FREEMAN SCHOOL BOARD CALLS APRIL 16 SPECIAL MEETING FOR PUBLIC INPUT ON FA REQUEST
The Freeman Public School Board has scheduled a special meeting for this Wednesday, April 16 at 5 p.m. for public input on whether to accept a request from Freeman Academy to enter into an all-sports cooperative.
The Freeman Academy Board of Directors is invited to attend.
A second, follow-up special meeting of the Freeman Public School Board is set for Monday, April 21 at 7 p.m. so the board can decide whether to accept the request from Freeman Academy.
A proposal needs to be submitted to the South Dakota High School Activities Association in time for its regular monthly meeting just two days later — on Wednesday, April 23.
All of this was decided at the Freeman Public School Board’s regular monthly meeting held Monday night April 14 and follows an April 13 unanimous vote by the Marion School Board to enter into an all-sports agreement with Parker this fall, thus abandoning the Freeman Academy/Marion Bearcats program.
Marion and Parker’s pending agreement also would mean the dissolve of the Phoenix football and softball programs, as well as Marion/Freeman wrestling.
Parker is scheduled to vote on the new co-op Thursday night, April 17.
FA REQUEST
Based on comments made at Freeman Public’s April 14 meeting by Brian Paff, president of the Freeman Academy Board of Directors, Freeman Academy’s request comes with few concessions asked of Freeman Public.
“We don’t have a lot of bargaining chips, but we do have something to contribute,” he said, noting that Sterling Hall opens up another practice facility. “We just want a place to play.”
The biggest hangup in getting a deal done appears to be a possible jump from Class B to Class A. Should an agreement be reached by both schools and approved by the South Dakota High School Activities Association, Freeman Academy’s enrollment would be counted in the ADM used to determine classification.
“It’s close,” Freeman Public Superintendent Jake Tietje said of the projected numbers that would be used for the count this coming fall, which would first take effect during the two-year realignment year of 2026-27.
It was unclear at Monday’s meeting whether that ADM number would have an impact on the 2025-26 school year.
This is a developing story.
