BRANDON-EVANSVILLE ISD

Dear Brandon-Evansville Families and Community Members,

Brandon-Evansville Public School is committed to providing meaningful, high-quality extracurricular opportunities for our students. To that end, the Brandon-Evansville School Board and the Ashby School Board recently met to discuss our current cooperative (co-op) athletic pairings and what potential future cooperative opportunities could look like.
To keep our community informed and to gather input, we are inviting you to a community meeting:

● Date: March 17th
● Time: 6:00 pm
● Location: Brandon School Old Gym

Why are we discussing expanded cooperative sports opportunities?
Our small schools are proud of their traditions in activities and athletics. At the same time, like many small, rural school districts, we are navigating challenges that look different than those faced by larger or suburban districts. These challenges are not unique to Brandon-Evansville, but they do require intentional planning to ensure our students continue to have access to consistent, high-quality programming where students can have success at the levels designed for their abilities and age ranges.

Across Minnesota and the nation, schools are experiencing declining or fluctuating participation levels in high school athletics. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), national participation has not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, and several sports have experienced long-term declines in participation.For rural schools, these realities show up in several ways:

● Fluctuating class sizes limit roster depth, making it more difficult to field full teams at appropriate grade levels from
year to year.
● Participation in multiple sports is common in rural schools. Through this discussion, we are considering whether cooperative opportunities could provide greater scheduling flexibility with practices, program stability, and coaching
support to expand opportunities and maintain high-quality experiences for students.
● Coaching recruitment and retention are more challenging in rural areas, particularly for specialized or time-intensive programs.
● Sports specialization, additional school athletic/activity opportunities, and club sports in the offseason limit the number of participants in each sport/activity.

What we will cover at the community meeting:
At this meeting, we will review our current cooperative pairings and discuss what future cooperative options could involve. We will also openly discuss logistics and what families can expect if cooperative opportunities expand, including:
● Which sports would be considered for future cooperation
● Team identity, scheduling, and competition levels
● Practice and game locations (including facility use)
● Coaching structures and hiring practices
● Transportation (routes, timing, supervision, and costs)
● Student experience and participation expectations
● Communication plans so families have clarity and predictability

This conversation is ultimately about ensuring strong, sustainable opportunities for all students now and into the future.
While the School Boards are responsible for evaluating what best supports the long-term health of our programs and the district as a whole, we also recognize that families and community members bring valuable perspectives shaped by their own experiences. We are committed to a transparent, thoughtful process that includes listening, learning, and considering community feedback as part of our decision-making.

If you are able, please attend. If you cannot, we will share a summary afterward and provide a way to submit feedback.

Sincerely,

Louisa Glenetske
Superintendent, Brandon-Evansville Public School
And
Brandon-Evansville Board of Education

BE Early Childhood Dept. is inviting you to join us for a field trip to the new Great River Children's Museum in St. Cloud. Teachers have sent home forms. If you are interested in joining us & your child is not enrolled in school, please stop in either the Brandon or Evansville school office & pick up a form to fill out & return with payment by next week, March 17th. Children under 1 yr. are free. Students enrolled in school get free lunches, bag lunches for everyone else can be purchased. If you have any questions contact, Deb - dberry@b-e.k12.mn.us