IHSA Announcements

August 13, 1998

Board Focuses on Housecleaning Measures

1. Adjusted the mileage travel allowance paid to committee members to 32.5 cents per mile. The current federally authorized rate is the same. The increase in the travel allowance will be approximately $2,500 for the 1998-99 fiscal year.
   
   
2. Approved an investment policy statement for IHSA and authorized the staff to distribute it to the membership.
   
   
3. Authorized the staff to form action teams to address two more strategies that were approved by the Board last September. The action teams will work on these strategies to:
   a) increase the number of women and minorities in all entities of the IHSA;
   b) review current educational and informational programs sponsored by the IHSA and increase attendance by official representatives.
   
   
4. Approved the final language of a revised policy statement regarding prospective licensing of athletic officials with convictions.
   
   
5. Approved a new program to provide a uniform memento to all state final participants in each athletic and activity state series where students compete and advance to the state final. The memento will be an original design photo-etched pin. Approximately 15,000 students qualify each year for state final tournament competition.
   
   
6. Did not approve a recommendation from the Swimming Advisory Committee to eliminate the fees for head officials at the state final and provide a per session stipend of $20 for each official, and another recommendation to reimburse all qualifying officials at the state final for travel expenses.
   
   
7. Did not approve a recommendation from the Basketball Advisory Committee to increase super-sectional ticket prices in order to increase the super-sectional host allowances. The Board authorized the IHSA staff to reevaluate the allowance formula currently used for basketball super-sectional hosts.
   

Eligibility Decisions

1. Sustained the Executive Director's ruling that a student is ineligible at Wilmette (Loyola) for noncompliance with By-law 3.051. The student is in his fifth year of high school, having completed his eighth semester at the school at the end of the 1997-98 school term. The Board heard an appeal of the Executive Director's original ruling at its July 19-21 meeting, but tabled action pending receipt of additional information regarding the appeal by the school and family.
   

Discussion Items

1. Long Range Financial Plan: The Board discussed a report from the treasurer and Executive Director which presented a perspective of IHSA's short term and long term financial needs.
   
   
2. Athletic Officials' Fees: The Board reviewed and reacted to a staff proposal for establishing fees to be paid to athletic officials in the state series. The concept sets an overall scale encompassing all sports, with built-in increments for levels of competition within each athletic state series where officials are required.
   
   
3. Sportsmanship Summits: The Board discussed the progress report of the two events scheduled for Sept. 28 (Monday) at a site in Northern Illinois and Sept. 29 (Tuesday) in Central Illinois. Each of the two events is scheduled to be conducted as a one-day conference. They are being cosponsored by IHSA and the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA).
   
   
4. Equity Assessment Instrument: The Board discussed the manner in which an Equity Assessment Instrument will be developed and used in the review of IHSA athletic and non-athletic activities. The instrument will be designed to reflect the recommendations of the Strategic Planning action team which addressed the strategy to provide more equitable promotion and recognition of interscholastic activities.