Iola High School will leave SEK

Iola High School athletic teams will have one more year to compete in the Southeast Kansas League.
USD 257 board members voted Monday night to join the Pioneer League for competition in the 2012-13 season and beyond.
Iola Middle School won’t jump as quickly. Dr. Craig Neuenswander, superintendent of schools, told board members IMS administrators met with Pioneer League officials and they “intend to continue scheduling with SEK the next two years and evaluate options after that.”
The decision to change leagues came at the invitation of the Pioneer League, which today contains three 4A schools, Osawatomie, Anderson County and Prairie View, and two 3A schools, Wellsville and Central Heights. Burlington, a 3A school, now in the Tri-Valley League also has been invited to join.
Iola High, a 4A school with enrollment of 371, will be the largest school in the Pioneer League. It is the second smallest in the SEK and has been for years. Only Columbus, with 362 students, is smaller than Iola.
“I’ve known nothing but the SEK,” since he came to Iola 50 years ago, said board member Buck Quincy. He was opposed four years ago, when the Pioneer League was formed and invited Iola to join, but “I’m ready to change now.
“I know it (the change) is athletics-driven, but with the Pioneer League there are other things for our students,” Quincy said, noting that it has competitions in student government, band and art, which are not available through the SEK.
Not all board members were enthusiastic about the change. Don Snavely said he had some trouble accepting the switch.
“We have a tradition with the SEK,” he said.
Iola has been a member of the conference for 65 years.
Several mentioned that changing leagues was not a formula for instant success, but that over a period of years IHS students should have more opportunities to succeed than in the SEK.
“Playing against schools with 180 to 200 more students,” and 360 in the case of Pittsburg, “week after week is difficult,” said Neuenswander.
After minimal discussion — the proposal came up at the board’s Oct. 25 meeting — Darrel Catron moved to make the change, Tony Leavitt seconded and the vote was unanimous.