During a contentious meeting on May 3, the Bellevue School Board issued a resolution acknowledging the “evidence of misconduct and insufficient oversight” found by WIAA investigators and indicated that long-time coach Butch Goncharoff could be banned from the program for two years.

Board president Christine Chew told attendees that the sort of violations uncovered by investigators “should be dealt with severely”.

A report compiled by third party investigators and released last week found that, among other violations, the Bellevue Wolverines booster club paid Goncharoff $60,000 annually without approval from the school board. State rules require that any sum over $500 distributed by a booster club must be approved by the school board.

“The Booster Club, which provides enormous sums of money to support the football program, is an extremely well-funded organization that is unregulated and uncontrolled by the District and BHS administration. It operates with virtually no oversight and no direction from District or BHS administrators,” the report reads.

The resolution issued by the board on May 3 does not necessarily mean Goncharoff will be banned. The school district is still reviewing the WIAA report before presenting it to KingCo.

According to an email sent on April 29, the district anticipates they will have a hearing with KingCo on May 16.

The full text of the resolution can be read below:

“The Bellevue School District board has read the findings report from the WIAA investigation into the Bellevue High School football program, and agrees there is evidence of misconduct and insufficient oversight.

To help set clarity for the Superintendent and the direction and tone the board expects the district to take moving forward, the board directs the Superintendent to adhere to the following:

Any coach or assistant coach who is found to have accepted money from a booster club or other organization in violation of board policy shall be ineligible for renewal of contract for a minimum of two years.

All staff and individuals involved in the program should fully cooperate with any remaining aspects and follow-ups to this investigation.

When recommending sanctions to KingCo, the district should focus on sanctions against the adults who are most responsible for any violation.

The board will identify any relevant policy changes to help provide guidance and more clear direction to the district and those involved in its progress.

For example, the board will tighten district oversight on its relationship with booster organizations.

Additional work will be done over the coming weeks. This document is not intended to be comprehensive, but set clear direction so we can move forward productively.”