There have been times in the past decade or so when I thought the Liberty County Board of Education was out of its collective mind.
The headquarters building, for example, looks more like the swanky abode of a lower-end Fortune 500 company than the home to a taxpayer-funded group tasked with making sure Liberty’s kids get the best education they can.
It smacks, as best as I can put it, of hubris.
With that said, I believe the folks on the BoE did the honorable and right thing in refusing to bow to those who want them to hand Bradwell football coach Jim Walsh Jr. his walking papers.
If for no other reason than this: After 18 years and more than 100 wins and 10 trips to the state playoffs, Walsh has earned another shot at it.
That’s not to say I don’t understand concerns expressed by at least some fans, boosters and parents. They want to win.
I suspect Walsh and company want to win as well. I know they put in the hours.
But winning isn’t everything. And it certainly isn’t the only thing.
Not in this day and age where coaches and teachers have had to take on more of the roles once reserved for parents.
And not when the playing field is far from level. Feeder systems abound in Georgia and Texas and many places. Yet they don’t in Liberty County, which impacts the kids far more than anyone else.
Walsh has long had his critics -- there was a vocal handful when I covered the team w 2001-2005.