VALDOSTA – After more than an hour of private executive session, the Valdosta City School board of education voted to table the consideration of a new football coach at Valdosta High School.

The called board meeting was held via teleconference Thursday evening. While around 100 people tuned in for the meeting in anticipation of hearing who the new coach would be, the board returned from the closed session with no answer.

The teleconference was broadcast on the platform “Zoom” and allowed for viewers to chat among themselves while members were in closed session. Those messages seemed to indicate many want the board to consider former Colquitt County Coach Rush Propst while others argued against hiring him. 

Kelly Wilson called for the item to be tabled with all members agreeing, except for Warren Lee who opposed.

The open coach slot, vacated when Coach Alan Rodemaker’s contract was not renewed, will be revisited at the next board meeting, which is still scheduled 7 p.m., April 14. Currently, it has not been decided if this meeting will also take place via teleconference.

Attempts have been made by Leah Rodemaker, Coach Alan Rodemaker’s wife, to stop this vote from happening. She filed a lawsuit in Lowndes County Superior Court against Valdosta school board members Warren Lee, Liz Shumphard, Tyra Howard, Debra Bell and Kelisa Brown.

In the suit, Leah Rodemaker asked the court to block any attempt to replace Alan Rodemaker, for the former coach’s contract to be renewed for one year starting July 1, unless “they can show a meaningful, non-racial reason” for his non-renewal. She also requested a trial before a jury of 12.

The initial vote to oust Coach Rodemaker occurred Jan. 28 with the five board members named as defendants in the lawsuit voting to not renew his contract. A second vote was held Feb. 11 with the exact same results.