By Paula Scott

The Thursday, February 16 meeting of the Ada Schools Board of Education attracted a full house of parents and coaches with several coming to speak about the district considering changing athletic conferences from the Northwest Conference (NWC) to the Blanchard Valley Conference (BVC) 

The meeting began with a public comment segment. Several individuals spoke about their experiences as Ada players, parents and coaches, noting some of the pros and cons of changing conferences. Decreased school size, performance in the NWC, the use of college student coaches and the need to apply academic beliefs model were among the issues presented.

Two speakers asked the board to conduct a poll or public forum to determine community opinion on the subject and to insure the process was transparent.

Board members responded with comments on the issues involved and past deliberations on changing athletic conferences. Ted Griffith asked whether schools of a similar size have both football and soccer programs. Amy Mullins noted that she was pleased to see a packet of additional information being provided that evening by the athletic department. Ron Fleming commented that, as in the past, this was a very emotional topic. Board President Matt Gossman felt there were two sides being presented, traditionalists and non-Ada natives.

Fleming asked that the information packet be shared with the public on the school website.

The board announced that it would schedule a public meeting where the athletic directors could present information and community members could comment on the proposed change.

Gossman urged those present to “do their homework” and to bring information to the public meeting that would help the board make a decision. Superintendent Robin VanBuskirk said that a date and time would be determined. The approximate time frame suggested was in about two weeks.