Giles' status at Thousand Oaks in doubt
Aquatics coach looking for teaching job within district
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

STEPHEN DORMAN/Acorn Newspapers NO TELLING WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS- Thousand Oaks aquatics coach Mike Giles addresses the boys' swim team prior to Monday's practice. While he'd like to return to TOHS next year, Giles may be forced to look for a job outside the CVUSD.

When the Thousand Oaks High water polo and swim teams take to the pool next season, there's a chance head coach Mike Giles won't be joining them.

Referring to himself as the "low man on the totem pole," Giles, who's spent the past four years coaching all of the Lancer varsity aquatic teams except diving, finds himself in the middle of a numbers crunch at TOHS.

"As a teacher, I will not be back at Thousand Oaks next year," Giles said during a phone interview last week.

"The district would love to keep me as a coach and keep me running the aquatics program, and they're trying to find a position for me in the school district, but they've come up with nothing yet," he said. "They have recommended that I do whatever I have to do to take care of my family."

On Monday afternoon, Thousand Oaks Principal Tim Carpenter said he hadn't heard anything about the possibility of Giles leaving.

"I'm the principal of this school, and as far as I know he'll be back as our aquatics coach next year," Carpenter said.

According to Giles, there are 12 physical education classes at TOHS and three full-time PE teachers. Two of the teachers are tenured, he said. Giles is not. He will not achieve such status until September of next year.

In late January, Thousand Oaks hired Mike Leibin as its head varsity football coach. Leibin, who has spent the better part of a decade teaching and coaching at Westlake High, replaced TOHS counselor Mike Sanders.

"The directive that we've gotten from the district in the past is that the head football coach needs to be an on-campus person," Thousand Oaks athletic director Jason Klinger said.

When he comes to Thousand Oaks from Westlake prior to the 2007-08 school year, Leibin will serve as a tenured teacher and football coach.

Leibin is credentialed to teach physical education and social science. He said TOHS hasn't told him which courses he'll instruct.

"It hasn't been clarified," Leibin said.

The Conejo Valley Unified School District is experiencing declining enrollment numbers at the elementary school level, said deputy superintendent Richard Simpson, adding that TOHS has actually seen a slight increase in student enrollment.

With student numbers declining at the lower levels, Giles said there are no district jobs available in the courses he teaches- health and physical education. Essentially, if he doesn't teach at Thousand Oaks next year, Giles said he's going to have a very difficult time finding a job elsewhere in CVUSD.

Klinger said his primary objective at the time of Leibin's hiring was to bring in the most qualified football coach, a goal he's confident the school has attained. He said he had no prior knowledge that the hire could affect next year's physical education staff.

"My goal was to hire the best possible football coach, and I did that on the football side," Klinger said. "Obviously, that (hiring) can now possibly impact the PE department at our school."

When word began to spread that Giles may not return to the school next season, parents and students pledged their support.

"I got a ton of support and some beautiful letters that the administration has forwarded to me," Giles said. "The kids put a petition together and gathered about 344 names. It's a wonderful effort; it puts tears in your eyes. But right now there's nothing there."

Klinger said the loss of Giles would be a serious blow to the athletic department.

"Losing him as a coach? Honestly, that could be devastating to lose a three-program coach," Klinger said. "Nowadays it's extremely tough to find well-qualified aquatics coaches; nevertheless I've got one person doing all the jobs.

"He runs a fantastic, outstanding program, and I'm lucky to have him in that capacity," Klinger said. "We'll continue to have him in that capacity as long as he wants to coach. Again, I can't speak on the teacher front."

Giles said he'll coach the Lancer swim teams for the remainder of the season and still maintains hope that a teaching job will open up within the district and he'll be able to continue to coach and work locally.

If, however, he does move on, Giles said he's most proud of the stability he's brought to the Thousand Oaks aquatics program.

"We've put a lot of work into the last four years here at T.O.," he said. "We've had a lot of success, phenomenal parents, great athletes and great kids. We've got a system down.

"The administration has been real solid, and some of this appears to be out of their hands. Of course, some of it was certainly in their hands, too," Giles said. "Regarding what's available to teach, that's kind of out of their hands. And me being the low man on the totem pole, well, that's just the way it is sometimes."