Ray Clark is sworn in to his second term on the Ocean City Board of Education in January 2014.
The Ocean City Board of Education on Wednesday approved the hiring of Ryan Clark as assistant boys' swimming coach for Ocean City High School.
State nepotism guidelines prevent school board members from maintaining seats in districts where direct relatives are employees, so the new coach's older brother, Ray Clark, was forced to resign his position on the Board of Education.
The board accepted the elder Clark's resignation effective May 14.
"I would never stand in his way," Clark said of his younger brother, even though the coaching position is part-time with a stipend of $5,135.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it," Clark said of his tenure on the board.
He was first elected in 2010. He said he got started before his two daughters were in school, because he wanted to learn more and to give back to the community.
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Clark said the board is a "great group of people" and that he's continually "astounded by the kids."
"It’s not an act when they’re in school. They’re just truly good kids," Clark said of the district's students. "And the community always comes out and supports the school.”
He noted that the volunteer school board position is demanding and said, "A new set of eyes and a different perspective is always good."
Clark, an Ocean City firefighter, was re-elected to his second term in November 2013, and his term expires December 31, 2016.
The school board will solicit applicants for an appointment to fill Clark's seat until the end of the year. Candidates will then run in the November 2015 election to fill the final year of Clark's unexpired term (with candidates running for a full three-year term in November 2016).
If the board does not make an appointment within 65 days of Clark's resignation, the county superintendent could potentially make the decision for Ocean City, according to Solicitor Mike Stanton.
Former school board member Greg Donahue resigned in August 2013 when his daughter was under consideration and hired as a school teacher in the district.
