Moorpark Teachers Union Files Grievance Over Coach’s Firing : Education: The instructor’s former role as association president is cited. The principal defends his decision, but a board member says he will investigate.

The recent dismissal of the Moorpark High School girls softball coach has drawn a protest from the teachers union--which claims the ouster may be related to the coach’s former role as a teachers union president.

Larry McDermott, a high school social studies teacher since 1969 and softball coach for the past eight years, said Principal Cary Dritz ordered him to resign as coach in June. A grievance filed with school officials late last month by the Moorpark Educators Assn. is pending.

“I was called in and told that because of unfavorable evaluations by some of the players, I wasn’t going to be continued next year,” McDermott said. “He asked me to resign and I said, ‘No.’ ”

So, he said, Dritz fired him. The dismissal came in the wake of a 58-20 record over the past three years and the team’s second place finish in all of Southern California in 1992, McDermott said, the best finish of any Moorpark team ever in any sport.

“It’s been a very difficult summer for me,” said McDermott, who served as president of the teachers union from 1989 to 1991 and later tangled with Dritz over the issue of class size.

“The whole experience has been very degrading . . . I feel like I’ve lost a lot of credibility because of this.”

Dritz declined to discuss the issue in detail, saying only that he decided to replace McDermott because it was time for the team to take a new direction.

Under terms of the union contract, Dritz had 10 working days to meet with McDermott and union officials and another 10 days to formally respond. If the union remains unsatisfied with his response, the matter can be appealed to Moorpark Unified School District Supt. Tom Duffy.

“The decision was made and I believe it was the right decision and I will live with that decision,” said Dritz, who said he has not yet met with McDermott but is trying to schedule a meeting. “I think this is a very personal and private matter.”

Moorpark Educators Assn. President Richard Gillis said that McDermott may have lost the coaching slot because of strained relations with the principal stemming from his days as union president and a complaint from McDermott two years ago that Dritz had violated the teachers’ contract by assigning more than 30 students to one of his classes.

“What else can we think,” Gillis said. “There doesn’t seem to be any problem with Mr. McDermott’s coaching abilities. He’s got three winning seasons behind him . . . He took a program that was basically in the dumper for many years and turned it around to a winning program.”

The union filed a formal grievance alleging that McDermott’s dismissal was discriminatory, since not all coaches at the school were subjected to player evaluations.

But some members of the softball team on Wednesday said they did have problems with McDermott’s coaching abilities and complained more than once to high school Athletic Director Rich Uphoff.

Christina Fernandez, last year’s starting shortstop, said that she and a group of teammates told Uphoff early in the year and then again later that McDermott didn’t have enough coaching ability to get the most from his players.

“We just needed more help,” Fernandez said. “I don’t think he (McDermott) knew what we needed to know.”

Pitcher Cara Shea, a member of the celebrated 1992 team, said players were disappointed with this year’s finish. The team went 18-7 and was knocked out in the second round of the playoffs.

“We had a really talented team and we didn’t do as well as we should have,” Shea said. Asked whether she had any personal conflicts with McDermott, Shea said: “I really don’t want to say. He’s still a teacher at my school.”

Uphoff declined to comment on whether students complained about McDermott, but said he and Dritz felt it was time for a change of direction in the program.

“It has nothing to do with Larry’s professionalism or his care for the kids,” Uphoff said. “We feel that there’s need for a change.”

McDermott said he has never been told about any complaints to Uphoff and had no idea players had specific concerns over his coaching methods until Dritz told him to resign in June.

“Any time you have a team, you’re going to have some people who are unsatisfied with what you’re doing,” McDermott said.

Moorpark school board member Clint Harper said that the union’s grievance may be justified, given the informal nature--and only occasional use--of athletic coach evaluations.

“I would have to agree with the substance of the grievance,” Harper said. “I’m concerned about the fact that there is not a uniform evaluation process in place that is applied uniformly to all coaches.”

Board member Tom Baldwin said that he asked for information on McDermott’s dismissal as coach shortly after hearing about it in June, but has yet to be provided with any detailed explanation.

“The board wasn’t given the reason why this was done. I intend to find out,” Baldwin said.

“My concern as a board member in this matter or any matter like it is that any employee has to be given fair warning that they’re on thin ice before you lower the boom on them,” he said. “I don’t like lightning to strike out of a blue sky and when I look into this case, and I intend to, that will be my chief concern.”