The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association released the 2012 Rep Assembly amendments today.

Click here to view the amendments.

Only one of the 16 amendments piqued my interest. Amendment No. 1 deals with how schools are classified. Here’s how it reads:

DEMONSTRATION OF DECLINING ENROLLMENT – Schools in the 2B, 1A and 2A
classifications able to demonstrate (via the P223) that enrollment in their school district
for the next two-year classification cycle is below the cutoff point determined by the
classification process for both years will have the option to participate in the lower
classification. Movement by a school will not force another school into a higher
classification to replace the school with declining enrollment. Utilizing this procedure
would override 4.2.0 for the two classifications affected.

NOTE: All subsequent subsections of Article 4 would be renumbered.

Issues:
1. The current classification system does not address declining enrollment.

2. The current classification system counts two graduating classes that never participate
during the following two-year cycle.

3. Many schools have been forced to play in the higher classification or play an
independent schedule when they know that they will have fewer students in their
school during the upcoming cycle. For example, even though Medical Lake knew the
military base would be undergoing a reduction in force and that significantly fewer
students would be attending the school during the current cycle, its appeal to be
classified as a 1A school was denied since their P223 numbers indicated it was a 2A
school. At this date, Medical Lake High School has 416 students in grade ten through
twelve, almost 100 students below the 512 2A cutoff. The next smallest school in the
league has 535 students.

4. Safety is a prime concern when a school has declining enrolment and plays contests
against schools of much greater enrollment. Disparity is school size is a prime
concern particularly in football.

Pros:
1. This new rule would eliminate the appeal process which can be an expensive trip for
schools not located near the WIAA office.

2. This new rule would allow schools to participate in their actual classification based on
the number of students actually attending that school during the two-year cycle.

3. This provides a positive experience for kids to compete with other teams nearer their
size.

4. League stability would not be an issue because schools that played in the lower
classification would be committed to that classification for two years.

Cons for HS Amendment #1:
1. Scheduling would be an issue because schools that played in the lower classification
would be committed to that classification for two years.

2. Schools may not be divided equally into each classification. This amendment is not
written with the idea to push a school into a different classification if another school
chooses to implement the Declining Enrollment Rule. The current classification
system is not designed to balance the number of schools in each classification during
the second two-year cycle.

Proposed by Kettle Falls High School, Northwest Christian School-Colbert, Mary Walker High
School, Northport High School, Medical Lake High School, Cusick High School, and Odessa
High School.

Rep Assembly amendments will be voted on in the spring.