Richardton-Taylor and Hebron consider multi-sport co-op; community weighs travel, home-game and deadline trade-offs

Richardton-Taylor school officials and community members met to discuss a proposed athletics co-op with neighboring Hebron that would combine teams in several sports, split costs and rotate home games.

Presenter at the meeting emphasized the talks are exploratory: "Nothing has been approved. Nothing has been decided," and said Hebron initially approached Richardson-Taylor because it has not fielded a girls' basketball team for the last two seasons.

Why it matters: The districts would submit a formal co-op application to the high-school activities association and, if approved, teams could be combined for basketball, volleyball, track, cross country and select fine-arts activities. Officials said a 50/50 expense split was under consideration, and hosting duties for concessions, game workers and referees would rotate so revenue and costs are shared.

Enrollment and classification: District staff reported combined 9–12 enrollments near 130 students (about 90 at Richardson-Taylor and about 40 at Hebron), well below the 162.5 threshold used for some sports and the 325 threshold cited for the states two-class system. Presenters warned that, with unchanged trends, a combined enrollment could reach the higher division only after several years; meanwhile the coop would remain in the lower division under current numbers.

Deadlines and terms: Officials said a co-op requires a minimum three-year term; withdrawal after those three years would require petitioning the activity association. To include fall sports for next year, the district must file by June 1 or risk denial; volleyball or track additions after the season carry a $500 late fee. Winter and spring deadlines were given as Sept. 15 and Jan. 15, respectively.

Community concerns: Parents and coaches at the meeting raised practical and cultural concerns. One coach said, "That's kind of a big issue with me... we have 5 home games. If you take 2 or even 3 of those away, it's... kind of an issue," reflecting worry over seniors losing home contests. Other attendees asked how practices would be scheduled, who would coach combined teams and whether bussing would be available if practice sites moved to Hebron.

Student perspective: A student-athlete told the board that combining teams raises competition for playing time but can also improve development: "You have to be there. You have to put in the time," the student said, urging consideration of both access and competitiveness.

Coaching and costs: Presenters said Richardson-Taylor coaches would remain in place but that coaching salaries and other program costs could be included in the proposed 50/50 split; Hebron coaches could be considered where needed. Officials also suggested creative splits of home-game revenue (for example, different distributions of games) while still sharing program expenses.

Next steps: No formal motions or votes were taken. Officials said a joint board meeting with Hebron will follow to surface community concerns, and the Richardson-Taylor board aims to make a decision at its February regular meeting to meet deadlines and avoid the $500 late fee if the coop is to start next year.

What was not decided: The boards did not approve a final sports list, a permanent schedule of home games, nor a binding financial allocation. Specifics about which grades would be included on the application and precise cost-sharing formulas were left to the formal application and subsequent board approvals.

The discussion will continue at a joint meeting with Hebron and at the next Richardson-Taylor board meeting; no formal action was recorded at this session.