The meeting held by WFIS at the WIAA on Monday October 8 allowed schools to break down the intentional goals behind proposed changes of the WIAA Board’s Classification Committee. Round table discussion of those at the meeting as well as the contribution of perspectives shared via phone conversation or email from schools all over WA State helped us reach agreement. To step forward a proposal would need to avoid any unintended, negative impact on private schools.
The overarching principal that guided the discussion is that all of the schools that are members of the WIAA should be treated as just that-members of the WIAA. Whether a school is private or public is not as significant as supporting all of the athletes no matter where they attend school. It was in that spirit that our contribution to and critique of the initial proposal was offered.
The WIAA Classification Committee held its own meeting a week later on October 16. There is a private school representative on that Committee and it is reported that the changes supported by the private schools were included in a new classification proposal.
The Classification Committee, thus far, has agreed to:
1) Have ‘hard lines’ for classifications;
2) Use increments of 1% vs. 10% bands;
3) Only reduce enrollments for schools who have low participation in athletics as opposed to increasing the enrollments for some schools
Thank you to the contribution of many different private and independent schools to this discussion. We are stronger together.
Please contact WFIS Executive Director Suzie Hanson with questions.
