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12/05/22- Update – Football Realignment for 2023 through 2026 seasons

December 5, 2022 Football Blog Updates

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Football Alignment Update and Opportunity to Play Into a Higher Class and Withdraw from District
 
TO: Superintendents, Principals, Athletic Directors and Designated Representatives of Football Playing Schools
 
FR: Commissioner Julian Tackett
 
RE: Update on the Drafting of 2023 through 2026 Football Alignment, Opportunity to Withdraw From District Play or to Play in a Higher Class
 
At its meeting in November, the KHSAA Board of Control discussed and again agreed on parameters surrounding an alignment of teams in football for the 2023 through 2026 playing seasons. This communication is solely about classification and geographic alignment development. The needed information was received from the KDE around the first of December, and has been formatted in accordance with the Board’s approved process. Your response to the linked form is due on or before DECEMBER 21, 2022
 
The following decisions should be considered finalized within the drafting of the alignment for this classification period:
 
SCHEDULING MORATORIUM
  • Please consider that there is, for 2023 and beyond, a scheduling moratorium in place for weeks 6 through 11 of the scheduling calendar (page 4 of the document at https://khsaa.org/common_documents/handbook/correspondingdatescomposite.pdf). 
  • Until further notice, contracts signed for 2023 for those weeks will not be considered valid. 
  • Until the alignment is finalized, do not schedule contests in those weeks. 
  • It is the intent of the Commissioner and Board of Control to complete this project not later than its February 22, 2023 meeting. 
  • If all recommended parameters and alignments are able to be agreed to at its January 18, 2023 meeting, this Board may consider final approval at that time. 
  • Once it is adopted as final, the remainder of schedule for the 2023 season and beyond can be finalized.
RECLASSIFICATION RESPONSE FORM
ENROLLMENT FIGURES
ALIGNMENT DRAFTING PRINCIPLES
  • The draft alignment for the classification shows the ranked average boys enrollment for both 2019-2020 and 2022-2023, with 2022-2023 numbers used twice in the averaging (per https://khsaa.org/07-25-22-reminders-about-realignment-reclassification-processes-for-2023-24-and-beyond-fb-tr-xc/). 
  • The highest 32 ranked enrollments are placed in 6A, the lowest 32 schools in Class 1A, and the remaining classes have 39 schools in the draft. 
  • The draft classes also include information submitted by the membership where Phelps, Jackson County and Jenkins did not wish to be placed into a district at this time. 
  • They (Phelps, Jackson County and Jenkins) are certainly permitted to play football (as are other non-competing members) but will not be entered into the playoffs and therefore, not required to play specific teams.
PLAYING UP TO A HIGHER CLASS
  • Schools may request without reason or justification, that the association allow the school to play into a higher classification than the classification for which its ranked enrollment would normally place that school.
  • Absent such a request, the draft alignment will be formed without considering a playing-up option for that school. 
  • The destination class must be specified on the request.
  • If a team(s) elects to play up, then the smallest school in the next class up (or each class if playing up is requested multiple classes) will be given the voluntary option of moving to the class being vacated in an effort to attempt to keep the number of teams in each class approximately equal and thereby adjust the class boundary lines.
  • No more than the lowest three teams will be polled in the event of a playing-up team to determine if the boundary lines for the class are moved.
  • To request to play in a higher class for the 2023-2026 period, representatives must complete the Playing up/Withdrawal form located at https://schools.khsaa.org/fb139-2023-2026-football-reclassification-playing-up-withdrawal-special-request-form/. 
  • SCHOOLS DO NOT NEED TO RESPOND TO THE SURVEY/FORM  IF- YOU DO NOT DESIRE TO PLAY IN A HIGHER CLASS, DO NOT NEED TO WITHDRAW FROM DISTRICT PLAY AND HAVE NO OTHER SPECIFIC REQUEST REGARDING ALIGNMENT.
COMMITMENT TO PLAYING IN THE DISTRICT AND WITHDRAWAL FROM THE DISTRICT
  • Unless a school requests not to be placed in a district as part of this process, each school will be placed in a district as part of the classification process. 
  • The process to withdraw prior to the final alignment must be done via the response form that is part of this notice.
  • Once placed in a district:
    • A default forfeit fee of $1500 per game will exist if no additional contract is signed between the schools.
    • After being placed in a district, if a school withdraws from district competition at any point during the classification period, the school will be considered liable for the default forfeit fee, payable to each member school in the district, for each remaining required district game during the entire classification period, unless a mutual agreement is reached by all of the teams.
    • In addition, a school withdrawing from district play will be ineligible to compete in the postseason competition for the remainder of the classification period, and will not be eligible for postseason play again until the 2027 playing season following the next classification process.
    • Specific penalties will be determined by the Commissioner’s office for any school withdrawing from postseason play in any year after the draw for pairings is determined.
    • A school withdrawing from district play may continue to play regular season competition during the classification period but is not eligible for postseason competition.
  • To withdraw from the district competition period for the 2023-2026 period, representatives must complete the Playing up/Withdrawal form located at https://schools.khsaa.org/fb139-2023-2026-football-reclassification-playing-up-withdrawal-special-request-form/. 
  • SCHOOLS DO NOT NEED TO RESPOND TO THE SURVEY IF THEY DO NOT DESIRE TO PLAY INTO A HIGHER CLASS, DO NOT NEED TO WITHDRAW FROM DISTRICT PLAY AND HAVE NO OTHER SPECIFIC REQUEST REGARDING ALIGNMENT.
COMPOSITION OF DISTRICTS AND FINAL ALIGNMENT PROCEDURE
  • Once the December 21 deadline has passed and all playing up/withdrawal decisions have been made, including the resultant options for teams in the next highest class are completed, the teams will be drawn into geographic districts.
  • Until that time, no projections will be made regarding districts.
  • These districts may or may not be the same (including numbering) as the current district alignment, based solely on membership responses.
  • The Board of Control will consider a draft alignment of teams at its next meeting on January 18, 2023, following the receipt of any FB139 forms and drafting of geographic districts by the Commissioner’s office. 
  • It is possible that the alignment will be finalized at that January meeting, but the firm timeline for completion is not later than the Board’s February 22, 2023 meeting.
SCHEDULING GRID
  • The scheduling grid will continue to be utilized for 2023 to 2026 and any revisions will be adopted at the January 18, 2023 meeting prior to the lifting of the scheduling moratorium.
INTERIM REVIEW DURING CLASSIFICATION PERIOD 2019-2022
  • The Board will again look at the averages of enrolled boys with the average of the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years including making any adjustments viewed necessary at that time for the final two years of the classification period. 
  • Such adjustments will be based on extreme situations due to new school openings, consolidations, natural disasters and other emergencies, or other items that may be identified by the membership for an interim review.
  • The current requirements for mid-alignment adjustments are a 10% change in enrollment since the adoption of the current alignment along with the new numbers being in a different class, a new football school being added, or school consolidation, merger or split within a district.
Member schools should contact Commissioner Julian Tackett (jtackett@khsaa.org) at the KHSAA if there are any questions.
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