District 94 holds off on changing sports conferences

The West Chicago Community High School District 94 board Tuesday nearly voted on a resolution to find a new athletic conference before backing away to take precautionary measures.

After a long discussion, board members informally agreed to vote in two weeks to officially express their interest in joining a new athletic conference.

The resolution, to be crafted by legal counsel, will specifically state that it is not a notice to the DuPage Valley Conference that Community High is leaving, so as to secure the school's place in the conference.

"I don't think you really get taken seriously (by other conferences) until you do that," Board President Tony Reyes said.

The idea of moving out of the DVC was discarded in a split board vote seven years ago after months of acrimonious debate in the community. The board voted informally to look into the possibility again last year. Since then, Athletic Director Bob Stone has been researching possibilities; the recommendations made Tuesday were based on his findings.

If the resolution is approved, Community High would apply for other conferences, or, if necessary, create its own along with other schools.

Proponents of the move believe that leaving the DVC is best for student athletes who have poor chances of winning against bigger, more experienced teams. West Chicago is the smallest of the seven DVC schools, which also include the two Wheaton high schools, Naperville North and Central, West Aurora High, Glenbard East in Lombard and Glenbard North in Carol Stream.

A conference with smaller schools, such as the Western Sun Conference, would make Community High more competitive and increase school spirit, Reyes said. Western Sun includes high schools in DeKalb, Geneva, Batavia, Sycamore and Yorkville, as well as the Glenbard high schools.

But Stone said Tuesday that he had talked with members of the Western Sun conference, and they said that there were no current openings.

"I think everyone realizes that there is no in-between," he said. "Conference affiliation is something you have to have."