The Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) might have to suspend operations for the first time in its 91-year history, as a side-effect of the COVID-19 pandemic regulations in Illinois.
“We are in financial difficulty,” longtime IESA Executive Director Steve Endsley said Wednesday, December 9, 2020. “We are like any mom-pop business impacted by COVID. We have no income. We’re not able to stage Tournaments, [or] have any spectators permitted. Without that revenue, we can’t continue.”
The Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) is the only organization throughout all 50 States, that is set-up to exclusively govern and administer athletic and non-athletic activities at the Middle/Jr. High School level. Every State has a State High School Association, but Illinois is the only State that has an association that is separate from the State’s High School Association. Participation in interscholastic Statewide activities at the Middle/Junior High School level is a privilege unique to young people in Illinois education.
Our humble beginning in 1928 [took place] when eight schools decided that Grade School students should have opportunities to compete in a season-ending Tournament, like High School students were doing. Our mission, our purpose, our why has remained constant–to provide opportunities to the boys and girls of Illinois that will enrich their educational experiences. Today, there are over 900 IESA-member schools that believe in providing those opportunities for their students, so they grow and learn from their participation in interscholastic activities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating financial impact on the IESA. We do not receive any funds from the State of Illinois. We are not a State agency. Most of our operating funds are the result of attendance at the State series events. As those events have been cancelled because of the pandemic, the Association has been crippled by the revenue loss.
No Championships were held for Volleyball, Wrestling, and Track and Field in the spring of 2020, which resulted in a loss of $440,000. There were no Golf, Baseball, Softball, Cross Country, and Girls Basketball Championships in the fall of 2020. As of this writing, it does not appear as though Championships in any sport will be held for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. That will cause a nearly 1.5-million-dollar deficit to the Association’s budget.
We simply cannot survive that kind of financial hit and continue to operate. In fact, we won’t survive. Without any significant income, we are spending our reserves; those reserves will likely run out in April 2021. Once they are gone, so, too, will be the very Association that has provided opportunities for Middle School and Junior High School students for 90 years.
We have done so much for so many students in our 90-year history. IESA has provided each and every one something so unique to this Country. We need your help if we are going to be able to continue to be the Middle/Jr. High School leader in education-based activities and provide opportunities for students.
Any donation made will help to insure we can continue to do what we do better than anyone. Not only is the future of the Association at stake, but, so, too, are the hopes and dreams for students across Illinois who attend an IESA member school.
Perhaps you participated in an IESA activity; perhaps your children participated; perhaps you coached or officiated at this level; perhaps you are just a fan of interscholastic activities. If you believe in the mission of the IESA, I hope you will make a gift,so we can continue to operate. By doing so, not only will we continue to offer Championships….More importantly, we will continue to provide opportunities for boys and girls across our State to represent their school and enrich their lives through participating in education-based activities.
Every donation will have an impact. We need your support! Thank you.