looks like maybe just 2 more years for Little Ten

[neutral]

WIAA modifies conference configurations for area schools

Greenfield and Whitnall would still be in the same conference under a new WIAA proposal.
By Mark Stewart of the Journal Sentinel Oct. 9, 2015

Stevens Point — Another audible has been called on conference realignment for southeast Wisconsin.

On Friday, the WIAA Board of Control voted, 9-1, to modify the plan after 90 minutes of discussion and reaction from the affected schools. The plan will be up for first-approval vote at the board's Dec. 4 meeting. At that time, the board can approve, reject or modify the plan. If the board approves it, then schools will have 40 days to appeal the decision. If the plan receives final approval, it would take effect for the 2017-'18 school year.

Of the 45 schools affected by the plan, 20 had a representative speak to the board, and almost all who spoke said they were against the proposal presented by WIAA associate director Deb Hauser that would have placed 29 schools from the Classic 8, Greater Metro, North Shore and Wisconsin Little Ten conferences in the same conference grouping, giving the schools the chance to split themselves into divisions.

The only schools in attendance that voiced support for that plan were Cudahy, Greendale and South Milwaukee, which are Woodland Conference schools. In that plan, the Woodland would have kept all its members and added Milwaukee Lutheran and Wauwatosa East. What was learned through the discussion was that when forced to choose between the handful of plans that have come out in the last six months, administrators liked either the one Hauser sent out in July or Option B, the alignment with three 14-team leagues that was put together by North Shore Conference principals in the spring. The plan was modified Friday to have a little something from each of those proposals.

Rather than the 14-team conference/seven-team divisions format that was a staple of Option B, the latest proposal splits the 29 schools that were in that super conference into four seven-team leagues. The breakdown of divisions is almost identical to what Option B called for except that Brookfield Central and Brookfield East would be placed with Arrowhead, Kettle Moraine, Mukwonago, Muskego and Oconomowoc. Marquette/Divine Savior Holy Angels, single-sex schools that count as one conference spot for realignment purposes, and Sussex Hamilton would take the Brookfields' spot in what is now called Conference B.

The Woodland remains intact and adds Milwaukee Lutheran and Wauwatosa East.

The shuffling addresses many of the concerns of the schools seeking relief.

Tosa East gets paired with Wauwatosa West in the Woodland, and Milwaukee Lutheran is a nice fit geographically and enrollment-wise. The West Allis schools remain paired together in Conference C and are placed with Waukesha South and Waukesha North, schools that also are dealing with changing demographics that they say have made it more difficult to compete. Wisconsin Lutheran would have less travel, and Catholic Memorial would get away from the large schools of the Classic 8. Grafton and Port Washington would have a similar experience in Conference A, where they would no longer have to deal with the larger schools of the North Shore.

But as is often the case in realignment, fixing one problem usually creates others. The Brookfield schools will be the smallest schools by far in a league filled with single-school districts. Marquette and DSHA had concerns about increased travel in the other plans, an issue that was eased slightly by switching leagues with the Brookfield schools.

There is also the matter of seven-team leagues rather than the standard eight that most of the area has now.

The initial reaction was good from West Allis Central, while representatives from DSHA and Marquette were going to let the changes soak in and the athletic director from Brookfield Central preferred to have his superintendent weigh in on the matter. "West Allis Central and Hale, we just want what's the best opportunity for our kids," Central athletic director Chip MacKenzie said. "The Greater Metro Conference is a wonderful conference. It's hard for us to compete with our free and reduced lunch and limited participation in sports. To digest this, I have to take it back to the administration to get a yes or no, but my initial thought is that it does provide us some relief."

PROPOSED CONFIGURATION

Conference A
Grafton (747 students), Nicolet (1,036), Port Washington (862), Slinger (968), West Bend East (1,163), West Bend West (1,139), Whitefish Bay (995)

Conference B
Cedarburg (1,100), Divine Savior Holy Angels (1,330), Germantown (1,399), Hartford (1,410), Homestead (1,282), Marquette (2,166), Menomonee Falls (1,376), Sussex Hamilton (1,434)

Conference C
Catholic Memorial (765), Waukesha North (1,157), Waukesha South (1,379), Waukesha West (1,178), West Allis Central (1,421), West Allis Hale (1,726), Wisconsin Lutheran (727)

Conference D
Arrowhead (2,257), Brookfield Central (1,324), Brookfield East (1,285), Kettle Moraine (1,412), Mukwonago (1,594), Muskego (1,618), Oconomowoc (1,546)

Conference E
Brown Deer (572), Cudahy (733), Greendale (927), Greenfield (1,308), Milwaukee Lutheran (594), New Berlin Eisenhower (648), New Berlin West (813), Pewaukee (812), Pius XI (904), Shorewood (858), South Milwaukee (1,197), Wauwatosa East (1,139), Wauwatosa West (1,056), Whitnall (793)

(INSERT ... Beaver Dam & Watertown ... to Badger Conference)

CURRENT CONFIGURATIONS

Classic 8
Arrowhead (2,257), Catholic Memorial (665), Kettle Moraine (1,412), Mukwonago (1,594), Muskego (1,618), Waukesha North (1,157), Waukesha South (1,379), Waukesha West (1,178)

Greater Metro
Brookfield Central (1,324), Brookfield East (1,285), Divine Savior Holy Angels (1,330), Sussex Hamilton (1,434), Marquette (2,166), Menomonee Falls (1,376), Wauwatosa East (1,139), West Allis Central (1,421), West Allis Hale (1,726)

North Shore
Cedarburg (1,100), Germantown (1,399), Grafton (747), Homestead (1,282), Milwaukee Lutheran (594), Nicolet (1,036), Port Washington (862), Whitefish Bay (995)

Wisconsin Little Ten
Beaver Dam (1,085), Hartford (1,410), Oconomowoc (1,410), Slinger (968), Watertown (1,296), West Bend East (1163), West Bend West (1,139), Wisconsin Lutheran (727)

Woodland
Brown Deer (572), Cudahy (733), Greendale (927), Greenfield (1,308), New Berlin Eisenhower (648), New Berlin West (813), Pewaukee (812), Pius XI (904), Shorewood (858), South Milwaukee (1,197), Wauwatosa West (1,056), Whitnall (793)

* The enrollments of Marquette and DSHA, single-sex schools, are doubled for the purpose of conference alignment.