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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 14, 2006 Ruling puts team schedules in limbo State school superintendent says new-leagues plan must be OK’d by State Board of Education Staff and wire reports PORTLAND — Ashland High Athletic Director Karl Kemper has spent dozens of hours putting together schedules for the Grizzlies’ sports teams next fall as the school prepares to play in a new 5A classification and in a new league. Kemper may soon return to the drawing board and the Grizzlies might remain in the same conference — Southern Oregon — that they’ve competed in for decades. Schools throughout the state are in limbo today after Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo ruled that the Oregon School Activities Association must seek approval from the State Board of Education before the OSAA can set up a six-class system for high school sports. Castillo gave the OSAA 30 days to take the new classification system to the state board. The OSAA declared that it would. The increase in classifications was implemented to foster competitive balance, matching schools of more equal size. Critics from Eugene, Medford and Salem said the new system would require student-athletes to spend more time on buses traveling to and from games and that it would hurt revenue from gate receipts. Advertisement Castillo’s decision dealt only with how the OSAA went about making the change. A statement from her office said the OSAA "failed to obtain approval of the State Board of Education prior to placing schools into new districts," violating a 2003 state law requiring the approval. The 2003 law followed a dispute over which league Hood River Valley High School would play in. Kemper said he wants a ruling so that "a decision can be made and we can move forward." "We’re going to need a league schedule in place for the fall very soon so that we can hit the ground running," he said. Ashland is scheduled to be in a new 5A conference with Eagle Point, Crater, Klamath Union and Ashland high schools. The new 6A conference involving Medford schools would be made up of North Medford, South Medford, Grants Pass, South Eugene and Sheldon High of Eugene. Kemper said schools are now having to plan for both the old and the new classification systems, with totally different league schedules. "We’re going to have an emergency meeting with the SOC coaches to have something in place," Kemper said. Doug Jantzi, Medford’s director of secondary education and athletics, said the Eugene, Salem and Medford school districts would continue to fight the six-class plan if it goes forward. "There’s still going to be an appeals process," Jantzi said. OSAA executive director Tom Welter said the group had gone to the state board in September for approval of the criteria it used to set up its classification and districts. The criteria include such factors as geography, travel costs, enrollment and athletic history. "We thought that’s what the bill required," he said. Welter said the association remains confident in the merits of the reclassification proposal. The OSAA’s delegates voted 30-1 in September in favor of the six-class setup. Joel DeVore, a lawyer representing the Eugene school district, said he hoped the OSAA would listen to Castillo’s decision and drop its plan. He said the idea would be costly for the local schools. It would mean more than $60,000 a year in additional fuel and the loss of $50,000 in ticket sales as the Eugene schools travel farther for games. Fans who would go across town for a game will be less likely to drive to Medford, he said. More important, he said, is the toll such travel will take on students, who will more often be arriving home after midnight from a road trip. "The next day, they are sitting around groggy, not doing too super-well in school," he said. Kemper predicts the reclassification plan will be tabled for a year. "My gut instinct is that we’re going to be status quo for another year," he said. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Absinthe Supply Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Debt Consolidation California Casinos Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Hammocks Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada King of Spirits Advertisement s Advertisement