In the last 25 years, there were only two athletic directors at Rhea County High School in Evensville, Tenn., and both were full-time school administrators. So when woodshop instructor Scott Heath took over the position in the summer of 2007, he wasn't surprised that a formal job description didn't exist.

But he also knew he needed to have one--to provide direction and operating parameters. So he began the process of constructing his own job description. "In every other job I've worked, I've had a job description and a policy and procedures manual," says Heath, who is also the Head Boys' and Girls' Soccer Coach. "Without a job description, how would I know what was expected of me?"

He started by searching the Internet, telephoning athletic directors in neighboring counties, and talking with administrators in his school. By spring, he had a draft, along with a set of policies and procedures, contracts for coaches, and
a code of ethics for students and parents.

Under Heath's proposal, the athletic director would have greater oversight than his predecessors over boosters, facilities, transportation, equipment inventory, purchasing, crowd control, financial record keeping, and hiring and firing coaches. This caused some negative response from community members not quite ready for such drastic changes, but Heath has gone ahead and presented his proposal to the district's athletic committee, which is reviewing it.

His advice to others looking to write or re-write their job description? "I may have tried to push this through too fast," he says. "My advice is to spend your first year looking at how things are going,

writing notes, and meeting with coaches, your principal, and school board members. Get all the input you can, sitting face-to-face with people and asking for suggestions throughout the year. Then start drafting the proposal at the end of the school year and into the summer."