Decorah Schools optimistic state bill may help relieve athletic conference woes

By Seth Boyes,

Save for football, sports teams at Decorah High School are expected to compete independent of a state athletic conference next year. State lawmakers have proposed a bill which would address how conference affiliation changes are handled in Iowa, after hearing from multiple school districts experiencing difficulties across the state. (Photo by Seth Boyes)

A bill being proposed by state lawmakers could help Iowa school districts, like Decorah Community Schools, which are struggling to change high school athletic conferences — something Iowa legislators say is becoming more challenging for schools across the state. 

The Northeast Iowa Conference, of which Decorah Schools is a member, is expected to dissolve after the 2024-25 school year. The NEIC is the oldest conference in the state, dating back to 1920. Decorah Schools had previously requested entry into the Upper Iowa Conference, but the request was denied — former NEIC schools like New Hampton, Waukon and Cresco are expected to be part of the UIC next school year. 

State Rep. Michael Bergan, R – Dorchester, and Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, R – New Hartford, introduced a bill in early February, aimed at amending how changes among Iowa’s high school sports conferences are handled. Bergan, whose legislative district includes Decorah, said he submitted a bill request in November, adding he and other lawmakers had heard from several districts experiencing difficulties with conference realignment, including Decorah and Waverly — which falls within Grassley’s district — as well as districts in northwest Iowa. 

“This is a statewide issue,” Bergan said. “Various schools are going through demographic changes. This is an issue for Des Moines Public School South. They’ve lost close to 1,000 students in the last three years, so they’re looking at potential realignment of their activities, and it certainly affects some of the smaller schools across the state as well.”

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House File 331 would prompt the establishment of a conference realignment committee, which Bergan said is similar to a model used in the state of Wisconsin. The bill says an 18-member committee would be required to consider conference changes at least once every two years and consider factors, such as enrollment among member schools, travel distances, compatibility of athletic programs, traditional rivalries and the number of schools in a conference, when reviewing proposals. Under the bill, schools which withdraw from a conference without the committee’s approval would be prohibited from competing in a given sport or activity for a period of two years. 

Full article available in the February 27 Decorah Leader.

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