Titan Coop to hold community informational meeting Dec. 7

GRANITE COUNTY – The Flint Creek Titan Coop will hold a community informational meeting next week.

According to Philipsburg Schools Superintendent Tom Gates, the meeting will bring people up to speed on the state of the organization and what may be coming down the road. It will be held in the Business room at Drummond High School at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Gates indicated that the meeting was slated for that day and location to help current junior high parents attend as many will be at Drummond for a junior high basketball game against Alberton.

The fate of the Coop will affect both current students and junior high athletes as they enter the secondary portion of their education.

The administration of both schools urges all entities involved in the Flint Creek Coop to attend the meeting, either in person or virtually, to be sure their opinions and concerns can be documented. The Flint Creek Courier will live stream the meeting and will be able to relay questions to the board during the (Dec. 7) meeting.

Gates also stated that the meeting would update attendees on the state of the coop and what the future may look like as the two schools – Granite and Drummond – move forward athletically.

The Flint Creek Coop is still under review by Montana High School Association Executive Director Brian Michelotti. The Coop had been sent to an executive board review by Michelotti upon its three-year renewal anniversary based on data that he believed may indicate that the Coop was no longer necessary for the two schools involved. After concerns were expressed by Gates, Drummond Schools Superintendent Dean Phillips and what Phillips described as a “multitude of phone calls and emails to Michelotti” in a November press release, the executive director rescinded his recommendation for further review.

As the MHSA Executive Director, Michelotti can approve the Flint Creek Coop outright and extend the Coop for another three years. He can also send it back to the executive board for review, which would take place January 14, 2023 in Missoula. Phillips indicated that Michelotti is currently out of the office until December 5 and so the Coop Board will make their renewal material submission after the December 7 meeting, which will include all pertinent school/student data and comments collected at the meeting.

The administration of both schools urges all entities involved in the Flint Creek Coop to attend the meeting, either in person or virtually, to be sure their opinions and concerns can be documented. The Flint Creek Courier will live stream the meeting and will be able to relay questions to the board during the meeting.

The Flint Creek Coop was created in 2014 by Drummond and Granite for the sports of football and wrestling. Wrestling failed to have enough participants to continue in 2018.

The football program has been in the postseason in each of its nine years, claiming state titles in 2017, 2018 and 2020.