By Roz Weis,
Frustration is mounting as Decorah Community Schools administrators seek an answer to the district’s athletic conference woes.
District leaders will soon meet with Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow regarding the school’s conference affiliation for the 2025-26 school year. This is one of the district’s final steps as laid out in the state procedural handbook designed to ensure conference assignments for extracurricular athletic competition.
DCSD Superintendent Tim Cronin informed the school board Monday night that the official mediation between school officials and the Upper Iowa Conference, conducted in Cedar Falls on July 17, ended with a one-sentence denial of Decorah’s plea to join the UIC.
The Northeast Iowa Conference, of which Decorah is a member, will dissolve after the 2024-25 school year. The NEIC is the oldest conference in the state, dating back to 1920.
During Monday night’s board meeting, Cronin said no specific rationale was given for the mediation denial, however he assumed it was related to school sizes for athletic competition.
Decorah’s options for a new conference affiliation are limited, due to the district’s size and location in the northeast corner of the state. When looking at a possible membership with another conference, such as the WaMaC, travel distance for games would be an average of 112 miles one-way. The closest WaMaC school from Decorah is 68 miles away in Independence – the farthest is Grinnell, which is 145 miles away.
The dissatisfaction over the lengthy mediation process was evident during the meeting, as voiced by Decorah School Board Vice President Ron Fadness, who also serves as a member of the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union.
“It’s a frustrating process,” he said. “It’s the fault of changing socio-economic demographics. Years ago, the NEIC schools were of similar size, and that’s not the case today.”
The prospect of being forced to travel long distances for athletic competition weighs heavily on the board, according to School Board President Cindy Goodner, who cited increased transportation costs and stress on students and families among the potential downfalls of joining a conference farther from the district.
“My plea is for the decision-makers to be informed,” she said. “Personally, I am deeply disappointed that we are where we are, because this decision is going to affect generations ahead — it’s going to affect academics, time on the road, time going to school, time going to bed.”
She went on to note Decorah’s distance from major four-lane highways.
“Miles to and from Decorah are slower miles,” she stressed. “We are different, and we don’t fit the scenario, and I think that part needs to be part of the metrics, and part of the information that is shared with the people making the decision. I want Director Snow to be fully informed.”
She asked Cronin, Fadness and Athletic Director Adam Riley, who represent the board during the discussion and mediation, to continue to stress the need for athletic competition within an acceptable travel distance in the future.
“The financial burden seems monumental with long transportation costs,” she said.
Student needs important
Riley said putting the needs of the students first is paramount.
“I feel strongly that the purpose of interscholastic activities at the high school level or any level is to enhance and support the academic needs of our students,” he said.
According to state regulations, the Department of Education must come up with a conference solution.
In recent months, the Northeast Iowa Conference, of which Decorah is a member, has moved closer to collapse with a long line of member schools departing. For the 2024-25 season, the NEIC will continue to include current member schools Decorah, Cresco, Waukon, New Hampton and Charles City. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, the UIC will include New Hampton, Waukon, Cresco — all former NEIC schools — along with North Fayette Valley, MFL MarMac, South Winneshiek, Postville, Clayton Ridge, Elkader Central, Turkey Valley, Lansing Kee and West Central.
State mediation was also conducted recently for neighboring schools in Charles City, which ultimately earned a spot in the North Central Conference, and for Waverly Shell-Rock, with no agreement reached.
Riley said he hopes the meeting with State Education Director Snow will be scheduled within the next few weeks.
“Personally, I am deeply disappointed that we are where we are, because this decision is going to affect generations ahead — it’s going to affect academics, time on the road, time going to school, time going to bed.”– Decorah School Board President Cindy Goodner
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