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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend March 7, 2007 Testimony heard on reining in OSAA's school sports authority One bill would give power to reconfigure sports leagues to the state superintendent of public instruction By Don Jepsen for the Mail Tribune SALEM — The Medford School District may not like a new classification system for interscholastic athletics that broke up the old Southern Oregon Conference, but at least one Jackson County educator is a gung-ho supporter. Mari Brabbin, principal of Eagle Point High School, testified briefly Tuesday on bills to rein in the Oregon Schools Activities Association's authority to reconfigure sports leagues. One of the measures would give that power to the state superintendent of public instruction. When OSAA created a new six-tier classification system based on enrollment, it brought howls of protest from Medford, Eugene and Salem school officials. 6A North and South Medford high schools were thrown into a new far-flung league that includes South Eugene and Sheldon high schools, while Salem took in central Oregon's Redmond High. Citing the travel time, increased costs and lost instruction time for students because of the shifts, the three districts filed suit to overturn OSAA's decision. The Oregon Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear oral arguments Monday. Brabbin is a member of OSAA's executive board, which approved the new classification system in 2005, effective for the 2006-07 school year. Her philosophy is that all extra-curricular activities, including sports, are an extension of classroom learning. Advertisement Besides, she said, competing against the much larger Medford schools was discouraging for Eagle Point students. "It's difficult to be on the bottom all the time," she said. "Competitive balance is very important to us." As a 5A school, Eagle Point is now in a league with other 5A schools, such as Crater, Ashland and Klamath Union. "This year, we are in the game," she said. The hearing before the Senate Education and General Government Committee brought a number of witnesses from Eugene to urge state supervision. OSAA members roundly denounced the bills. Also testifying was state school Superintendent Susan Castillo. She was drawn into the conflict shortly after the plan was made public, but signed off on it last June after determining she didn't have the authority to interfere. "I don't need to run the OSAA athletic program, but I believe the superintendent and the board (of education) should have oversight," she told the committee. George Russell, superintendent of the Eugene School District, said his district is very concerned about the impact on student achievement from the OSAA plan, its cost and safety. "There were other options that were available," he said, including allowing schools to play up or down during the regular season, then have them go to their respective tournaments to compete with schools their size. Another plan would give local school districts oversight powers. Several Eugene area high school students participating in sports said the long trips to Medford have cut into their study time and affected their grades. OSAA officials defended their decision, saying it was vetted with local school districts and the subject of numerous hearings and tinkering before being adopted. Most school districts support the revisions. Craig Roessler, superintendent of Silver Fall School District, said the Legislature should not replace representation from 290 schools with a single person, adding that Castillo may be biased because she lives in Eugene. OSAA attorney Don Carter said the association, although a private organization not bound by Oregon's open meetings law, kept its work sessions closed to the public. Minutes from the meetings were posted the next day, and all final decisions were made in open meetings. "We had many public meetings on a number of issues related to the new classification system," said Randy Schild, superintendent of the Tillamook School District. He is chairman of the Classification and Districting Committee that recommended the new system. "No system is perfect," he said. "The process is as good as you can get." The Court of Appeals challenge centers on whether the OSAA violated its own criteria realigning Salem, Medford and Eugene, said Rose, who represents the association. The criteria include reduced travel time, loss of classroom time and maintaining the current leagues as near as possible. He said the court can either uphold the plan, or reject it and possibly direct OSAA to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new proposal. Don Jepsen is a freelance writer living in Salem. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Trunks, Footlocker Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Discount Hotel Reservations Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Debt Help New Hampshire Primary