Iowa School Denied New Conference By State Department Of Education

(11-3-24) The Iowa Department of Education has denied an appeal from Decorah (Iowa) Schools to switch its athletic conference next school year to avoid its students traveling up to 290 miles round-trip for high school games.

RELATED: Officials Begin Mediation for Former NEIC Schools (July 18)

Iowa is one of the few states that has input from a state agency on athletic conference placement…other states like Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan schools form, join and select what conferences they will be a part of.

Decorah is currently a member of the Northeast Iowa Conference, Iowa’s oldest conferences back in 1920, which will dissolve at the end of this school year. Each school in Iowa is entitled to join an athletic conference, meant to match up schools with the same size and in the same area.

Northeast Iowa Conference

Charles City
Crestwood
Decorah
New Hampton
Waukon

Upper Iowa Conference

In April, Decorah was voted down 8-2 to gain entry into the UIC.

Decorah was denied because of its high school enrollment size of 435, more than double the average enrollment of the conference. The next closest Upper Iowa Conference school in enrollment is North Fayette Valley at 243.

Central
Clayton Ridge
Eastern Allamakee
MFL MarMac
North Fayette Valley
Postville
South Winneshiek
Turkey Valley
West Central

Based on size, Decorah would most likely join the WaMaC conference. But Decorah says that will create travel issues for its student-athletes. The average distance between Decorah and WaMaC schools is 112 miles one way. Independence is the closest school at 68 miles while Grinnell would be the farthest at 145 miles, meaning students would travel 290 miles round trip for a competition.

WaMaC

Benton Community
Center Point-Urbana
Clear Creek Amana
Grinnell
Independence
Marion
Mount Vernon
Solon High School
Vinton-Shellsburg
West Delaware
Williamsburg High School
South Tama

After mediation failed to reach an agreement, the Iowa Department of Education accepted the mediators’ recommendation to deny Decorah’s appeal to join the Upper Iowa Conference.