STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The Board of Control voted to grant final approval of an Executive Staff recommendation to suspend membership dues and fees for two years and gave final acceptance to a conference realignment plan in the northwest area of the state at its April meeting today. 

The Board’s decision suspends dues and fees for all member schools. The action is intended to assist member schools in maintaining interscholastic athletic programs and opportunities, and to further disconnect the organization from the indirect use of public tax dollars. The Association presently receives no direct subsidy from public tax dollars. Last year, the WIAA received $420,775 in membership dues and fees and returned nearly $2.7 million to its members through tournament host fees and partial reimbursements for State Tournament participation.

With its final consideration, the Board approved the conference realignment plan that moves St. Croix Central from the Dunn-St. Croix Conference to the Middle Border Conference and removes Durand from the Middle Border and places it in the Dunn-St. Croix for all sports beginning this fall.

The Board approved the renewal of 67 winter cooperative programs and established 26 new cooperative arrangements for 2015-16 and 2016-17. It also supported the staff recommendations for appointments to the Officials Advisory and Sports Medical Advisory Committees, as well as to a pair of intern opportunities in the executive office this summer.

The Executive Staff presented reports on Wednesday’s Annual Meeting agenda, 2015 Scholar-Athlete ceremony plans, the NFHS Legal Summit and feedback of the winter Tournament Series. The Board also received liaison updates from Mike Thompson of the Department of Public Instruction and John Ashley of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.

The membership of the WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 505 senior high schools and 46 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It will sponsor 24 championship tournament series in 2014-15. For more information, visit the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org or contact the WIAA office at (715) 344-8580.