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Class 6A would? affect few in area in 'superconference'
By JENNY DIAL
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
July 20, 2010, 10:01PM
SANT ANTONIO — College football coaches aren’t the only ones on the River Walk fielding questions about superconferences.
High school football coaches attending the Texas High School Coaches Association convention got to join in the fun Tuesday, a day after University Interscholastic League executive director Charles Breithaupt again raised the possibility the state’s high schools may split into six conferences, or classifications.
A Class 6A, which has been a topic of discussion almost since the UIL created Class 5A in 1980, brings to mind enrollment giants like the Planos, North Shores and Odessas of the state. More than 11,000 students attend Plano and Plano East high schools.
But a mock Class 6A alignment produced by the Chronicle illustrates what Breithaupt contends: The biggest changes will come at the lower levels.
"The schools that would be the most affected are the lower classes," Breithaupt said. "If you are looking at putting 200-225 schools in each classification, the schools with enrollments from 450 to about 900 would have the biggest changes."
In the Chronicle’s mock 6A, produced using 2010-12 enrollment guidelines, only 10 current Class 5A schools from the Houston area wouldn’t have the enrollment necessary to qualify for 6A.
Breithaupt said a survey that includes questions about adding a sixth conference will go out to superintendents and athletic directors in August. The findings of the survey will be discussed by the UIL Legislative Council in mid-October.
The council, which is made up of 28 public school administrators from across the state, will take the survey results into consideration but will make the ultimate decision. The final decision on how many classifications the UIL will have for the 2012 reclassification and realignment will be released in January 2011, Breithaupt said.
Breithaupt and UIL director of athletics Cliff Odenwald say a sixth classification would provide more balance. Currently in Class A, 382 schools play basketball, while football is split into six-man and 11-man. There are 229 Class 2A schools, 190 in 3A, 246 in 4A and 245 in 5A.
While a school like Katy, with an enrollment of 2,794, would likely see few changes initially if a Class 6A were created, Katy football coach Gary Joseph said any school district with multiple schools — like Katy ISD, which currently has six — could be impacted eventually.
"When you have six or seven schools sharing one stadium, and then those schools are in different districts, scheduling would become a nightmare," he said. "And it would be extra travel, having to go across the city of Houston when we have teams in our neighborhood."
The Fort Bend school district, which will open its 11th school, Ridge Point, this year, would face those issues. Fort Bend ISD athletic director Keith Kilgore said he sees the UIL eventually going to a six-classification alignment. But he doesn’t think it will be for the 2012-14 realignment.
"In our district, we have had a couple of schools opt up in the last realignment, but now that we have 11, we won’t do that anymore," he said. "With 11 schools, we won’t have any school with an enrollment more than 2,500."
For Clear Creek ISD athletic director Bill Daws, the outcome doesn’t matter as long as he can fit it into the budget.
"You look across this state and athletic department budgets are being slashed all over the place," he said. "Travel is our expense; so are officials. If we can’t have a district game with two of our schools at our stadium, it starts to add up. That is the priority for a lot of athletic directors — making it work economically."
Daws said other sports have to be considered as well.
"We have been lucky because our travel hasn’t been bad," he said. "When you have two basketball games or two baseball games a week, you have to think about how far the kids have to get on a Tuesday night, a school night."
Clements football coach Keith Knowles said he hopes things stay the same. In the meantime, all he can do is coach his team.
"I like the way things are," he said. "But it isn’t something coaches sit around and think about too much. Whatever happens, wherever we end up, we have to play the game. Coaches from all sports just focus on that."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/hso/7117192.html
By JENNY DIAL
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
July 20, 2010, 10:01PM
SANT ANTONIO — College football coaches aren’t the only ones on the River Walk fielding questions about superconferences.
High school football coaches attending the Texas High School Coaches Association convention got to join in the fun Tuesday, a day after University Interscholastic League executive director Charles Breithaupt again raised the possibility the state’s high schools may split into six conferences, or classifications.
A Class 6A, which has been a topic of discussion almost since the UIL created Class 5A in 1980, brings to mind enrollment giants like the Planos, North Shores and Odessas of the state. More than 11,000 students attend Plano and Plano East high schools.
But a mock Class 6A alignment produced by the Chronicle illustrates what Breithaupt contends: The biggest changes will come at the lower levels.
"The schools that would be the most affected are the lower classes," Breithaupt said. "If you are looking at putting 200-225 schools in each classification, the schools with enrollments from 450 to about 900 would have the biggest changes."
In the Chronicle’s mock 6A, produced using 2010-12 enrollment guidelines, only 10 current Class 5A schools from the Houston area wouldn’t have the enrollment necessary to qualify for 6A.
Breithaupt said a survey that includes questions about adding a sixth conference will go out to superintendents and athletic directors in August. The findings of the survey will be discussed by the UIL Legislative Council in mid-October.
The council, which is made up of 28 public school administrators from across the state, will take the survey results into consideration but will make the ultimate decision. The final decision on how many classifications the UIL will have for the 2012 reclassification and realignment will be released in January 2011, Breithaupt said.
Breithaupt and UIL director of athletics Cliff Odenwald say a sixth classification would provide more balance. Currently in Class A, 382 schools play basketball, while football is split into six-man and 11-man. There are 229 Class 2A schools, 190 in 3A, 246 in 4A and 245 in 5A.
While a school like Katy, with an enrollment of 2,794, would likely see few changes initially if a Class 6A were created, Katy football coach Gary Joseph said any school district with multiple schools — like Katy ISD, which currently has six — could be impacted eventually.
"When you have six or seven schools sharing one stadium, and then those schools are in different districts, scheduling would become a nightmare," he said. "And it would be extra travel, having to go across the city of Houston when we have teams in our neighborhood."
The Fort Bend school district, which will open its 11th school, Ridge Point, this year, would face those issues. Fort Bend ISD athletic director Keith Kilgore said he sees the UIL eventually going to a six-classification alignment. But he doesn’t think it will be for the 2012-14 realignment.
"In our district, we have had a couple of schools opt up in the last realignment, but now that we have 11, we won’t do that anymore," he said. "With 11 schools, we won’t have any school with an enrollment more than 2,500."
For Clear Creek ISD athletic director Bill Daws, the outcome doesn’t matter as long as he can fit it into the budget.
"You look across this state and athletic department budgets are being slashed all over the place," he said. "Travel is our expense; so are officials. If we can’t have a district game with two of our schools at our stadium, it starts to add up. That is the priority for a lot of athletic directors — making it work economically."
Daws said other sports have to be considered as well.
"We have been lucky because our travel hasn’t been bad," he said. "When you have two basketball games or two baseball games a week, you have to think about how far the kids have to get on a Tuesday night, a school night."
Clements football coach Keith Knowles said he hopes things stay the same. In the meantime, all he can do is coach his team.
"I like the way things are," he said. "But it isn’t something coaches sit around and think about too much. Whatever happens, wherever we end up, we have to play the game. Coaches from all sports just focus on that."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/hso/7117192.html
