Columbia Falls school may have to go AA
Cristal Jones photo Students leave for lunch Tuesday. Enrollment rule changes could force the school to go to a AA designation in the coming years.
Hungry Horse News
Columbia Falls High School may become a class AA school in the next four years, according to Athletic Director John Thompson.
The move could result from a change made by the Montana High School Association to enrollment requirements.
Under the new rules, a school who participates under the class A designation can't have more than 826 students enrolled in high school for a two year average. Previously the cap was 899 students.
Thompson updated the District 6 School Board at their Monday meeting on the change and also proposed changes that will be voted on at the association's annual meeting next week.
The association lists Columbia Falls high school enrollment at 878 students for the 2006-2007 school year. It has the highest enrollment of class A schools followed by Belgrade with 813 and Whitefish with 705.
Thompson said that if Columbia Falls is within a 10 percent margin of the new requirement it can ask for a two year waiting period to prepare for the move.
So the school could become class AA as early as 2008 or as late as 2010.
Thompson also outlined proposed changes for the association for 2007-2008.
A major change is to move the golf season from fall to spring. Currently, the proposal only includes class AA schools, but that would likely be amended to include class A.
Class B and C schools still compete in the spring.
Thompson said he was unsure if the proposal would pass because the B and C schools might vote against the change because it would mean competing against A schools for the use of golf courses.
One proposal was brought fourth by Columbia Falls to allow speech and drama participation for students who have graduated early. The proposal was drafted by Thompson and speech coach Michael Christensen.
Currently students who graduate early would not be allowed to compete in the state tournament which usually falls a week after the end of the semester. This often happens in spring sports, but a similar rules allows the athlete to participate.
Thompson said the proposal came about because Columbia Falls was reported for having one student violate the rule last year. The student stayed enrolled for spring semester, but quit after competition was over. He said the loss of her points would not have affected the team's win if she had become disqualified.
The change was drafted specifically for speech because wrestling and basketball season's end a month after the semester.
Other proposed changes include:
€ Allowing eighth graders to participate in football when a team can't compete because of insufficient numbers. This expands a rule that already allows volleyball, basketball and track to do the same.
€ Changing mileage paid for post-season events for football to $2.50 per mile. Host schools pay visiting teams mileage during post-season games.
€ A proposal for Billings to host the state championship football games for all classes.
€ Change softball jamborees to count as one game instead of two towards the season total of 22 games.
€ Change volleyball general rules so that sub-varsity matches are played on the same scoring system as varsity matches.
In other news:
€ Approved hiring Wendy Warren for Indian Education For All Coordinator, Henry Donovan for custodian at Glacier Gateway and Canyon Elementary, Dan Fairbank for sixth grade basketball coach.
€ Approved reduction of hours for Lisa LaChance from 35 hours to 15 hours per week.
€ Heard a request from Andre Vanterpool for a territory transfer. Vanterpool is asking School District 6 to release an area on Irish Bend from paying taxes to the district. The area would change to the Whitefish School District.
Several children in the area already attend Whitefish schools.
€ Voted to open a D.A. Davidson account to receive stocks and bonds for a scholarship fund.
€ Approved disposal of abandoned, obsolete and undesirable property - mostly textbooks.
€ Approved an independent contract agreement with Susan Nicosia to develop the 2007-2008 District budgets. Nicosia will receive $55 per hour plus travel expenses for services.