Board of Ed May Appoint New Basketball Coach Wednesday

The quest for a new boys basketball coach at Summit High School may be coming to an end Wednesday evening.

The Board of Education is holding a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Wilson School Board Meeting Room Wednesday night. The board expects to take formal action at this meeting, according to the agenda. 

David White’s contract was not renewed this spring after one season as the Hilltoppers’ head coach. He took over the position after the contract of longtime head coach Eugene Maxwell was not renewed last year following a 7-16 season. White led the Hilltoppers to an 18-6 record this past winter, the team's best since 2004-05.

School officials have not disclosed why White’s contract was not renewed at the end of the basketball season because it is a personnel matter. The non-renewal of White’s contract has drawn criticism from both parents and students.  A Facebook page called Rehire Coach White was started in April.

The board has held several meetings recently with the hope of appointing a successor, and this process has been met with its fair share of issues.

There are some parents who have taken issue with the delay in naming a new coach, while others have defended White, claiming he has been treated differently than other coaches in this school district. According to a previous Patch report, Superintendent Nathan Parker said it's standard practice that coaches for all sports must reapply after their contracts expire. 

At a meeting on May 30, Parker withdrew a motion to appoint a new coach, according to a previous Patch report. Board of Education President Gloria Ron-Fornes acknowledged that “errors” had been made in the process. At the same meeting, White told the board he still “deserved” the job. 

White has been coaching high school basketball for 11 years. As a former basketball player, he first coached his daughter's traveling basketball team for a few years. Then, he served as head coach of Pingry's girls' basketball team for nine years.

In 2011, White became the assistant varsity coach for the Millburn Boys Basketball team. Then he received the opportunity to coach the Hilltoppers and took it. In February 2013, White told Patch that he didn’t plan on ever leaving.