Concerns after East Bay high school plans to let go of all athletics coaches

""When I've been doing the job for over 30 years, it seems like, a lot of dedication to and time and effort and resources to do my job and do my job well," Crosby said. "Maybe it wasn't intended on a slap in the face, but that's kind of how it's been received.""

""We should really be removing barriers from the coaches that are there and creating these great environments for the kids instead of adding more barriers and adding more hoops to jump through - it just creates a lot of uncertainty," Filip Nowak said."

""I couldn't have done it without my coaches support," Muhammed Ahmed said. "Our coaches go so far for these athletes, and I really think that Superintendent Bakker's decision is just so antithetical to what the district claims to want to accomplish.""

Newark Memorial High School will end employment for all coaches at the end of the school year, and the district posted at least one coaching job online. More than 40 head and assistant coaches were informed they will be let go and must reapply and undergo interviews by a district panel to work in 2026–2027. Longtime coach Gordon Crosby, who has coached swimming and water polo since the late 1990s, described the move as a perceived slap in the face after decades of service. Students, alumni, and athletes expressed disappointment and concern that the change adds barriers and uncertainty. Assistant Superintendent of HR Mike Williams was interviewed.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco