For many, high school sports are the heartbeat of a community. Friday night football games and school spirit are often what drives connection between not only students, but a whole city. That certainly is the case for Newark Memorial High School (NMHS), the city of Newark’s only high school.
However, in early December 2025 Newark Memorial High School’s Athletics Department faced an unexpected shakeup.
On Dec. 12, athletic director Rachel Kahoalii held a meeting where she informed the school’s 45 head and assistant coaches that they were being released from their positions at the end of their respective seasons. According to Newark Unified School District (NUSD) superintendent Tracey Vackar, the decision came from “the division that oversees staffing from the district,” with guidance from Human Resources.
According to a Newark coach who wished to stay anonymous, the meeting caused confusion and frustration.
“It’s happened before where a new HR person comes in, we just have to fill out paperwork,” said the NMHS coach. “But then we were told, no, the positions are posted, you have to submit a resume, get a letter of recommendation, you have to go through a formal interview process against other competitive candidates. At that point people were frustrated.”
Vackar explained via email that the main reason for the release is “an effort to ensure all coaches were properly hired and clearances are met.” In another email she added, “Historically, coaches were not consistently required to complete a formal application process [or] participate in interviews.”
Coaches have disagreed with her statement, saying prospective hires have had to go through multiple rounds of interviews.
The timing of NUSD’s decision is another challenge that coaches are having trouble navigating. Although coaches are at-will employees, a large change like this was a surprise as some coaches were in the middle of their winter season or just weeks away from their first day of spring season practice on Feb. 9.
When asked why the decision was announced in the middle of the school year, Vackar said via email, “It allows the site to advertise and interview potential new coaches if that is what is decided.”
Because coaches are being let go at the end of their season, winter and spring coaches will have to continue or begin their season knowing that they will be fired at the end of it.
‘We should express immense gratitude to the coaches, many of whom have been fulfilling their roles for decades. I’m not sure I can think of a way to show more contempt for them and everything they have done than treating them as completely expendable through an action like this.’
– Filip Nowak, Newark Memorial alumnus and volunteer
Coaches aren’t the only ones who are upset with the sudden decision. Filip Nowak is a Newark alumnus who volunteers to help organize some of the high school’s alumni athletic events, like alumni meets and Newark Day’s annual Newark Mile 4K. Nowak expressed his disappointment in an email that reached superintendent Vackar.
“We should express immense gratitude to the coaches, many of whom have been fulfilling their roles for decades,” said Nowak in his email. “I’m not sure I can think of a way to show more contempt for them and everything they have done than treating them as completely expendable through an action like this.”
Vackar explained that the district’s decision had nothing to do with attempting to force out “highly qualified and dedicated coaches,” but to “ensure that all hiring processes for coaching positions are conducted appropriately, consistently and in alignment with the current legal requirements, required documentation on hiring and district expectations.”
All coaches have been welcomed to reapply for their positions, but the damage may have already been done when it comes to the disrespect that some coaches have felt about being released from their positions.
“The decision by the district does not feel good when coaches have dedicated many years of their life to serving Newark Memorial,” said a NMHS coach. “But we will continue to show up and do what we do.”
