IHSA Announcements

September 9, 2002

Board Approves Budget, Hears Eligibility Appeals

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors Monday (Sept. 9) approved the budget for the 2002-03 school term, tied up several loose ends, and heard a series of eligibility appeals at its regular meeting in the IHSA Office.

Income of $5,384,000 is projected in the budget for the 2002-03 school term and expenses are listed at $5,248,600. Actual income in 2001-02 was $5,835,075.25 and actual expenses for last school term were $6,254,484.42.

The new budget reflects significant decreases in expenditures for televising IHSA state final events, printing and publications, radio program expense and March Madness trademark expense.

Other Action

  1. Approved a change in interpretation of the cooperative team by-law to allow two existing schools in a coop to add a third school to the coop after the original two have been together for one year.
  2. Approved tellers for the 2002 fall elections.
  3. Basketball Terms and Conditions: Approved a change in the boys basketball Terms and Conditions to allow for two Class AA super-sectional games to be played as a doubleheader at the United Center, Chicago, on Monday, March 17, 2003. The Chicago Bulls have a home game scheduled for Tuesday, March 18. Ordinarily, the boys basketball super-sectional games are played on the Tuesday preceding the State Final Tournament.
  4. Approved a Loan Resolution with National City Bank for all banking business at the Bloomington bank.
  5. Music Terms and Conditions: Approved the following:
    a) Change in the penalty fees and procedures for Organization to be the same as Solo and Ensemble.
    b) Medals will be awarded to non-sweepstakes winners which receive Division I rating.
    c) Change in the time limit for Vocal organizations to perform a minimum of seven minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes. Performance time is defined as the time from the first performed note of a group's first work to the end of the last work. Time between selections is considered part of the performance time.
    d) Choirs entered as SATB groups will sight read using the SATB music and choirs entered as SAB groups will sight read the provided SAB music.
    e) Selections with vulgar, foul and inappropriate language will be disqualified from the Music Contest.
    f) Handbell Ensemble will be changed back to Handbell Choir, and this event will be added as an approved instrumental choir event in Solo and Ensemble.

Eligibility Rulings

  1. Sustained the Executive Director's ruling that a student is academically ineligible at Carol Stream (Glenbard North) for the first semester of the 2002-03 school term for noncompliance with By-law 3.022. The student passed 15 credit hours in the second semester of 2001-02, and did not take summer school because of miscommunication with his counselor.
  2. Modified the Executive Director's ruling and declared a student eligible immediately at Pinckneyville because of new information provided to the Board Monday. Previously, Swenson was ruled ineligible until March 23, 2003, for noncompliance with by-law 3.043 inclusive. The student's parents are missionaries and are stationed in Morocco. He previously resided with a relative in Minnesota and transferred from St. Anthony High School in Minnesota to Pinckneyville, where legal guardianship has been assigned. The family is originally from Pinckneyville.
  3. Sustained the Executive Director's ruling that a student is ineligible at Peoria (H.S.) for the 2002-03 school term for noncompliance with By-laws 3.041 and 3.043 inclusive. The student transferred from Peoria (Manual) to Peoria (H.S.) without a move by his family to the Peoria (H.S.) attendance area. Manual does not concur with the transfer.
  4. Sustained the Executive Director's ruling that a student is ineligible at Elgin (St. Edward) until Dec. 1, 2002, for noncompliance with By-law 3.043 inclusive. The student transferred from Elgin (Larkin) to St. Edward. His parents did not move to a new public school district in conjunction with the transfer. There are no circumstances beyond the control of the student or his parents necessitating the transfer.
  5. Sustained the Executive Director's ruling that a student is ineligible at Palatine (Fremd) until Nov. 10, 2002, for noncompliance with By-law 3.043 inclusive. The student transferred from Palatine (H.S.) to Fremd and has been given approval to transfer by the district. There has been no move by his family to a new public school district in conjunction with the transfer. There is no documentation of circumstances beyond the control of the student or his parents necessitating the transfer.
  6. Sustained the Executive Director's rulings regarding Pontiac High School and its football program. Those penalties are:
    a) Pontiac head football Coach Mick Peterson has been ruled ineligible to coach at any IHSA member school for a period of one year, commencing August 28, for exercising undue influence to secure the attendance of a student at Pontiac High School (By-laws 3.071, 3.073 and 6.010).
    b) A transfer student from Streator (Woodland) has been ruled permanently ineligible to participate in interscholastic activities at Pontiac High School as a result of his recruitment to the school (By-law 6.010).
    c) Pontiac High School has been placed on probation for the 2002-03 school term (By-law 3.073).
    d) Pontiac High School is required to submit a plan of action detailing the steps it will take to insure that future violations of the recruiting by-laws do not occur. The school has until Sept. 20, 2002, to submit its plan to the Executive Director.

Discussion Items

At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain agenda items the Board discusses, but upon which it takes no action. Following is a report of those on the September 2002, agenda:

Strategic Planning: The Board received the final report from the Public/Private Action Team. Included in the report are several suggested by-law proposals to be submitted to the IHSA Legislative Commission this November. The Board also heard a report of plans to put together a sportsmanship strategic planning committee. Coal City Principal Pat Halloran will chair the committee. IHSA staff members Jeff Creek and Beth Sauser will coordinate it.

Entry Fees: The Board reviewed current fees, which were increased to $50 per sport/activity beginning with the 1992-93 school term. There will be discussion of entry fees at this fall's upcoming Principals Rules Meetings and the upcoming Athletic Directors Division Meetings.

NFHS Committees: The Board heard a report that Asst. Executive Director Susan Hinrichsen has been appointed to the National Federation of State High School Associations Equity Committee.

Federal Town Hall Meeting: The Board heard a report that IHSA Executive Director Martin L. Hickman has been pre-registered to speak during the public comment segment of the Town Hall Meeting in Chicago on Sept. 17 sponsored by the U.S. Secretary of Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics. The Commission is looking at Title IX issues.

Eligibility Decisions: The Board heard a report that as of Sept. 5, a total of 347 eligibility rulings had been made by the Executive Director, and that there were another 129 where additional information had been requested before a ruling could be made. Thus far, 242 students have been ruled eligible and 105 have been ruled ineligible.