The Mark Jonas era for the Green Bay Preble football team is over before it even started.
The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer had his football job from the school withdrawn on Thursday morning and he was informed he would not be hired as a teacher.
Jonas met with Tim Flood, the Green Bay Public School’s administrator for co-curricular programming, and a person from human resources.
While that discussion was going on, he believes another person from HR was at Preble informing the players and assistant coaches.
Jonas learned through his contacts that players were being told he resigned.
He wants to make it clear that is not the case. He has been preparing for the season since being hired in February and was excited for his first year with the Hornets.
Neither Flood nor Preble athletic director Dan Retzki responded to messages seeking comment about Jonas.
Lori Blakeslee, the director of communications and public relations for the district, emailed a letter sent to Preble families today by Preble principal Courtney Kuehn and Retzki.
She said Preble and the school district will have no further comment “as this is a personnel matter.”
“This letter is to inform you that Mark Jonas will not continue in his role as Preble’s head football coach,” the email said. “The Green Bay Area Public School District expresses its gratitude for Mark’s commitment and service to Preble High School.
“Brad Boockmeier will be serving as interim head coach for the 2024-2025 season. Coach Boockmeier will be working diligently to fill the remaining current open positions within our football program in preparation for the upcoming season.
“We are committed to providing our student-athletes a positive experience as members of our Preble Football Program. “
Jonas said he asked why the decision was made. He didn’t get an explanation.
“It was, ‘We had a meeting on Monday about some other things, and we thought we had made it fairly clear on Monday,’ ” Jonas said. “I said, ‘No, on Monday you told me to have patience. Now, I’m out of a job.’
“I don’t know what to tell you.”
When Jonas was named the new coach, there were expectations he would be hired for a teaching role at the school for the upcoming academic year.
But two positions he interviewed for were filled by other people, and he applied for a third English teaching opening but didn’t get interviewed for it. As far as he knows, it remains vacant.
Jonas feels the district was not making genuine efforts to hire him as a teacher, considering there were opportunities. He said he had a meet and greet with the principal at Edison Middle School and a position at that school also went to somebody else.
Jonas expressed concerns he had not received a teaching position and said he was told to “trust the process.”
“There was never a job that was just promised,” Jonas said. “But you know how coaching circles are. You try to get your coaches in the building.”
Jonas said he was told that the decision had nothing to do with his teaching or coaching ability.
It’s fair to say he feels blindsided by what went down.
“I’ll never, and nobody will ever get, I think, a straight answer,” Jonas said. “All I keep hearing is that this is the Green Bay Way throughout this whole process. I don’t even know what that is defined as, but I was fully expecting to be the head football coach there. I was fully expecting to be teaching in the building there. I was fully expecting to help make an impact and change the culture there.
“That was all part of the gig. I think the kids have already bought into what we were talking about doing. They have been awesome. The booster club has been awesome. I don’t know.”
Jonas was hired at Preble to replace Dustin Gresen, who led the Hornets for six years.
Jonas spent the past two seasons as the coach at Southern Door. He went 20-3 during that time and won a Packerland Conference championship while finishing runner-up to Kewaunee last season.
“Coach Jonas was a huge part of our success, and I thank him for everything he has done for our program,” Southern Door quarterback Drew Daoust said after Jonas was hired at Preble. “As soon as he got here, he changed the culture and made an impact on this school.”
Preble was getting a coach in Jonas with some decorated credentials as it attempts to rebound from a 1-8 season in 2023 and an 0-9 campaign in 2022. It has not won more than two games in a season since 2019.
Jonas started his career in 1985 as an assistant at Reedsville before becoming the coach at Hilbert, where he led the program to WIAA Division 6 state titles in 1994 and 1996.
He also was the coach at Oconomowoc for four years and Kaukauna for five before landing at Ashwaubenon.
Jonas led the Jaguars to a 64-38 record and to the playoffs in each of his 10 seasons. The team won Fox River Classic Conference championships under him in 2010 and 2013.
He has helped more than 40 student-athletes play college football.
But now there is a chance he won’t be on a sideline this fall.
“You are gearing up because your offense is ready to go, the defensive coaches are all ready to go,” Jonas said. “Kids are excited. You know how it gets. It’s like Friday Night Lights every day, because you get an opportunity to go do stuff you love.
“Now, I’m looking at potentially trying to get a job at UPS.”
Jonas was asked about his football future and whether he would sit out this year and perhaps look for something next season.
“Honestly, too fresh,” Jonas said. “I have no idea. I literally have no idea. Right now, it’s trying to find a job to help put food on the table.”