FREEMAN, MARION TALKS ON HOLD
JEREMY WALTNER – PUBLISHER
With the South Dakota High School Activities Association expected to make a decision on what football reclassification looks like during a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, Freeman Public Superintendent Kevin Kunz has held off with further discussions about a possible partnership with Marion.
Marion has approached Freeman Public about a possible sports cooperative and Freeman Public has suggested getting additional information about what full-on consolidation could look like; the Freeman board held a discussion on the matter at its Oct. 14 meeting but didn’t reach any conclusions.
Marion is currently in a sports cooperative with Freeman Academy in all athletics except football, and its football cooperative with Menno has just ended; Menno appears to be be headed for a new football co-op with Scotland.
Kunz had hoped to meet with two of his board members and several representatives from Marion ahead of next week’s Freeman School Board meeting scheduled for Monday, Nov. 9, but the uncertainty of what football reclassification could mean for the current Canistota/Freeman cooperative prompted a delay.
In an email to the board sent on Monday, Nov. 2, Kunz said Canistota was not interested in adding a third team to the cooperative if that would push them into 11-man football.
“At this time, based upon the numbers, that would in fact be the case (the SDHSAA should clarify later this week exactly what will happen with football classifications for next year),” Kunz wrote. “With that said, I am holding off on scheduling any further meeting with Marion until we know for sure what the SDHSAA decides.”
Kunz also told the board he had contacted several other neighboring districts about their interest in a possible partnership after board member Mark Miller asked if we have talked to anybody else about athletic cooperation or future consolidation.
Here’s what he wrote in the email:
1. Canistota
a. Wants to continue current football and wrestling cooperatives.
b. Has no interest in discussing any additional sports cooperatives at this time.
c. Has no interest in discussing future consolidation.
2. Menno
a. Wants to continue with current wrestling cooperative.
b. Has no interest in discussing any additional sports cooperatives at this time.
c. Has no interest in discussing future consolidation.
3. Parker
a. Has no interest in a sports cooperative or future consolidation.
Freeman Public is scheduled to meet for its monthly meeting next Monday, Nov. 9. It can be viewed on the school’s YouTube channel, which is accessible by clicking the YouTube icon at the bottom of the school’s homepage found at freeman.k12.sd.us.
