By The Associated Press

Extra money for Arkansas high school football coaches — and, in many cases, lighter teaching duties, perhaps requiring no time in a classroom at all — is drawing criticism from a legislative leader and some state educators.

The additional pay for the head football coaches is as much as $30,000 a year in some cases, according to an article Sunday in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, reporting on an investigation carried out by the newspaper.

"I feel like the districts are gaming the system to steer exorbitant dollars to athletic purposes," said state Sen. Jim Argue, D-Little Rock, chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

"I think that the mothers and fathers of Arkansas need to be thinking about the kind of educational preparation its going to take ... for their children to reach their greatest potential," he continued. "I'm absolutely convinced that proficiency in football will not produce good results."

Russellville High School teacher Paul T. Gray Jr., this year's Arkansas Teacher of the Year, said there are teachers at most Arkansas high schools who resent the additional money going to football coaches who make more money, may work less and may not even have to deal with students off the football field.

"The primary function of anyone who is getting paid a teacher salary is to teach," Gray said. "The first thing on any contract is that they are a teacher. Coaching responsibilities are added in on the bottom of the contract."

The state's 194 head football coaches draw more than $11 million altogether in tax dollars each year. More than $1.6 million of that goes to coaches who don't teach any classes. Some coaches are athletic directors or perform other nonacademic functions, but all are paid out of teacher salary funds.

Glen Rose High School Coach Billy Elmore doesn't teach classes but works as the school's athletic director and maintenance director. His contract, however, lists him as a teacher.

"My duties are basically outside a classroom," he said.

Elmore is certified to teach and has worked in schools for 13 years. Elmore will move to Arkadelphia High School this fall to coach that school's team and will likely teach classes at his new school. He said it's not fair to slam coaches who don't teach because most of them have other work duties.

Ben Mays of Clinton, who was on the Clinton School Board for 20 years and now serves as a member of the state Education Board, questions whether state education dollars should finance athletics.

"The training and the fielding of a football team is a strictly local option thing," Mays said. "It's not part of the constitutional mandate (to provide all students with an adequate education). If an area chooses to do that and they take money out of state funds to do that with, I think that's kind of questionable whether that's an acceptable expenditure."

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