IHSA Announcements

September 9, 2001

Trio of Strategic Plan Action Teams Authorized by Board

Formation of three action teams in the second Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Strategic Plan was authorized Monday (Sept. 10) by the Board of Directors at its regular September meeting.

Action teams authorized will review these strategies: 1) Equity Practices within the Association; 2) public/private school issues; and 3) IHSA Promotion and Special Events. The Board authorized the IHSA staff to contact personnel at member schools to complete the action team rosters. Chairs for the teams will be members of the Board of Directors. Linda Layne, principal of Chicago (Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep), is scheduled to chair the action team reviewing Equity Practices within the Association. Emmett Aubry, principal of Geneseo (Darnall), is scheduled to chair the action team to review public/private school issues. Patrick Sullivan, principal of Roxana, is scheduled to chair the action team to review IHSA Promotion and Special Events.

A total of eight strategies were established for the second Strategic Plan, which was developed April 29-30, 2001, in the IHSA Office. They are:

  1. Review IHSA promotions and special events
  2. Analyze revenue generation and appropriation
  3. Review public/private school issues
  4. Increase the number of women and minorities in all entities of the IHSA
  5. Review the effectiveness of IHSA communications
  6. Review structure, governance and operational procedures of the Association
  7. Review training programs, recruitment and retention of officials
  8. Review equity practices within the Association

Once the members of the three action teams approved Monday have been selected, they will meet as necessary to complete their review of the respective strategy.

Other Action

The Board took the following action regarding the regular business of the Association:

  1. Appointed tellers for the upcoming annual nomination and election process for the IHSA Board of Directors and Legislative Commission, and the annual referendum on proposed amendments to the Constitution and By-laws.
  2. Received the report of the April meeting of the Equity Committee and took it under advisement.

Eligibility Rulings

  1. Sustained the Executive Director’s ruling that a student is ineligible at Chicago (Gordon Tech) for noncompliance with by-laws 3.051 and 3.053, and that Gordon Tech forfeit football games won in the 1998-99 school year in which Brian Rice participated. The student is a ninth semester student at Gordon Tech. He attended Chicago (St. Patrick) two semesters in 1997-98 and participated in football the first semester. The student transferred to Gordon Tech in the fall of 1998 and was admitted as a ninth grader. He played football at Gordon Tech in 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01.

Other Rulings

  1. Sustained the Executive Director’s ruling that Golconda (Pope County) cannot participate in a national baseball competition in Cocoa Beach, Fl. The travel distance to the event exceeds the 500-mile one-way limit contained in the IHSA Sanction Policy.

Discussion Items

At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain agenda items that the Board discusses, but upon which it takes no action. Following is a report of those on the September, 2001, agenda:

State Final Official Photography: The Board heard a report of arrangements being finalized with Visual Image Photography, Inc. (VIP) on an agreement for the company to provide the official photography services at state final events. Several proposals to provide this service were submitted to the IHSA Office.

Wheelchair Basketball Camps: The Board heard a follow up report regarding the Wheelchair Basketball Camp conducted free for IHSA students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign this past June. As a prelude to this coming summer’s week-long camp, there will be four free one-day camps conducted from December 2001 to March 2002. The camps will be: a) Saturday, Dec. 15 at Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West); b) Saturday, Jan. 12 at a site in the Metro East area; c) Saturday, Feb. 9 at Chicago (Spalding); and d) Tuesday, March 12 in the Exhibit Hall of the Peoria Civic Center in conjunction with the 3rd Annual Access The Experience Field Trip Day. Member schools will be sent complete information regarding the one-day camps later in the month of September.

Pursuing Victory with Honor Summit: The Board heard a report of the August 27-29 conference on men’s and boy’s basketball sponsored by Character Counts and the National Basketball Coaches Association.

Boys Gymnastics Meeting: The Board was appraised of a meeting scheduled the Sept. 19 involving members of the IHSA staff and representatives the Boys Gymnastics Coaches Association to discuss the future of the boys gymnastics state series.