By Sheila Anderson
Valley City Times-Record

The future of Valley City’s new Class B status depends on the results of an upcoming  NDHSAA board meeting.
Officials from smaller schools have raised questions about Valley City's move into District 5, which encompasses several smaller schools including LaMoure, Barnes County North and Ellendale.
At an NDHSAA board meeting about three weeks ago, officials from Edgeley and LaMoure asked the board to reverse the decision allowing Valley City Public Schools to change their status to Class B. By a vote of nine to two, the board voted to let the decision stand.
“It was very encouraging,” said Supt. Dean Koppelman. “The committee had a very strong commitment that would definitely change the structure of the system.”
But according to Koppelman, that vote did not end the discussion.
On Nov. 12, five members of the NDHSAA realignment committee met to discuss the future of high school activities and their structure in North Dakota. Koppelman and Valley City High School Activities Director Al Cruchet both attended this meeting.
Representatives from LaMoure and Edgeley attended the meeting. Edgeley's school board authorized its superintendent to seek legal assistance in drafting an amendment that would then be presented to other North Dakota schools to vote on. The officials from those schools feel this would likely overturn the recent NDHSAA decision to move Valley City to Class B.
In this proposal the schools would request the enrollment cutoff for Class B schools be set at 300, rather than the 400 approved by the NDHSAA. The number is currently at 325.
Officials from Edgeley and LaMoure contest the NDHSAA's decision to change the structure of the classification system. They believe the board did not have the authority to change the enrollment number, based on their interpretation of the organization's constitution, Koppelman said.
If such an amendment were proposed, Koppelman said many schools may support it. And if passed, the NDHSAA would have no choice but to change it.
“There are a number of small schools that are rallying around LaMoure and Edgeley,” Koppelman said. “They’re looking out for what they feel is the best interest of these students. I have a feeling that if an amendment were presented to change enrollment to 300, it would pass.”
For the Hi-Liners this would potentially mean 10 more years in Class A. Current enrollment in grades 9 through 12 in Valley City schools is 379.

For full story, see Thursday's edition of the Valley City Times-Record.