AUHSD Board to vote on West Valley football & volleyball head coach hires

The Anderson Union High School District will hold a special meeting at 9 a. m. on Wednesday at West Valley High School's Performing Arts Center .

At the meeting, the Board of Trustees will vote on whether to approve current West Valley principal Justin Byxbe as the school’s new volleyball coach and West Valley physical education teacher Tim Harles as the head football coach. If approved, both potential hires would assume their roles for the 2026-27 academic year — both decisions have sparked controversy within the West Valley community. Harles emerges as coaching candidate If voted in, Tim Harles will take the reins from former Eagles coach Jason Weston.

Harles was brought in as the offensive coordinator for the 2025 season after serving as the head football coach for Las Plumas High School. Following Weston’s resignation in December , it seemed Harles was the likely choice to take over the program. However, in February, former West Valley head coach Greg Grandell made a bid for the position.

Grandell was approved as the new coach by a committee comprised of members of the school’s administration and the community, but his campaign fell short after being denied the job by the District’s Board of Trustees on Feb. 11 . The HR report for the April 1 special meeting is the first time a candidate other than Grandell has been presented before the board.