Tom Ahart
The five Des Moines Public Schools’ high schools – East, Hoover, Lincoln, North and Roosevelt – will be competing in a new athletic conference starting in the 2022-23 school year.
Superintendent Tom Ahart announced that DMPS will be joining other school districts in leaving the Central Iowa Metropolitan League (CIML).
“This is a change I am confident will benefit our students, our teams, our schools, and our community,” noted Ahart. “A more competitive high school athletic conference will mean more opportunities for success and, as a result, will lead to greater student participation in sports and engagement with their schools.”
Other school districts that have either approved or are considering leaving the CIML to form a new conference include Ames, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Mason City and Ottumwa.
“While DMPS is a founding member of the CIML, the current size of the conference has created challenges in everything from scheduling to decision-making to significant inequities among its member schools. This is the right time to look at a new direction,” said Jason Allen, the school district’s director of activities. “Creating an environment that addresses those concerns will set the groundwork for our students and schools to have more opportunities to succeed.”
Under the Des Moines School Board’s policy governance process, this decision is left to the Superintendent and does not require a vote of the board.