Basketball co-op with Osmond ends

RANDOLPH – The Highway 20 Hawks will be flying the coop - or the co-op nest at least - at the end of this season.

Randolph will be fielding its own high school boys and girls basketball teams next year after the Randolph Public Schools board unanimously voted at its board meeting Monday night not to continue its co-op with Osmond. The two schools had joined for the co-op for the past two years under the team name Hawks.

With another unanimous vote of the board, the two schools will also not be participating in a Junior High basketball co-op.

Athletic Director Brandi Bartels said the board had a difficult decision with risks contained within either choice and the board spent 45 minutes discussing the matter.

Board vice president Jim Scott said he went back and forth and finally listed out some pros and cons to help him make his final decision.

On the plus side, the Osmond- Randolph cooperative provided enough players for both JV and varsity games and enough coaches for both teams; players had to compete for a starter position; and overall it ran smoothly, especially at the Junior High level. He also didn’t see any favoritism like some have claimed, he said.

Making the cons list? The co-op did not develop its Junior Varsity like it was originally hoped, Scott said, with a handful of boys playing an entire JV game and an entire varsity game. Practice and travel times were not ideal, and school pride and spirit decreased, Scott said.

Osmond’s focus on a partnership with Randolph diminished when a potential co-op between the two schools for high school football failed a vote last fall, Scott said.

Part of the breakdown came from some negative communications between students from both schools.

At that time, Osmond entered into an agreement with Wausa for football and some other activities, calling it more of a long-term partnership.

Osmond officials had said they would need to consult with Wausa before entering another high school basketball co-op agreement with Randolph.

“They made it clear again that they wanted to be with Wausa No. 1 and us No. 2,” Scott said. “Maybe we just need to move on.”

The board also discussed that basketball participation has decreased everywhere – not just in Randolph. Many schools Randolph’s size are also struggling for a full playing roster in basketball and many can’t play a full JV game due to low participation, Bartels said.

“The reality is there are a lot of teams that they’re taking freshmen, younger players, and putting them on a varsity team,” she said. “They don’t have the numbers to develop them on JV. That’s one of the things that has happened to the sport.” Board member Lisa Linville said when she graduated from Randolph, there were about 40 students in her graduating class. Now, there are half as many students and many more sports and activities to be involved in. Bartels agreed that about 92 percent of students in grades 7-12 participate in at least one activity.

It’s difficult to predict participation, she said. For example, in 2023, only one student participated in speech. This year, 13 students are interested in the activity.

“I don’t know what the magic bullet is that makes them decide,” Bartels said.

She said since both schools’ enrollment numbers feed into activity class distinction, the basketball co-op with Osmond had the Hawks and Lady Hawks competing in Class C2. On its own, Randolph would potentially face more evenly matched competition in Class D.

On the one hand, finding success on the court would be a boost, Bartels said. Although win or lose, Superintendent Daryl Schrunk said, activities and sports are a significant part of school and help students develop life skills beyond what’s learned in the classroom.

Assistant Girls Basketball Coach Jordyn Anderson couldn’t attend the board meeting in person, but asked Bartels to read a letter to the board. She wrote that in her observation, chemistry and trust have increased among players over the co-op’s two years.

“With the program nearing the end of its second season, I will admit that our record is not appealing to the eye. This is usually the case in programs that are in the beginning. Players and coaches are still getting to know strengths and weaknesses, however, over time I believe we have really begun to connect with each other,” she wrote. She said discontinuing the co-op would be negative for both schools.

Parent Anthony Shearer said discontinuing the partnership with Osmond could have a long-term impact with Randolph essentially “on an island” without an area school to rely on if needed.

Schrunk said even with discontinuing the basketball co-op, administrators between the two schools remain cordial and would be open to working together in the future.

“We’ve had great rapport with Osmond and great communication with them recently, and if it is a ‘no,’ we’re going to end off on a positive note with them and keep doors open. We made that clear and they made that very clear to us as well,” he said.

In other news, Elementary Principal Denton Beacom presented data on reading assessments.

According to results from two separate reading standardized tests, students have shown positive growth. For AIMS testing in the fall, 54 percent (or 76 students) achieved a result in the 41st percentile or above and then in winter, that number grew to 90 students or 64 percent.

Those at the 25th percentile or below are considered students at a high risk. Thirty percent or 43 students fell into this category during fall assessment, but those numbers improved to 22 students, or 16 percent, in the winter.

“Something to note, some principals would maybe take out special education, this is reflective of the entire student body, all the kids at the elementary,” Beacom said.

In the other reading assessment through the Nebraska Reads Act, there was growth in the number of kindergarten through thirdgrade students who did not need an individualized reading intervention plan – a growth from 72 percent in fall to 77 percent in winter.

Beacom would like to implement a summer school program for those at the high-risk reading levels, a common practice in other districts.

“How we can best serve those kids is a couple of extra hours of reading instruction,” he said.

During the meeting, the board also reorganized for the year with board officers remaining the same – Paul Schmit as president; Jim Scott as vice president; and Sandy Owens as secretary/treasurer. All of the board’s committee assignments remained the same.

The next meeting will be on an alternate date to avoid conflicts with subdistrict basketball tournaments – 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 6.