05/16/13 – May Board of Control Meeting Review

May 16, 2013 Athletic Department Blog Updates

I want to issue a review of items discussed at each of the Board of Control meetings and status of issues. With the Board meeting six times per year, it is critical that the membership be updated on a consistent manner as far as actions by the Board. I realize and applaud the fact that many of them personally update you with regard to undertakings, but I want to be sure all schools are informed. Agenda material and documents can be found online at http://portal.ksba.org/public/Agency.aspx?PublicAgencyID=4374&AgencyTypeID=1

BOARD MEETING – May 7, 2013
The Board met in Lexington on May 7 for the final time this year. The meeting was separated into two sections, committee meetings and a full board meeting. The following discussions and actions were taken:

FULL BOARD MEETING
The Board heard a comprehensive review of current legal matters as well as prospective legal matters during a short closed session.

The Board as part of its consent agenda, approved reports concerning:

• The minutes of a previous meeting; and
• A standard report of transfers, appeals, penalties and non-64 hour coaches.
• The Board also reviewed the Association bills, and approved the interim budget reports including those bills written through April 30.

The Regulation and Adoption Committee, chaired by Bill Beasley, continued its review of the Bylaws, and finalized its proposals that will be included. Those proposals include proposals to amend:

• KHSAA Enrollment Rule (currently numbered Bylaw 4, to start the four-year count of eligibility upon enrollment in grade nine (9) due to various appeals and court cases where the 8th grade records had been challenged or were not verifiable;
• KHSAA Transfer Rule (currently Bylaw 6), Add a provision to Section 3 defining athletic advantage to state that it would be considered athletic advantage if a student played on a school or outside team for a particular coach, and then “followed” that coach to the coach’s new place of employment;
• KHSAA Penalty Rule (currently Bylaw 33), add a possible penalty for a coach or athletic employee violating KHSAA rules, a “show cause” penalty, designed to ensure that adults are punished for rules violations that are in fact committed by adults, instead of the students.

The Regulation and Adoption Committee discussed several other issues, but has chosen not to present a proposal for the 2013 Annual Meeting including:

• The Committee declined to author a proposal regarding changing the definitions contained in Bylaw 13 related to Need Based Aid, but instead directed staff to take the results of the annual survey along with other data and bring back to the Board a different alternative;
• The Committee declined to author a proposal to amend Bylaw 25 by reducing game limitations in the team sports of baseball, basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. While many of the members remained concerned that the KHSAA limits exceed most of the limits of neighboring states, it was noted that the data available for games actually played indicated that a majority of the schools are NOT playing the maximum, and appear to be managing the situation. The Committee determined it best to provide feedback to the membership and see if the membership wanted to initiate a proposal;
• The Committee declined to author a proposal to change the start of football contact practice. The Commissioner reported to the Board that an ongoing survey was being conducted and would be used as part of the work during 2013-2014 regarding alignment to help best determine the necessary changes. Until that work is complete and its full impact known, the committee declined to author an amendment and directed the staff to continue to work with leaders of the Football Coaches Association on possible pre-season proposals to rectify any perceived problems.

The Regulation and Adoption Committee took no action on a proposal and request from the Bluegrass State Games to extend a scrimmage exception to the sport of basketball, and offered suggestions for the organizers of the games to retool their proposal and perhaps return to a future meeting.

The Executive Committee, chaired by Boyd Randolph, discussed a wide variety of issues related to the management and staff of the Association, including an impressive amount of positive feedback from the membership. The Committee then recommended (which was approved by the Board) to approve the following recommendations made by the Commissioner:

• After evaluation of the position and the wide variety of positive benefits to bringing counsel inside, continue the agreement to have in-house general counsel;
• To designate Assistant Commissioner Butch Cope as Associate Commissioner effective July 1, to ensure continued smooth flow of operations in the event of any extended absence by the Commissioner;
• For the start of the fiscal year and forseeable future, to not fill the vacated Support Staff position that it is currently open;
• To continue the successful internship program;
• To make revisions to the staff salary schedule effective July 1, 2013.

The Audit and Finance Committee, chaired by Carrell Boyd, also conducted a variety of actions and all were approved by the Board of Control including:

• Approval and congratulations on a successful internal corporate sales report (those corporate accounts directly managed by the Association);
• Approval of an interim report from outside corporate sales team, iHigh, Inc., with a change in strategic direction for long-term, year-round partnerships;
• Approval of the FY2012 KHSAA Audit (which is posted on the KHSAA web site);
• A review of the KHSAA IRS Form 990;
• Approval of a draft budget to allow for operations until a final budget is adopted in July.

The Individual Sports Committee, chaired by Stan Steidel, spent a great deal of time reviewing the Track and Field/Cross Country alignment of teams. The alignment was set to expire with the conclusion of the 2012-2013 school year. Following discussion, the Board approved the distribution of a DRAFT of a possible means of dividing the teams into regions with the following highlights:

• A desire, like Football, the other sport in classes, to make 1A contain fewer schools;
• A desire to have the postseason meets in as tight geographic clusters as possible, regardless of the number of teams in the cluster;
• A desire to continue having the same alignment in Cross Country that is out there for Track.

The alignment has been distributed via the KHSAA web site, with feedback from Principals/ADs expected back to the office. ALL feedback will be compiled and given to the Board in July. At the July meeting, the Board will continue its discussions with the following pertinent notes made to the membership:

• With the way track and cross country are managed (mostly without contracts), there is no sense of urgency to get the project finished. The project could be revised multiple times before final adoption, and an implementation date selected at a later time;
• The last alignment in track went through approximately three iterations before the project was complete. As an individual sport, there are many more variables than are present for the other sport that is classified.
• While coaches input is valuable, the official input (per Bylaw 1) must come through the Principal or Designated Representative of the school;
• There remains the option available to the Board to leave the class division system as it currently stands, and simply adjust the schools whose enrollment has changed and place only those schools in new regions;
• It was reiterated on multiple occasions that the distributed material was a DRAFT and not a final product;
• The Board will continue its work at its July meeting.

In other business, the Board:

• Approved its 2013-2014 meeting schedule (which will be online very soon);
• Awarded the 2014 State Bowling championships to Collins Eastland in Lexington, with a commitment for 2015 based on event success following evaluation;
• Heard a report from staff on Prime Date Policy Compliance. The Board requested the staff be insistent that ALL available efforts be exhausted by any school who fails to meet the 40% minimal directive;
• Approved a change in schedule for the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame Banquet to be held on a Sunday afternoon (April 27 in 2014);
• Approved a Strategic Plan for the KHSAA through the 2016-2017 school year.

At the end of the meeting, the Board heard the following reports:

• A passionate report from KBE/KDE rep David Couch on the value of interscholastic sports and the difference it had made in both his life, and the many thousands of others who had participated;
• A report on the minimal feedback following the Board’s changes in State Competitive Cheer;
• Information about the FHSAA legislative situation (Florida); and
• Information about the IHSAA (Indiana) and its new allowance for participation by home schooled students.

The meeting concluded with heartfelt thanks for outgoing Board of Control members Gene Norris (Georgetown, KDE appointee), Kelley Ransdell (Region 9-16 Female who has accepted employment outside of Regions 9-16), and outgoing member and Board of Control President Boyd Randolph, whose second term had expired. While their contributions were missed, new Board members Gwen Gibbs of Wolfe County and Scott Hawkins of Woodford County participated in a large part of the meeting and through this orientation, will be very successful when they first begin service in July.