HOISINGTON- The USD 431 school board on March 6 approved unanimously the addition of middle school cross country, to start in the 2017 fall season.

Football and volleyball are the only fall sports currently offered at the middle school.

All board members were present as Athletic Director, Matthew Shultz discussed the specifics.

Shultz said that there were 10 students that showed interest during the preliminary signups earlier in the school year. He was pleased to find that none of the 10 were involved in either football or volleyball during the fall.

“These will be newly involved students, athletically,” said Shultz. “… The more kids you have involved, the better off you are.”

He said that students who are actively involved in extracurricular activities 10d to perform better in the classroom as well.

School board president, Dean Stoskopf noted that the additional two years of training that the middle school competition will provide would be beneficial to the high school cross country teams as well.

Shultz said that the startup costs will be minimal. The middle school cross country meets coincide with the high school meets, so there will be no additional transportation costs. The district will only need to pay for a coach’s salary, uniforms, and entry fees.

First year expenses are expected to be under $2,000.

In a separate discussion, the board decided not to renew the middle school cooperative agreement with Central Kansas Christian Academy.

The agreement allows for students from Central Kansas Christian Academy to participate in sports for Hoisington Middle School at a cost of $100 per student per sport.

Board members Ben Brewer and Kelly Urban argued against the agreement.

“We’re definitely not hurting in numbers,” said Brewer. “I can see why we need it at the high school, but at the middle school I don’t.”

Urban said that he is worried that students from Central Kansas Christian Academy will take away opportunities from Hoisington Middle School students while having no in10tion of at10ding Hoisington High School. He said that middle school is an important time to develop athletes at certain positions to prepare for high school competition.

Don Fisher was vocally in favor of the agreement.

“I’m not seeing major numbers,” he said. “I’m seeing kids.”

Fisher argued that the district should show compassion to the students that would not otherwise have the opportunity to compete in middle school sports.

The board ultimately voted against renewal of the agreement, 3-4.

Fisher, Stoskopf, and Becky Mooney all voted in favor while Brewer, Urban, Shannon Donovan, and Sara Tarlton voted against it.

In other business March 6, the board:

• Approved the purchase of a complete furniture package for the new Lincoln Elementary School from Virco, Inc. The package will cost no more than $200,000 and will come from the $210,000 in the bond allotted to furniture. Lowry said that the package will include “everything, except for a few appliances.”

• Approved a July 1-6 trip to Nashville, Tennessee for the high school FCCLA National Leadership Conference. Family and consumer science teacher Karla Reisner and student Kirk Reisner spoke to the board.

• Heard a legislative report from Lowry.

• Discussed shower repairs for the Hoisington Activity Center.