Public is invited to attend advisory meetings

DAYTON-Last week, Waitsburg School District Superintendent Dr. Jon Mishra and Dayton School District Superintendent Doug Johnson spoke about progress the Dayton/Waitsburg Advisory Combine committee is making on a full combine between the two schools for sports and other activities..

On Mon., Dec. 4, the committee will have met five times since Sept. 2017, to plan for a full combine for the 2018-19 school year.

Driving the process is the lack of adequate numbers of students to appropriately field sports programs and in other activities in the districts

That was the driving force for the creating the DW Combine for football and baseball, in 2016-17. This is the second year for the DW combine for high school, football, baseball, cheer and wrestling, and for football and baseball, in the middle school.

In 2016-17 the districts began the process to achieve a full combine for all sports, but District 9 denied the request because of concerns that without Waitsburg's participation, the district would suffer, said Supt. Doug Johnson.

Approval from District 9, District 5, and the WIAA has now been granted for a combine in 2018-19, he said.

Johnson said choosing sports for potential combines using a "pick and choose" method would present challenges for the leagues, and for separate WIAA districts, so the districts are seeking a full DW combine for high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, cross-country, soccer, golf, wrestling, and cheer. They are seeking a full combine for middle school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, and cross country.

The length of any agreement made between the two schools will match the WIAA classification process, he explained.

"We will be 2B for the next two years, and in two years from now, the WIAA will take its classification counts," Johnson said.

Waitsburg and Dayton currently have 141 students in grades nine, 10, and 11, Johnson said.

A district can be reclassified at the end of a four-year classification study if enrollment drops or rises.

The DW Advisory Committee has approved a 50/50 split for equitable sharing of total costs for the programs. A fiscal agent is yet to be identified, Johnson said.

The committee has also approved the process for advertising and hiring of coaches.

Coaching positions will require the approval of both school boards. If a head coach does not return for any reason all positions are opened.

Programs new to the combine will require opening positions for head coach and assistant coaches and the committee has agreed to opening positions for non-combined sports.

"We want to make sure we continue to provide opportunities for our coaches to get professional development, both at the coaching school and occasionally attending other sport specific opportunities," Johnson said.

The committee has talked extensively about professional development for coaches and is currently waiting on the salary schedule from the WIAA, along with additional ideas about how to fund professional development.

Johnson said the details about transportation costs and methods have yet to be identified.

The committee is proposing that all football practices be held in Waitsburg. Varsity games will be split between Dayton and Waitsburg. JV games will be played in Waitsburg. Middle school games would be played in Dayton.

All soccer practices and games would be held in Dayton. August and September practices and games will be in Waitsburg. October and November practice matches and post-season will be in Dayton.

Middle school volleyball will have August and September practices and matches in the Dayton High School gym. October and November practices and matches would be in the Waitsburg High School gym.

Stephanie Wooderchak, the Waitsburg High School Principal and Athletic Director, will be responsible for handling schedules and transportation for cheerleading and cross country, and for high school and middle school football. Dayton High School Principal Paul Shaber will be in charge of volleyball, high school soccer and middle school volleyball, Johnson said.

Johnson said there has been much discussion around revenue from gate proceeds and fundraisers and expenditures for coaches, officials, travel, uniforms and equipment.

"We need to make sure ASB shares the income and expenses which go along with sports. Balancing inequitable gate proceeds is a concern," Johnson said.

"There has been a lot of talk about how the two ASBs will work together. Our hope is we continue to work together. The students are very open and inquisitive. We hope to use their creativity and ideas to create better programs," he said.

Johnson said the recommendation is that each school maintains their own mascot and that the colors will be Cardinal red, yellow/gold and black.

"When we talked to our football kids two years ago, their biggest concern wasn't the mascot. It wasn't the uniform. It was "Can we have a team? Can we compete?" Johnson said.

"Our goal for whatever we do, whether it's an academic program or an athletic program, or an activity, is to have robust and competitive programs," Superintendent Mishra said.

Supt. Johnson said the DW Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public.

"Don't be a stranger," he said.

People are invited people to contact the district offices for information about the DW combine, and to attend the Dayton and Waitsburg school board meetings to learn about the progress , he said.

The DW Combine Advisory Committee is made up of school-based representatives, students, and school board members and decision making is by consensus.

Committee recommendations will be shared at both school board meetings in December, Johnson said.

----------------------

Learn More

A link to a list of questions brought up by patrons at the Nov. 29 public meeting, along with answers, can be found on the Waitsburg School District website at waitsburgsd.org. A link to the Power Point presentation from the meeting is also available on the district home page.