breaking: Moore hired as new Greene County activities director

By BRANDON HURLEY

Sports Editor

sports@beeherald.com

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Swiftly with very little opposition, Greene County first-year football coach Mitch Moore was named the high school’s next activities director in a unanimous decision during a special school board meeting Thursday, June 8. 

Moore, a Ballard High School and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate, replaces Dean Lansman, who resigned last month after three years at the position. 

Lansman had held the title of half-time activities director at Greene County High School since 2015. He also was head football coach from 2011-2016. Lansman stepped away to take a position in the North Polk school district beginning this coming fall. 

Moore, a former Division II wide-receiver and one-time Iowa State director of high school relations, was the only candidate who applied for the open administrative role. He will assume the position half-time, as well.

“I’ve had several conversations with Mitch, I’ve had lunch with him, I’ve been to a couple of his practices,” school board member Steve Fisher said at the special session. “I’m really impressed. The kids and their response to him has been just wonderful. I think he brings intangibles besides just filling these positions. I think he’s going to bring some attitude changes to our kids, which I think will be very positive.”

Moore will receive a $38,819 base salary for his half-time administrative position, $6,788 for his football coaching duties and a potential $9,051 weight training coach, which will be up for board approval on June 21. In total, Moore could possibly pull in $54,658 from the Greene County School District.

The GCYAA could also offer Moore compensation for his training programs at the Fieldhouse as well. Payment is not affiliated with the school itself, but privately which could bring his total salary to estimates of $72,000 annually. 

Greene County superintendent Tim Christensen said Moore’s salary is on par with previous pay and will be of no added cost to the school. 

“I think this is a positive. And working with GCYAA is a step moving forward,” Christensen said Thursday. “I’ve had extensive discussions that Mike Dennhardt has been involved with as well over the last several weeks with GCYAA to package something together to make it a full-time position, not with us (the Greene County school district) but with the whole thing.”

Christensen will be second in command if issues do arise in relation to football, due to a possible conflict of interest, which he hinted at had arisen in previous regimes. 

“If someone has a problem with what’s going on in football, they can talk to me,” Christensen said. “I will be evaluating it. We need to do a better job of that in the future.” 

That notion, while satisfactory for the moment, is something board member Sam Harding would like to see corrected in the future. 

“My only concern is, I’d be more comfortable with the AD not being a coach,” Harding said. “That being said, at least he’s not a teacher. I think (in the past), the AD had been stretched in too many ways. From what I’ve talked to Mitch about, this is a very workable plan. I’m OK with it.” 

The 2017-18 varsity schedule will kick off with Greene County’s football game against Kuemper Catholic August 25 in Jefferson.