LIVERMORE FALLS — The RSU 73 board Thursday approved of Spruce Mountain High School administrators exploring leaving the Mountain Valley Conference and joining the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference.

“We’re asking permission to court them,” Principal T.J. Plourde said. He made the presentation on behalf of athletic director Lee Hixon.

If the school joined the KVAC, all sports teams except football would compete against mostly different school teams than they do now.

The high school football team, the Phoenix, is in the Campbell Conference. The school is Class B and often plays against schools that are Class C, and some that are Class B.

By joining the KVAC, the school would not only compete against Class B schools, but also Class A.

“The positives to changing conferences include preparation for playoffs,” Plourde said.

The KVAC includes Mount Blue High School in Farmington, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris, Cony High School in Augusta, Marranacook High School in Readfield and Leavitt Area High School in Turner.

Only one school in the KVAC is farther from Jay than the farthest school in the MVC. That is Belfast, at 76 miles. The farthest MVC school is 72 miles from Jay in Boothbay. The KVAC includes 14 Class B schools, two Class C, and 12 Class A schools.

The MVC is comprised of 15 schools, including Dirigo in Dixfield, Mountain Valley in Rumford, Mt. Abram in Salem, Telstar in Bethel and Carrabec in Anson.

He said the KVAC also offers more sports, such as lacrosse, wrestling and swimming.

“We want to see what they could do for us,” he said.

Jay board member Clint Brooks agreed that moving to the larger conference would benefit Spruce Mountain High School.

“We play predominantly Class C schools. We’ll see some records decline (at first) but it would be better in the long run,” he said.

The decision on whether to join the KVAC must be made by January, because that is when sports schedules are determined.

“Lee will make an effort to get there quick,” Plourde said.

In other matters, the board approved an overnight trip to Boston in late May for about 130 eighth-graders.

Spruce Mountain Middle School Principal Scott Albert said last year’s trip cost about $26,000. All the money came from fundraisers held throughout the year by students and staff.

The trip includes visits to the Freedom Trail and Quincy Market, and tours of several colleges, including Harvard. Students will stay overnight at Emerson College.

Albert said he wants students to learn that more than 60 colleges and universities are only three hours or so away from their homes, and that many of them could attend.

One of the major fundraisers for the trip is the annual craft fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the school.