August 11, 2003
Roxana principal Patrick Sullivan, current president of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), told the Board of Directors Monday at the regular August meeting that he would not seek re-election to his seat representing Division 7 in the upcoming election this fall. His final meeting as president will be the regular Sept. 8 meeting. He will retire from his position at Roxana before the term of office would end, and he told the Board he wanted his successor to be elected to a full (3-year) term.
Sullivan was first elected to the Board in 1995. During the 2001-02 school term he was vice president of the Board, and last year was elected its president.
"Pat Sullivan has been a steady, thoughtful influence on our Board of Directors ever since his first meeting," said IHSA Executive Director Dr. Martin L. Hickman. "He has been an advocate for his division, and has worked hard to help the Association achieve many recent changes that benefit students and schools across our state. We will miss his regular contributions to the Board."
Sullivan, a Mattoon native, earned both a bachelor's and master's degree from Eastern Illinois University. Sullivan is in his 20th year as a high school principal, serving at Beecher City from 1984-87 and Carlyle from 1988-94 before moving to Roxana.
His career in education began at Mansfield High School in 1966 where he taught and coached football, basketball and baseball. From 1968-77, Sullivan was a teacher and head basketball coach at Arcola.
Sullivan is a former IHSA football and basketball official and served as a member of the IHSA Football Advisory Committee and Legislative Commission, representing District No. 19. He is a member of the Illinois Principals Association (IPA).
Action Items
The Board also acted on several By-law interpretations and general business items, in addition to conducting a lengthy discussion of the Guidelines for Adding/Deleting State Series Programs.
The Board also took the following action Monday:
Summer Provisions By-law (3.155) Interpretations - The Board adopted these applications effective immediately to the Special Provisions for Summer Participation By-laws (3.150 inclusive):
1) Question: May high schools host camps for elementary and junior high school students after Saturday of Week 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar?
Answer: Yes.2) Question: May high schools host camps for high school students, including incoming freshmen, after Saturday of Week No. 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar?
Answer: No.
Private School Board Member At-Large Term - The Board approved that the term in office for the initial new At-Large Private School board member be two years. The election will be held in October 2003. Beginning with the 2003 election, there will be three at-large board positions, one for a minority, one for the underrepresented gender, and one for a private school representative. Their terms are staggered.
Adding/Deleting State Series - The Board tabled action on changes in the Guidelines for Adding and Deleting State Series Programs (Policy No. 15 in the Handbook with Illustrations). In discussion of the criteria to add state series competition in a given new sport/activity it was discussed that the Board consider a recommendation of the IHSA Equity Committee, a recommendation of the IHSA staff, and consideration of the growth potential of the sport/activity. In discussion of the guideline regarding deletion of an existing state sport/activity series, the board discussed the impact of using 10 percent, rather than the existing 5 percent of schools competing in a state series, as the threshold to be reached before the Board would begin the review process of a state series. In discussion of the criteria to drop a state series in a given new sport/activity it was discussed that the Board consider a recommendation of the IHSA Equity Committee and a recommendation of the IHSA staff in addition to the number of participating schools. There are currently 763 member schools. The 10 percent minimum would be 76. The boys state gymnastics series, which began in 1958, included 50 schools fielding teams in 2002-03. The Debate state series, which began in 1941, included 40 schools in 2002-03. In water polo, which began in 2002, the number of schools entered in the 2002-03 series was 59 for boys and 56 for girls. There were 76 schools entered in the 2002-03 girls badminton series, which began in 1977.
Financial Aid Criteria Committee - The Board approved Dr. Jim Quaid, principal, Oak Park (Fenwick), as chairman of the Financial Aid Criteria Committee. The committee will develop a financial aid policy as required in the IHSA Constitution (Section 1.250).
Determining Dual Wrestling Meet Winners - The Board approved inclusion of the new National Federation Wrestling Rules criteria for determining a winner in tied dual meets in the Terms and Conditions for the 2003-04 State Wrestling Tournament Series.
Aurora (Marmion) Residential Students - The Board approved granting eligibility insofar as residence to the foreign and American students attending Marmion who are remaining with host families following the school's discontinuance of its residential program at the end of the 2002-03 school term. For the past 70 years, Marmion maintained a residential program. The affected students will be able to finish their high school career at the school and be eligible for interscholastic sports/activities.
Super-Sectional Awards - The Board authorized the awarding of plaques to the winners of the super-sectional games in Class A and Class AA Baseball, Class A and Class AA Softball, Class A and Class AA Girls Basketball, Class A and Class AA Boys Basketball and Class A and Class AA Girls Volleyball.
Eligibility Rulings
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 August 2003, agenda:
Transfer By-law (3.043) Interpretation - The Board discussed criteria for the Executive Director to use in ruling on the period of ineligibility for students who transfer from a public school to a private school without a move to a new school district on the part of the student and the student's parents, custodial parent or guardian. Historically, students have been ruled ineligible for either 365 days or three sports seasons, whichever is lesser, in these transfer cases.
Non-Public School Status - The Board heard a status report regarding the action taken by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to no longer accredit non-public high schools. The IHSA Constitution (Article 1.250) currently requires that all schools must be recognized by the ISBE to be eligible for membership. The Board directed the IHSA staff to continue to monitor this development and to explore alternate forms of recognition for private schools.
No Child Left Behind - The Board heard a report of the potential impact of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation with regard to IHSA residence, transfer and other by-laws.
Proposed By-laws - The Board heard a report of proposals that have been submitted thus far to change IHSA by-laws in the annual fall referendum process. Deadline for submission of proposals for the 2003-04 school term is Tuesday, Oct. 7. The IHSA Legislative Commission will review all proposals submitted by the deadline in two meetings scheduled for Nov. 3 and Dec. 1. Each proposal also will be reviewed at a series of 42 Town Meetings/Principal Rules Meeting held throughout Illinois Nov. 12-25. The IHSA Office has received proposals already and/or has been informed that a proposal may be forthcoming prior to the deadline regarding the following: a) electronic balloting for amendment proposals; b) limiting participants in a school team's practice only to bona fide students of the school; c) increase the number of allowable all-star contests in basketball, football, soccer and volleyball from one to three; d) elimination of the restriction regarding the starting date for competition in boys and girls basketball that currently prohibits a school team from playing a basketball game prior to the date of its first varsity contest; e) allowing a student at a private school which does not have football to play for his/her home public school team; f) a change in the Scholastic Bowl sport season to allow member schools to compete in one tournament outside the existing starting and ending time frame for the sport season; g) addressing lack of institutional control.
IHSA Staff Members on NFHS Committees - The Board heard a report that Assistant Executive Director Anthony Holman has been named to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Annual Meeting Planning Committee. Holman also is a member of the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee. Other staff members serving of NFHS committees are: Assistant Executive Director Dave Gannaway on the Wrestling Rules Committee, Assistant Executive Director Scott Johnson on the Records Committee and Assistant to the Director Dan Dietrich on the Music Committee.