District 94 leaders edging toward leaving DVC
West Chicago Community High School District 94 board President Tony Reyes says the time for talk is over.
He wants out of the DuPage Valley Athletic Conference - now.
School leaders debated and discarded the idea of leaving the DVC seven years ago, but began researching the possibility again last year. Now Reyes says that within the next few months the board will vote to notify the conference of Community High's intent to leave.
"I think the majority of the board agrees we could do our kids a better service by finding a conference where they'll be more competitive," he said.
After the vote, the school will apply to other conferences, Reyes said. If unsuccessful in joining an established one, Community High will work with other schools to create a new conference, he said.
That's the part that makes board member Rich Nagel nervous.
"I think it's way too early in our analysis to make a decision," he said. "The problem is, if we vote to leave and then can't find a suitable conference, we may be stuck without a conference."
But Reyes said the vote has to come first. He would like to join the Western Sun Conference, which includes high schools in DeKalb, Geneva, Glenbard, Batavia, Sycamore and Yorkville. Athletic Director Bob Stone, who researched other conferences for the board, said he hadn't talked to Western Sun yet.
"Right now, I don't know if we've got anybody who's ready to accept us," he said. "It's one of those situations where we don't have anything concrete as yet."
Many Community High sports have dismal records because they compete with larger conference schools that have a bigger pool of talent, Reyes said. That leads to low morale among students and little enthusiasm for sports, he said.
That process of finding a conference might take as long as two years. In the meanwhile, Community High would remain in the DVC.
Last year, coaches signed a petition in favor of leaving the DVC, but there has been an active debate among students over whether it's the best move, because the DVC is known as a prestigious conference.
"The coaches want their teams to have a chance," Stone said. "Sometimes adults have to make a choice that they feel might be better for kids."
Community High sports could still take on DVC schools in non-conference play, he said.