Baxter ends CMB sports sharing agreement

BAXTER – In a unanimous vote Monday night, the Baxter School Board ended the CMB sports sharing agreement with Collins-Maxwell.

The decision means CMB sports will terminate following the 2016-17 athletic year, which will be the 29th year of the agreement. Baxter will stand alone beginning in 2017-18.

More than 30 people were in attendance for the regular meeting Monday including a few Baxter School District staff, parents, students and members from the Collins-Maxwell School Board.

Prior to the vote, all five Baxter board members spoke about their thought processes leading up to the decision and each said they believed it was time to part ways with their partner.

"Personally, I struggled with this. Especially with the opportunities we have if we stop the sharing," board member Colette Kunkel said. "I know we as a board and as a school district will do what's best for our students and we will find those opportunities. I think at this point we need to find a partner that is going down the same path and vision that we have."

Board member Debbie Meyer, who has spoken out in frustration at previous meetings as have other board members, said the board must think about the potential opportunities for academic growth, not just athletic growth.

"If it was just about athletics I think the decision would be simpler and cleaner, but it isn’t just about sports anymore," Meyer said. "It’s about academics, following our core value, showing kids it matters how you communicate by being able to rely on your partners and trust your partner."

Cory Robinson echoed Meyer's comment and said they must learn from their past in order to move forward into the future.

"I'm not quite sure when ending athletics was more important than ending academics or school," Robinson said. "Sports are great. I love sports, but at the same time we have a school district we need to be able to move forward."

Following the vote, board president Jon Northrup read a prepared press release thanking the community for its faith in the board, and stating regular work sessions will held in order to search for other options.

In an interview after the meeting, superintendent Todd Martin said Baxter is fiscally healthy right now, but finding a partner is ideal for the district's future.

"We know we have some thinking to do around what our future looks like alone and, of course, making sure we are seeking out other creative ways in which we can partner," Martin said.

The superintendent said he has reached out to other districts in the area to discuss possible sharing options that might be available, but said there is nothing in terms of plans yet.

"Baxter is healthy," he said. "It’s not as if we are in a sense of urgency to do anything. We know we have a solid district. We have 93.1 percent kids coming to us. For a district our size, we are in the top 1 to 2 percent in the state for people coming in. We know we're appealing and we know people value what we have to offer."

Baxter was in whole-grade sharing talks with Collins-Maxwell for four years, but a series of events this year, including an operational sharing agreement between Collins-Maxwell and Ballard School District, caused additional tension between the partners. Due to a difference of opinions on which direction each district wanted to go, sharing talks eventually ended.

However, Collins-Maxwell said they still wanted to share sports, but Baxter board members were in an agreement Monday that there was no future with their partner.

Contact Alex Olp at aolp@newtondailynews.com