The U46 Board of Education took steps recently to secure an intergovernmental agreement with Community Unit School District 304 that will allow students at two high schools to participate in boys and girls swimming.
The team at South Elgin High School will merge with the program at Geneva High School, for the 2016-17 school year.
Together, the name of swimming program will be South Elgin Storm. South Elgin High School will serve as the host for meets and practices.
The agreement outlines a number of guidelines for the arrangement, including responsibilities for the cost of transportation, post-season costs and participation fees.
“What will happen is they’ll actually use the coaches from South Elgin High School and they will pay our athletic fees,” said Terri Lozier, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools.
She added that Geneva High School will bring someone on staff who will serve as an assistant head coach.
“There seems to be no downside to this,” board member Jeanette Ward said. “In fact, we get to share coaches’ salaries with another district so both districts benefit.”
School staff noted how the Geneva High School swimming team only has 3 or 4 students on the roster, and said that isn’t enough to host a qualifying program.
Ultimately, the agreement will assist both schools in providing an opportunity to participate on a swimming team, officials said.
Eligibility for students at South Elgin and Geneva High Schools are subject to Illinois High School Association rules and guidelines.
As part of the agreement, transportation costs will be reviewed during and after each season to determine the appropriate participation fees for the following season.
The agreement will be up for renewal at the conclusion of the 2017-18 academic year.