Heritage School Board & Administration Seeking HS Sports Input
Download PDF Heritage Sports Stakeholder Letter
June 18, 2020
First and foremost, Covid19 pandemic response planning is our district priority. While Heritage focuses on meeting the needs of our school community during this uncertain time, recent actions by the Villa Grove School Board necessitate we address our cooperative sports agreement with Villa Grove High School. The Heritage School Board is seeking stakeholder input from parents, alumni, students, and community members on the future of Heritage High School sports.
The Villa Grove School Board recently voted to end the VGH boys basketball, basketball cheer, and baseball cooperative teams at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 seasons. Villa Grove may also withdraw from the cooperative girls basketball team. As a result of these actions taken by Villa Grove, Heritage will need to realign sports programming to field separate high school teams for those sports beginning in 2021-2022. Still to be determined are the renewals for VGH football, football cheer, cross country, golf, and track for the 2021-2022 school year and beyond.
Specific feedback is sought for stakeholder opinions on pursuing the following options:
- Explore the fiscal and logistical feasibility of continuing the sports cooperative as negotiated with Villa Grove to share VGH football, football cheer, cross country, golf, and track programs between both schools.
- Explore the option of hosting all high school sports at Heritage, ending the Heritage cooperative agreement with Villa Grove.
- This may include program innovations that reflect student interests and district budgeting priorities such as adding eight-man football and/or fall baseball. It may also involve bringing back cross country, golf, track, girls basketball, boys basketball, and cheer programs, as student participation allows.
- Programs that are currently at Heritage only, such as girls softball, will continue at Heritage as participation allows.
The Heritage Board has initiated discussions on these remaining programs including budget, projected enrollment, and past and current student participation numbers and is seeking the voice of our stakeholders, including junior high and elementary families, which are our future athletes.
Please email us at schoolboard@heritage8.org to share your input by June 25.