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Barnes County North board weighs four-year "emergency" football co-op with Valley City
Summary
Barnes County North trustees discussed applying for an NDHSAA emergency football cooperative with Valley City that would lock the schools into a four-year arrangement, shift classification calculations to Valley City's enrollment and require a first-year payment (seniors $1,000; others $200). The board agreed to contact Valley City for a decision.
Chair (speaker 2) opened a lengthy discussion on an "emergency co-op" option for the district's football program, saying the district qualifies to apply and that the co-op, if approved, would lock the two schools together for four years.
"Basically, we qualify for an emergency call up," the Chair said, explaining the application window runs through the first practice and that the NDHSAA's rules would treat Valley City's fall enrollment as the classification baseline for the co-op. Superintendent Mike Curry (Mister Curry, speaker 3) and board members outlined financial and competitive implications, including a first-year NDHSAA fee structure that includes $1,000 for a senior and $200 for other players.
Board members pressed for clarity on process and timeline. One member asked whether Valley City had been informed; the Chair and other administrators said Valley City would need to agree and that the item could appear on Valley City's consent agenda if both schools approved it. The Chair noted the risk: if the co-op is finalized, "once you're in, that's locked for four years," a constraint members said could affect scheduling and travel.
Supporters argued the co-op would preserve opportunities for students and maintain existing partnerships (career and technical education ties and feeder programs). Skeptics urged caution, saying the district should exhaust other options (requests to nearby districts) and ensure Valley City and the NDHSAA understand the proposal. One board member said local outreach had already produced multiple "no" responses from neighboring districts, which helped trigger the emergency-co-op option.
After extended discussion of enrollment projections and NDHSAA classification rules, the board voted by consensus to pursue contact with Valley City and have administration and the activities director set up a meeting to request Valley City's agreement. Superintendent Curry and the activities director said they would reach out and report back to the board; no formal NDHSAA application was submitted at the meeting.
The board framed the next step as an administrative outreach rather than immediate commitment: if Valley City approves the co-op, the matter would move forward on Valley City's consent agenda and, if both schools agree, would likely proceed without additional NDHSAA approval steps at that point. If Valley City declines, the district would pursue other options for maintaining competitive opportunities for students.
The board concluded by asking administrators to report back promptly so the district can decide whether to apply within the NDHSAA window.
