Number of sports and practice locations highlight meeting
BY GABLE RHOADS
Representatives of the Underwood, Turtle Lake – Mercer (TL-M) and McClusky school systems met November 19 to discuss potential changes to practice locations and increasing the number of sports included in the Central McLean County sports cooperative.
Underwood school board representative Jim Leroy proposed that all football practice and games be held at the Underwood school because most of the players are from Underwood. Leroy also said that the Underwood school has difficulty finding bus drivers for the practices held at Turtle- Lake.
Underwood’s school representative Taryn Kjelstrup said that parents won’t object to swapping schools for practices and games when necessary, but will object more if a school has a large percentage of the players.
When Turtle Lake members argued against the proposal, Leroy asked how many Turtle Lake – Mercer/McClusky (TL-MM) co-op games and practices were held in McClusky. Turtle Lake School principal Daren Kurle replied that at the time of the proposed merger the McClusky board had not asked for any games or practices to be held in McClusky.
McClusky school board president Brian Larson responded that at the time he felt that the proposed TL-MM sports co-op was a "take it or leave it" deal. The TL-M school system would foot the bill for all the costs and all the games and practices would be held in Turtle Lake.
