Panel pushes plan for six classifications

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, September 28, 2005

WILSONVILLE – A proposal to create six competition classifications for Oregon high schools has been submitted to the executive board of the Oregon School Activities Association.

In a notice posted on the OSAA Web site and sent Tuesday to Oregon school superintendents, principals and athletic directors, the association’s classification and districting committee said it had made the six-classification proposal its final recommendation to the executive board, which will consider the plan for the 2006-2010 four-year time block at a special meeting on Oct. 24.

Another proposal considered by the committee was a five-classification plan with an additional subdivision of football. That plan was dismissed by the committee, which cited as its criteria a desire to improve competitive balance within leagues, minimize travel and expenses for schools, and maintain current league alignments where possible.

If adopted, the committee’s final recommendation would divide Oregon’s high schools into six classifications; currently there are four.

Class 6A would be made up of seven districts and a total of 48 schools, all with enrollment of 1,521 or more students.

That would include Redmond High School, which would be placed in a 6A district along with six Salem-area schools.

Class 5A (851-1,520 enrollment) would consist of six districts and 38 schools. One of those districts would closely resemble the current Class 4A Intermountain Conference, including Mountain View, Summit, Bend and Crook County. Madras, currently a Class 3A school, would join that 4A district, which also would include current IMC schools Hermiston, Hood River Valley, The Dalles-Wahtonka and Pendleton.

Class 4A (401-850 enrollment) would have seven districts and 42 schools. One of those districts would be much like the current 3A Sky-Em League, with Sisters joining La Pine, Cottage Grove, Junction City, Elmira, Pleasant Hill, and Marist of Eugene.

Two other Central Oregon high schools, Culver and Gilchrist, would be situated in separate districts in Class 2A (116-235 enrollment).

A complete listing of the classification and districting committee’s final recommendation to the executive board is available at the OSAA Web site: www.osaa.org.

The new classifications and districts would take effect in fall 2006.