The Anderson Union High School District’s Board of Trustees convened at the Anderson Union High School Library on Wednesday, April 15, for its regularly scheduled April meeting.
Three new hires for West Valley athletics were on the agenda for the Board’s approval, including Justin Byxbe as the girls varsity volleyball coach, Tim Harles as the head varsity football coach and Travis Gurney as the head freshman football coach.
Over 50 spectators filled the library, but only three board members were present, forcing any consent item to require a 3-0 unanimous vote to pass.
The Board voted to approve Harles and Gurney for their roles with the football team, meaning both candidates will assume their new positions in the West Valley football program for the 2026-27 academic year.
Trustees opted to vote on the volleyball position independently from the other consent items listed on the agenda.
Before the board voted, Trustees listened to public comment, much of which concerned Byxbe and recent head volleyball coach Melissa Church. Some spoke in favor of Church; some spoke in favor of Byxbe. Byxbe, West Valley’s current principal, took the podium himself to explain the motivation behind why he chose to step down from his role as principal and pursue the head volleyball coaching position.
“I’m not stepping down from administration to coach one season of volleyball with my daughter,” Byxbe said, addressing some of the public comments directed toward him. “I’m stepping down from administration to become a better, happier me, with a better, happy healthiness with my family and with my relationships, including my relationship with people like Melissa Church, who I must take responsibility for my part of it deteriorating.”
When it came down to voting, Trustee Julia Rinauro voted against hiring Byxbe, Board president Joe Gibson voted in favor of it, and Trustee Omama Weeks abstained from the vote.
Since the vote was split, there was no final decision on the volleyball coaching position, and it will likely be reconsidered at the next regularly scheduled meeting on May 20.
Church, an at-will employee who does not work for the school in a teaching capacity, told the Record Searchlight that she did not have the opportunity to apply for the role. In a statement sent to the Record Searchlight from AUHSD superintendent Brian Parker, Parker explained the application process.
“Schools often begin the hiring process for coaching positions by first sharing these opportunities internally. This helps identify qualified and interested candidates who are already part of the district, and it reflects a well-established and appropriate practice. The decision in CTA v. Rialto Unified School District (1997) offers helpful guidance in this area, confirming that qualified internal applicants should be given priority consideration over walk-on coaches,” Parker wrote. “Ultimately, decisions about relative qualifications involve professional judgment and discretion. The AUHSD Board of Trustees is responsible for making the final determination.”
The vacancy doesn’t appear on the District’s Edjoin page or on any HR reports, like the coaching positions for the football team did earlier this year — both of which were still listed as open on the district’s page as of Friday, April 17.
“In this instance, the position did not appear in the HR report because it was posted after the prior month’s agenda had already been finalized, and it closed before preparation of the following month’s agenda,” Parker wrote. “To be clear, there is no hidden or deceptive intent, regardless of any concerns or perceptions to the contrary.”
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: West Valley hires new football coaches, no decision on volleyball opening
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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