Board approves move to WIC

The Red Oak School Board has agreed to a shift in athletic conferences.
At the regular school board meeting Aug., 20, The board discussed accepting the invitation to join the Western Iowa Conference (WIC) no later than the 2027-28 school year. Daric O’Neal was the only person to speak on the subject and expressed his appreciation for the public meeting held on Aug. 17 to share information and provide the details behind the board’s decision.
Superintendent Ron Lorenz then addressed the board, and said he wanted to be very measured and make sure that he disclosed all the information that people may be interested in knowing.
“The WIC Board of Control, that’s comprised of superintendents, met on Aug. 4 to review the responses or the applications from the 10 districts that they reached out to. There were two districts that expressed an interest, Shenandoah and Red Oak. So based on that interest, the WIC board decided that they would each go back to their respective boards in accordance with their bylaws and ask their boards to approve both Shenandoah and Red Oak to join the Western Iowa Conference,” advised Lorenz. “Entrance into the WIC is assured because we have already achieved the super majority, the three-fifths majority required by their bylaws.”
Lorenz said the decision to move was up to the board, and if it proceeded, a change was needed.
“I think one of the things that we need to talk about is the last phrase in the agenda item, no later than the 2027-28 school year. Originally, the WIC had discussed a timeline of 27-28 because they anticipated a much longer period of time for districts to do their fact-finding, to get public support, to take action, and then ultimately to withdraw from their conferences,” stated Lorenz. “Given the way this has rolled out, the timeline has sped up. Lewis Central has left the Hawkeye 10. Their board voted to do that on Aug. 18. They have indicated that the Missouri River Conference would like them to join them next fall or at the end of the current school year.”
According to Lorenz, he, along with Mark Erickson  and Nate Perrien, attended a Hawkeye 10  meeting on Aug. 14.
“The conversation at the table indicated that the Hawkeye 10 would indeed waive the two-year notice requirement for Lewis Central and ultimately for Shenandoah and Red Oak, if we would like, but the conversation was that they would prefer that if three teams leave that they all leave at the same time. So that prompted me to reach out to WIC superintendents, and I think there is a consensus that that’s probably a good idea,” Lorenz explained. “There were a couple of districts that felt pretty strongly that they would prefer that it happen sooner than later. We haven’t worked through all those details, so I can’t say definitively at this point that if the board were to approve this, that it would be for next year, but at this point, it feels like that. That’s why I worded it no later than 2027-28.”
Lorenz reiterated that the district got feedback from kids and coaches, and of the 30 that responded in each category, more than 70% of both groups believe this is a good thing. Also, there were no complaints at the Aug. 17 meeting.
“I was surprised we didn’t have a single negative comment. I am not hearing or feeling a lot of opposition to this. As a result, I’m going to recommend the board vote to accept the invitation to join the WIC,” Lorenz commented.
Board President Bret Blackman gave Lorenz and the team kudos for the outstanding materials they put together on Sunday.
“I think that key moment of sharing that publicly the way you did, laying it out so cleanly and clearly for the community to see and have opportunity for input on the subject was really well done. It sets a good tone of what we want to have with our community. I personally have not had anything but positive feedback from people I’ve talked to in the community regarding this topic,” said Blackman.
Lorenz expressed his appreciation to Erickson and Perrien for their assistance in the potential move.
“The relationships that they’ve built in the Hawkeye 10, I think speaks volumes. Certainly it’s going to help us transition. And I think there’s some crossover. I think the WIC schools feel good about us because they’ve heard positive things about the kind of people that are doing these jobs. I’ve gone on record, I feel like if the board were to approve this, we would be going to a conference that wants us from a conference that tolerates us, and that resonates with me personally,” Lorenz advised. “I have no sour grapes or anything like that. I’m just really looking forward to this opportunity. I think it’s going to be good for our kids. I think it’s going to put our kids in a position where they can be more successful, more engaged, and just have a better experience.”
Board Member Kathy Walker said she had some initial concers about the move, but her feelings have changed.
“I was really hesitant because I know that we can compete in the Hawkeye 10 in certain sports and in certain years. I think volleyball has proven that. This year we have a great cross country team that’s ranked eighth in the state right now and probably favored to finish first or second in the Hawkeye 10, but having said that, I think our enrollment and our enrollment trends just are what they are, and I think it makes sense to move to where we fit a little bit better,” commented Walker. “I really thought about this after the meeting Sunday. I don’t think moving to the WIC will hurt our teams or athletes, even the ones that are positioned really well in the Hawkeye 10 right now. I don’t see that our volleyball team’s going to be hurt or our cross country team or any other team. We’re going to have good teams here and there throughout the years.”
The board unanimously approved the invitation to join the WIC no later than the 2027-28 school year.