FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 2008
Board approves reclassification, endorses bylaw revisions
GAINESVILLE –The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors today approved a reclassification plan for all sports, as well as endorsed a comprehensive rewrite of the Association’s bylaws.
The reclassification plan for football maintains an eight-class structure, with about 72 schools per class in Classes 6A through 3A and about 50 per class for Classes 2A, 2B, 1A and 1B. The larger four classifications will be divided into eight districts, with the top four teams advancing to the regional complex.
“The plan the Board adopted was an excellent compromise,” said Executive Director John A. Stewart. “It will accomplish many goals, including reducing travel, increasing the number of teams in districts, and helping to advance the best teams to the playoffs.”
In baseball, basketball, softball and girls volleyball, schools will be ranked in order of student population and divided evenly among the six classifications; girls and boys soccer will follow a similar structure, with Classes 2A and 1A combining for a five-classification system. For a breakdown of both the football and team sport plans, click here. Individual sports will be redistributed evenly across the current classification structures.
Tentative district assignments for football are expected to be released in mid-December, with tentative district assignments in the remaining sanctioned team sports due in early February. Classification for all sports will return to a two-year cycle.
The Board also reviewed and endorsed a comprehensive revision of the Association’s bylaws, which will be presented for approval at the 2009 Representative Assembly in January.
“I am extremely pleased that the Board advanced this,” said Stewart. “I would like to commend FHSAA Associate Director of Eligibility Mike Colby and his committee on an excellent job.”
In other action, the Board of Directors:
Approved the reapportionment of FHSAA administrative sections effective with the 2009-10 school year, with Section 1 to include Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Dixie, Columbia, Gilchrest, Levy, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Nassau, Duval and Clay counties; in Section 2, Brevard, St. Johns, Putnam, Marion, Flagler, Volusia, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Sumter, Lake, Seminole and Orange counties; in Section 3, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Hardee, DeSoto, Charlotte, Polk, Osceola, Okeechobee, Highlands, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Collier, Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties; and in Section 4, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
Approved the following appointments to vacant seats on the 2009 Representative Assembly: Section 2 Division 9 Public, Cindy Boulware, athletic director, Gainesville; Section 2 Division 13 Public, Linda McQuade, athletic director, Hudson; Section 2 Division 14 Public, Nancy Velez, principal, Leesburg; Section 2 Division 15 Public, Michael Blasewitz, principal, Winter Springs; Section 3 Division 17 Public, Larry Lopez, athletic director, Palm Harbor University; Section 4 Division 26 Public, Don Smith, athletic director, Palm Beach Lakes; Section 4 Division 27 Public, David Currier, athletic director, West Boca Raton; Section 4 Division 29 Public, Catherine McCarthy, athletic director, Western (Davie); Section 4 Division 30 Public, Pat Iacono, athletic director, American (Hialeah); Section 4 Division 31 Public, Maria Siegfriedt, athletic director, Southwest Miami; Section 1 Divisions 5 and 6 Private, Richard Finlayson, principal, Aucilla Christian (Monticello); Section 2 Divisions 13 and 14 Private, Kasey Kesselring, principal, Montverde; Section 3 Divisions 17 and 18 Private, Phil Farver, athletic director, Indian Rocks Christian (Largo); Section 4, Divisions 25 and 26 Private, Rachel Sanders, athletic director, Jupiter Christian; Section 4, Divisions 31 and 32, James Colzie, athletic director, Miami Christian; Section 2 Middle, Thomas Rulison, principal, Centennial (Dade City); Section 3 Middle, Alexander Barnes, athletic director, Academy Prep (St. Petersburg); Section 1 Superintendents, Dr. Joseph Joyner, St. Johns County; Section 3 Superintendents, Wally Cox, Highlands County; and Section 2 School Board, Virginia Childs, Alachua County.
Approved the appointment of Jefferson County Middle/High School assistant principal Jim Norton to the Section One Appeals Committee.
Approved a recommendation to return to a two-year state series commitment cycle instead of four years; to allow withdrawals from state series competition in individual sports beginning with the fifth week of competition; and stating that no school shall be assigned to a classification or district on or after the deadline for filing the Official Entry List in that sport.
Approved a recommendation to clarify policies regarding division of state series receipts, revenue shares and compensation to require schools hosting a state series event in football to provide supporting documentation for all expenses claimed if reporting a net loss of $250 or less; requiring host schools of state series play-in games in recognized sports to file a financial report with the FHSAA Office within 21 calendar days following the event; and stating that in football, when net profits after expenses do not allow for the payment of the stated mileage schedule, participating teams shall divide 100 percent of the net profit based on their pro-rata share determined by total miles traveled for both teams.
Approved a recommendation to allow juniors serving on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee to hold two-year terms, and to allow four students from each administrative section to serve.
Approved 10 Lake County middle schools for first-time membership in the Association, effective with the 2008-09 school year.
Denied a recommendation of the Baseball Advisory Committee to modify NFHS Rules 1-3-2 and 1-3-4 to permit bats with a differential greater than –3 to be used in middle school baseball games.
About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida. It has a membership of more than 750 middle and senior high schools, and sponsors postseason competitions to determine the official state high school champions in 30 different sports. The 16-member FHSAA Board of Directors is the executive authority of the Association.
Contacts:
Cristina Alvarez
Director of Media Relations & Marketing, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 190
calvarez@fhsaa.org
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