Ewing Rescinds Co-Op Vote With Clearwater-Orchard

By Logan Lawson
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Less than two weeks after voting to co-op high school sports with Clearwater-Orchard, the Ewing School Board has rescinded that decision. However, the district moved forward with a co-op with some junior high sports.

Neither Clearwater nor Orchard boards have voted on any sports co-ops at this time, meaning Ewing’s decision to co-op is just the first step toward a co-op. If both Clearwater and Orchard Advisory Boards approve the decision, then the two districts will be a co-op.

In a special meeting of the Ewing Board of Education on Monday night, the board unanimously voted to rescind the motion from the June 16 meeting. The motion, which was met with disapproval among community members, was meant to allow the shrinking school population of the town to field complete teams in sports throughout the year. 

During Monday’s meeting, which lasted approximately 50 minutes before the board moved to executive session, more than 60 members of the communities of Ewing, Clearwater and Orchard voiced their opinions on the future co-op. A common opinion shared by Ewing citizens was that the decision was made far too quickly.

“I thought the decision you guys made was a little hasty,” said one Ewing community member. “I’m not saying that I’m not open to working with Clearwater and Orchard in the future.”

Ed Nordby, who identified himself as a parent of three students that attend Ewing Public Schools, echoed that statement.

“We need to get a good road map of where we’re going,” Nordby said. “We need to have a lot of discussions and have a lot of input, not from just within our school, but from the survey that you guys are doing.”

A feasibility study is currently in process to determine the potential of the two school districts working together in the future. The study is scheduled to be complete sometime in January or February. The results of that study should give residents a more detailed idea of what it would take to co-op sports in the future, a possibility that residents from both communities said they are still open to.

“We’d welcome you with open arms,” said one Clearwater-Orchard patron. “It’s a tough decision and we’ve been there as well.”

Jason Stamp, a Ewing junior high parent, said he is open to the idea so his kids are able to play for competitive teams.

“To go out and play basketball with seven boys on your team, they’re gonna lose a lot of heart and their drive,” he said.

While the school board looks in to the possibility of a future partnership with Clearwater-Orchard for high school, the board voted unanimously to co-op junior high sports, with the exception of football, with the Cyclones for the next two school years, pending agreement from the Clearwater-Orchard board. 

Ewing currently has a commitment with Chambers/Wheeler Central to co-op football that the board will honor.

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