Holmen School Board gets football alignment update

Fare for the Holmen School Board’s pre-Thanksgiving meeting was light, and so was attendance with three members excused.

Those present were able to scrape together a quorum and with board President Cheryl Hancock absent, vice president Dardy Berge presided.

Board members took action on regular and housekeeping items, spending most of the hour-long meeting listening to reports on the High School’s Entrepreneurship class — which is conducting a grand opening of the school store this time called “Replay” on Dec. 5 at 9:30 a.m. — and hearing a presentation on the pending realigning of football teams by the WIAA.

Activities director Linzi Gronning brought the board up to speed the possible shake up.

If approved as currently envisioned, the realignment would put Holmen in a district with seven other regional schools in District A of Division 2. The new system would take Holmen out of the MVC, and dissolve the decades old conference system around the state.

Other teams in District 2A would include La Crosse Central, La Crosse Logan, Marshfield, Menomonie, New Richmond, River Falls and Tomah.

The aim is promote fairness — letting larger schools play larger schools, and smaller schools play smaller ones — and attempting to reduce the miles teams drive to play other teams in their division or district.

This season, the Holmen varsity football team travelled 451 miles, or an average of 50 miles per game, playing conference foes. Under the new system, Holmen’s football squad would travel 558 or 80 miles per game. Last year’s figures are deceptive in that West De Pere travelled to Holmen this year, meaning Holmen would travel there the next, adding another 202 miles onto the yearly total.

Gronning said additional research is being conducted to explore ways to further reduce travel for the teams.

Division 2 is reserved for school districts with enrollment of between 1,326 and 844.

“In my opinion it’s for the betterment of football in Wisconsin,” said Holmen varsity football coach Steve King.

Traditional nonconference games, like the longtime season opening rivalry between Holmen and Onalaska, would likely remain intact, Gronning said.

The WIAA will make its final action on the matter Jan. 27 and schedules for 2010 will be distributed Feb. 1.

In other action, the board approved a motion that corrects some wording in a bond paper contract approved in May with the O’Brion Agency.

It also approved a final change order for Prairie View School for $288,597.30. The final change order is a reduction based on the amount the tax-exempt district saved in sales tax by buying materials on its own rather than allowing the contractor to purchase them.