Cedar Rapids Jefferson Principal Chuck McDonnell is an extremely busy man these days.

In addition to running a high school that's going through a major remodeling project, he's also looking for a new athletic director, a new football coach and a new girls basketball coach.

And since Scott Kibby is leaving as Jefferson's athletic director at the end of the school year, he's no longer the point man in hiring new coaches. McDonnell is.

McDonnell said he's excited about the challenge and opportunity of bringing new people into the school. "Super psyched," he told the Metro Sports Report.

The Jefferson football team has lost 22 straight games and compiled a 22-78 record under Jim Womochil in 11 years, so the new coach will face a major rebuilding job.

"When you have a program that's down, you have to rebuild," McDonnell said. "This is part of the rebuilding process. We're going to get new blocks in place. I think it provides new hope and new opportunity, and that's why I'm excited.

"Jefferson needs a little bit of an image of rebuilding," he said. "If you look at it, for example, the school is being remodeled. Every classroom will have new floor ceiling lights, new exterior walls, new geothermal heating and cooling. So the facility is going to look new again, but it's 50 years old.

"You needed a change in the football program and that change is coming. That provides a new opportunity, some new hope. And some people that may not have considered Jefferson before may now say, 'Yeah, change is good.' You're going to revitalize that spirit."

McDonnell hopes to hire a new athletic director and a new football coach this month. It will be two different people, because administrators are not allowed to coach in the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

"My goal is that we're announcing the football coach and the A.D. in the next two weeks, in an ideal world, if all goes as planned," he said.

McDonnell does not think it's absolutely necessary to hire a new athletic director before hiring a new football coach, even though many football coaches like to know who their immediate boss will be before taking a new job.

"Any football coach that would come to us has an understanding of what our philosophy will be for an A.D.," he said, "and if they are comfortable with that, then they are not tied together.

"In order for a person to accept the job, they have to know that your philosophy will be to have an A.D. that's strong in the area of football. They have to be a well-rounded A.D., but certainly someone that knows the kind of support a good football program needs."

Womochil resigned as Jefferson's football coach in January and is now a volunteer assistant coach at Iowa State University. It was announced last week that Kibby is leaving to become the new athletic director at Iowa City West. Larry Niemeyer announced Tuesday that he is stepping aside as the girls basketball coach at Jefferson.

McDonnell said the new athletic director will hire the new girls basketball coach, but he wants to move rapidly on finding the new athletic director and football coach.

"I'm working toward interviewing A.D.s next week," he said Wednesday in a telephone interview with the Metro Sports Report. "This is the time when a lot of changes take place and there are ripple effects, so if you're not in the market quick, you're not having as good a candidate pool.

"When one A.D. moves to another spot, you're already one move behind because of that move. So we don't want to be two or three moves behind as other A.D.s are hired around the districts.

"That's the reason we want to move quickly, because there are some very good candidates out there and we want to talk to them."

Jefferson High School has been looking for a new football coach for approximately two months. Iowa City Regina Coach Marv Cook made two visits to Jefferson, but took himself out of the running. The J-Hawks formally interviewed three other football coaches for the job without landing a new man.

Rich Turner, the head coach at Limestone High School in Bartonville, Ill., this past fall took a new job in Illinois. Mark Ehlers, the head coach at Dubuque Hempstead, declined an offer from Jefferson. Brian Webb, the head coach at Carroll Kuemper, declined comment when reached by the Metro Sports Report last Saturday, but apparently has concerns about who the new A.D. will be.

McDonnell said he's not necessarily starting from scratch in terms of finding a new football coach.

"There are other things in the pipe what we've been working with," said McDonnell, in his eighth year as principal at Jefferson. "I don't want to submarine myself, but there are a few other plans out there if we don't have this resolved soon."

McDonnell declined to elaborate on those plans. Other coaches applied for the job, including at least one assistant coach from another Class 4A school in the Metro area.

McDonnell said he's spoken with numerous people in the community about his search for a new athletic director and a new football coach, seeking input and suggestions.

"I've never hired a football coach and I've never hired an A.D.," he said. "I'm looking for a quality person that will take care of our kids and help us."

McDonnell declined to say if he would have offered Niemeyer another one-year contract to coach the girls basketball team if Niemeyer hadn't announced he was leaving the post.

"I can't really comment," he said. "It's too delicate."