Community paints picture of Don Dimoff for Red Lion school board

Don Dimoff wasn’t in the Red Lion Junior High School cafeteria on Thursday, May 21. But he was the main topic of conversation at the district’s school board meeting. More than 150 people were on hand to recognize elementary school writers and talk about the girls basketball coach, whose position was opened after 30 years with the program.

“Before we move into public comment, I wanted to address one point of clarification regarding a matter that has generated significant public discussion,” board president John Blevins said. “The district administration made the decision not to renew a coaching contract as part of the normal annual review process. This was not a mid-season termination or disciplinary action taken by the board during a public meeting.

“Because this involves a personnel matter, the board and administration are limited in what can appropriately be discussed publicly. We will continue to respect these confidentiality obligations while conducting tonight’s meeting in accordance with legal requirements, board policy and established procedures. ” Blevins didn’t mention Dimoff by name, but the more than one dozen people who spoke during the public comment section did.

Meeting attendees learned a lot about Dimoff in the 52 minutes of comment. He’s successful, he’s loyal, he cares, he eats, sleeps and breathes Red Lion girls basketball. He’s loud, he’s brash, he’s a screamer, he’s disrespectful.