Two schools for increasing co-op; one against
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
With differing opinions regarding further expansion of the Central McLean sports co-op having recently been voiced by their respective boards, members of the Underwood and Turtle Lake-Mercer co-op committees met with McClusky board members Tuesday night to discuss the findings of the respective groups.
At issue – whether the schools should consider adding basketball and volleyball to the Central McLean co-op. At the end of the meeting, the unofficial vote was two schools – Underwood and McClusky – in favor; Turtle Lake-Mercer against.
Meeting chairman, Mike Heger, chair of the Underwood co-op committee, related to those in attendance that Underwood’s response to the Central McLean co-op committee’s request that the schools delve into the current co-op arrangement and potential for increasing it was to send out a survey to the people it impacted the most.
According to a survey of 4th through 11th-grade students and their parents, the majority, about 60 percent, are in favor of co-oping the sports within the next three years.
“There are definite leanings amongst our parents that this is something that’s in the future best interest of Underwood,” summed up Heger. “There is more support for boys than girls – the boys will be more stressed (because of low numbers) than girls.”
After going through the survey findings, he indicated the Underwood board is about 80 percent in favor of adding the other sports to the co-op.
