By: Matt Scher, [email protected]
(KHBT) – The North Central Conference (NCC) is adding a ninth school for the 2025-26 school year.
In a press release on Tuesday, the conference announced that the Charles City Community School District (CCCSD) will be joining the NCC as a non-voting member for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years. The decision comes following a mediation process facilitated by the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
The conference had voted 6-2 in favor of Charles City joining the NCC, but just one dissenting vote was needed which caused the case to go through mediation before Charles City’s eventual approval.
A transition plan was developed by the executive board of the NCC to integrate Charles City into the conference as a non-voting member to slowly integrate the school. The conference cites that this step will help strengthen the conference’s “collective activity and athletic programs as well as provide enhanced opportunities for student-athletes.”
The conference says although there will be no change in conference alignments for the upcoming 2024-25 school year, the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years will see Charles City participate in conference events and activities. As agreed to in the transition plan, Charles City will be a full participant during the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years in all sports except volleyball, girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball, softball and baseball. The school will also be eligible for conference championships for activities and sports in which they are full participants. The school will become a full member starting with the 2027-28 school year in all sports, playing a full conference schedule in all conference sports.
Charles City has been an original member of the Northeast Iowa Conference since its founding in 1920. The last change in membership for the conference was in 2014, when Eagle Grove and Bishop Garrigan both left the conference for the Top of Iowa Conference. 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the NCC as a conference.