UHSAA continues to work on realignment

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The Utah High School Activities Association Board of Trustees has adopted a new procedure for aligning member schools. The new procedure, effective beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, is outlined on a powerpoint on the website.
On Sept. 29, the Board of Trustees approved the number of schools and regions in each classification. The approval was based on feedback provided through the UHSAA website and at a public hearing held on Sept. 29 at the UHSAA offices.
Recommendations and analysis from the Realignment Classification Committee, a committee made up of representatives from each classification and both the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees, were instrumental in the discussion and final approval by the Board of Trustees.
The following are the number of schools and regions in each classification for the 2011-2013 alignment period:
5A-24 schools (four regions of six schools); 4A-24 schools (four regions of six schools); 3A-28 schools (four regions of seven schools)
2A-20 schools (two regions of 10 schools); 1A-36 schools (five regions)
The Board of Trustees will meet in October to consider the placement of schools into regions based on Oct. 1 student counts. A public hearing will be held on Nov.r 17 at 5:30 pm in an attempt to get feedback from the various districts, schools and communities. The public hearing will be held at the UHSAA offices (199 East 7200 South) in Midvale. In addition to the hearing on Nov. 17, the UHSAA Board of Trustees is seeking comment through the following link: http://www.uhsaa.org/realignment/comment.htm
The assignment of schools to regions will be finalized on Nov. 18, by the Board of Trustees, allowing time for schools and regions to organize and schedule for the two-year alignment period.
The first contests under the new alignment will take place the fall of 2011. The enrollment data upon which the alignment is based will be less than one year old. A two year, rather than four year, alignment period allows for adjustments more often as enrollments rise and fall at a number of schools. It is hoped that this method of assigning schools to classifications will increase fairness and efficiency by providing for equity between regions in qualification for the post-season.
The UHSAA Board of Trustees retains the responsibility for alignment of all member schools.