San Jon rejects sports tri-op

SAN JON — The San Jon Municipal Schools board of trustees unanimously voted to reject a sports cooperative agreement with Grady and House during a special meeting Nov. 26.

“We’re on our own, guys,” board president Frank Gibson said moments after the vote, which was greeted by a smattering of applause from the audience.

The proposed two-year agreement would have covered high-school volleyball and basketball starting with the 2020-2021 school year. The current pact wasn’t scheduled to expire until July, but the New Mexico Activities Association told the San Jon board a decision about a renewal was required before Dec. 4 because of scheduling.

The San Jon board’s action throws into doubt its future with its other cooperative agreement with Grady for high-school baseball and football. That is up for renewal from the San Jon board in February, San Jon superintendent Janet Gladu said after the meeting.

San Jon’s rejection of the pact doesn’t affect the current basketball season, which began the previous week.

Gibson said Grady’s superintendent and school board turned down three attempts from San Jon to work out a “more equitable” agreement, which is called a “tri-op” because three school districts are involved.

San Jon had wanted to host half the games and/or half the practices, but Grady rejected that. Board vice president Tommy Evans said about the only proposal the Grady board was amenable to was allowing San Jon host one tournament a year.

Gibson said there was “no compromising at all” from Grady officials, and he summed up the current arrangement: “If we’re going to have a co-op, it’s all going to stay in Grady.”

“It’s all or nothing for them,” he added later.

Gibson said he had begged Grady officials two years ago during previous tri-op negotiations to allow San Jon to host more sports events, to no avail.

“I’m not going to do it again,” he said of the talks. “I’ve had a bellyful of it. I’ve had all the negotiations we want.”

One of the dozen audience members at the meeting expressed her dismay with Grady’s alleged hardline stance.

“It makes me sad,” said Peggy Gates, an English teacher at San Jon. “Shame on them.”

Grady superintendent Elnabeth Grau expressed her disappointment with the San Jon board’s decision.

“I received a letter on Monday, November 25th, from San Jon’s Board President asking if the Grady Board would be willing to talk about some compromises concerning the Tri-Op,” Grau stated in an email Wednesday night. “I sent the letter on to Grady Board Members; however, we were not able to meet or act in any official capacity due to time constraints. The Special Meeting at San Jon was held the next evening on November 26th. We are disappointed in the decision that was made but I don’t feel that it is accurate to say that Grady was unwilling to compromise —there was never an opportunity for conversation.

“At this point, we intend to support ALL of the athletes involved in the Tri-Op from Grady, House AND San Jon. This is a great group of young people and we look forward to a successful and competitive season.”

Coaches for Grady/San Jon basketball and volleyball in texts to also expressed their disappointment the tri-op won’t be renewed:

— Jonathan Langan, boys basketball coach: “When I first heard we were doing a tri-op with San Jon, I knew it would give us a chance to really compete with other powerhouses in the state, and especially in our district. Last year was a rough year for us in basketball, but we were learning the game and trying to develop chemistry in the process. Over the summer our Grady and San Jon boys really bought into the process of improvement, and when we attended the ENMU team camp I could tell we didn’t just turn the past on last year; we were going to make the jump we needed to compete in the state for years to come!

“I am extremely disappointed in the decision to now renew the tri-op. I think this decision is unfair and was the result of adults wanting things their way and not in the best interest of kids at any of the schools involved in the tri-op. My biggest fear is that this decision will impact the goals we have in place for this year and will affect the camaraderie we have worked so hard to develop. I wish the best of luck to my San Jon bunch because I have grown to admire them not just as athletes but as young men as well! They are going to do big things outside the world of sports, and I want them to know I will always be here to support them in that!”

— Alicia Rush, athletic director and girls basketball coach: “Our athletic department is very saddened to hear the decision of the San Jon School Board. Our coaches were asked to mesh together athletes from three schools to build a program in the toughest district in in Class 1A, and I feel we were on the right track. We have poured our energy into their kids as well as ours, and it is heartbreaking to know that we were not appreciated in our efforts. My heart goes out to the San Jon, Grady and House families who supported the tri-op. We know that God is in control, and our staff will do our best to continue to work with the San Jon athletes for the duration of our tri-op contract. We sincerely appreciate the efforts of the NMAA to create the tri-op and strongly feel that the NMAA was truly looking out for the kids’ best interests.”

— Rebecca Burns, volleyball coach: “I’m very saddened by their decision to step away from the tri-op. I felt it was a positive change for each school involved. It’s disappointing to invest so much into the kids within our program these past two years, building relationships and programs that compete in the toughest district each year, to have part of each team taken away. I’m heartbroken for the families and especially the kids who are directly affected who were in support of continuing the tri-op.”

Gibson acknowledged San Jon maintaining high-school sports programs might be problematic because of its small enrollment.

“If something happens and we don’t have the numbers, we’re sunk,” board member Dale Bone said.

This year, the San Jon Coyotes six-man football team at times struggled to field enough players even with its agreement with Grady. It remains the only sport among the cooperative or tri-op agreements where San Jon plays the role as the host school and retains its nickname.

Cynthia Lee, the board’s secretary, said the boys varsity basketball team has four players from San Jon, four from Grady and two eighth-graders, with no junior varsity.

Though House is part of the tri-op, it has just two members from that district on the boys basketball team and none in girls basketball. House also had no members on this past season’s volleyball team.

An email to House superintendent Bonnie Lightfoot was not immediately returned. The school district’s Thanksgiving break began before San Jon’s special meeting.

After about 20 minutes of discussion, board member Pam Slater made a motion to turn down the tri-op agreement, and Lee seconded it. All board members gave a “yes” to the motion without hesitation.

Gibson said he didn’t make up his mind until the special meeting began that night.

“I didn’t know how I was going to vote until I voted, essentially,” he said after the meeting.

“They pretty much had us over a barrel,” he said of Grady. “We let them have control. They want to keep control, and we don’t. We think we’re equitable in this situation. We bring a good number of kids, a good amount of talent.”

A total of 63 people attended a special San Jon school board work session the previous night to discuss the proposed agreement. Twenty-three spoke, including three student-athletes.

Gladu said the work session was almost evenly split between those who wanted to keep the tri-op and those who wanted to ditch it. She also noted the board had “overwhelming support for a very difficult decision.”

Gibson said he personally wouldn’t close the door for another sports cooperative agreement with Grady in the future.

“If we can work out a deal later, if Grady needs our help later, we can come together with an equitable co-op,” he said. “We won’t be as hard-nosed about it.”