Jerry Fitzgerald has no intention of ending his 26-year coaching career at Stevens Point Area Senior High School after his retirement as assistant principal.
On Monday night the Stevens Point Area Board of Education accepted Fitzgerald's request for early retirement, to be effective Nov. 29, 10 days after state football playoffs.
Acting on a motion from board member LeRoy Heiser, the board accepted Fitzgerald's retirement "from all employment with the district effective Nov. 30, with no assurances of employment at any time in the future."
Fitzgerald said he was under a two-year contract for his assistant principal and is retiring from that position. He is also under a one-year contract for football, which expires after the season, and he said he has no intentions to resign from football.
"My intentions are to coach year 2000 and be done," he said, adding that it's up to the board whether to hire him back as it has done with other coaches who have retired from teaching positions.
Dave Anderson, director of human resources for the school district, said Wednesday if Fitzgerald returned to coaching next year it could make him ineligible for state retirement funds.
Because some teachers and administrators had retired and then returned to work for school districts as paid consultants while also collecting retirement pay, the state Retirement Board began enforcing the law requiring a complete severance of employment from districts, Anderson said.
"For him to qualify for retirement, he has to terminate employment in all aspects," Anderson said.