An amendment to the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Articles of Incorporation to include a socioeconomic factor into football classifications has advanced to a vote of the membership to begin next week.

A recommendation from the IHSAA’s classification committee last week to adopt a classification model similar to the one currently used by the Minnesota State High School League, reducing 40 percent of a school’s free or reduced lunch count from their annual enrollment to determine their final classification number, was approved by the Board of Control Tuesday.

“What we heard today is that going out to a vote for all member schools, a proposal that would reduce our population of our school (beds) in 9, 10 and 11th grades 40 percent of our free and reduced lunch rate,” stated Perry Principal Dan Marburger.  “For us, that means of about 436 high school kids, we would be reduced by about 86 kids and reclassified based upon that. That would move us down to Class 3A in football and again this is only in football.”

A vote on the amendment to adopt this classification model will be sent to member schools via email December 16th and will have until December 22nd at 3 pm to cast their vote.

“Every school district will get one vote.  More than half the schools have to vote in order to make this change.  If 50 percent of the schools don’t vote on the issue, then 60 percent of the vote has to favor the change.”

If the vote passes, the Board of Control will verify the results and send it on to the Board of Education who will then vote on whether they want to accept the recommendation.

The developments yesterday are the beginning steps following an outcry from many schools calling for change during this current reclassification cycle.  Football classifications are reevaluated every two years.  The state has imposed mandates in the past without taking a proposal to the membership vote, but felt a vote was the right course of action on this particular issue.

Marburger also stated that there has been no further discussion concerning the possible idea of forming a non-playoff football district.

“It looks like the state is going with just this one idea at this point.  So I guess there’s movement but we just don’t know how much movement there’s going to be and even if this is going to be accepted by the member schools.  We are certainly glad there is some movement going on and we think there are better alternatives for us out there.”

Raccoon Valley Radio will continue to monitor this story very closely.