Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

March 2007 Board Meeting Summary

Board Acts On Advisory Committee Recommendations, Ties Up Loose Ends

BLOOMINGTON - The Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Board of Directors acted on the recommendations of two advisory committees and tied up loose ends at its regular quarterly meeting Friday (March 30).

The Board took the following action regarding these advisory committee reports:

Boys/Girls Basketball

1) The Board approved a recommendation requiring schools to submit their Regional Entry Form via the Internet through the IESA Member School Center no later than the Monday preceding the seeding meeting.

2) The Board approved a change in Basketball By-law 4.442 to allow a student to play no more than 8 quarters in a day during tournament play during the regular season. The change allows a student to play at either the seventh or eighth grade level each day during the tournament, but is still limited to the eight quarters each day.

3) The Board established minimum facility requirements for member schools to host state series regionals and/or sectionals. In terms of court size, hosting preference will be given to schools volunteering at the time of initial assignment with a court that measures 80 x 46 feet. If there are no volunteer hosts with a floor that measures 80 x 46 feet, the minimum court size will not be enforced.

4) A recommendation to add two positions to the Regional Entry Form for an assistant coach and additional manager, and to award medals, accordingly, was not approved.

5) The Board authorized the By-Laws Committee to discuss and explore application of a multiplier to the enrollment of schools without boundaries. The By-Laws Committee will meet later this spring at a date to be determined.

6) The Board agreed with the advisory committee that the top team in the bracket in state series competition shall be the home team in the respective game.

7) The advisory committee asked that the Sportsmanship Committee review crowd noise during a free throw attempt, and the Board authorized the Sportsmanship Committee to include that as an agenda item. Date of the next Sportsmanship Committee has not been scheduled.

8) The Board directed the IESA Staff to survey the membership to evaluate interest in creating a three-point competition during the state series for the eighth grade level.

Points of emphasis next year will be: a) mandatory use of the mercy rule; b) disconnection during free throw attempts; c) encouraging host schools of the regionals to use Saturday as the tournament start date.

Wrestling

1) The Board approved a recommendation to allow weigh-ins for the state series to be conducted as a team rather than by weight class.

2) The Board approved a recommendation to shorten the wrestling season by two weeks. Beginning with the 2007-08 (upcoming) school year, the wrestling season may begin on Monday November 26). Schools may conduct tryouts and practice no earlier than Monday of Week 22 and may begin competition no earlier than Monday of Week 23 in the Standardized Calendar.

3) The Board approved a recommendation that scratches reported after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday preceding the sectional will not be replaced.

4) A recommendation that bracket boards in each of the 19 weight classes be provided by the Association at the 16 regional sites was not approved.

5) A recommendation to wrestle for seventh-eighth place in each of the 19 individual weight classes at the State Final Tournament, and to award medals appropriately, was not approved.

6) The Board approved a recommendation to start competition Saturday at the State Final Tournament at 9:00 a.m. The change moves the second-day starting time forward by 30 minutes.

Other Business

The Board took the following action regarding the other business of the Association:

State Final Sites - The Board approved sites for the majority of the 2007-08 State Finals.

Cross-Country Scoring - The Board approved use of computer chip scoring of the four races at the State Final Cross-Country Meet beginning with the 2007 event scheduled Oct. 13 at Maxwell Park in Normal. The scoring system will be provided by Peoria-based Mercury Sports Group.

Coach Certification - The Board instructed the IESA Staff to investigate the ramifications of requiring coaches to be certified as a coach, and to report the results at the June, 2007, board meeting.

Awards Contract - The Board approved A & M Products Company of Princeton as the provider of the Association.s trophies and plaques for the next three school terms through 2009-10.

Girls Basketball Financials - The Board received the financial reports of the 2006 IESA Girls State Basketball Tournament series. A copy of the reports is available upon request by the principal of any member school.

Income and Expenses - The Board received the summary financial reports for the school year from July 2006 through February 2007.

Special Projects - The Board heard a status report on existing sponsorships and the printing of the state final programs.

Outside Team By-law - The Board reviewed a rough draft of the rational regarding By-law 3.043 (School vs. Non-School Participation), and instructed the staff to bring a final version to the June, 2007, meeting.

Board Elections - The Board heard a report that nominating ballots for the Board of Directors in new Division C and Division L were mailed March 29 to the member schools in those divisions. Appointed to the Nominating Committee were Board members Tony Ingold of East Peoria Central (Division J), Ron Ervin of Divernon (Division L) and Ron Graham of Virden (Division N).

Advisory Committee Dates - The Board heard a report regarding the dates for upcoming advisory committee meetings. They will be April 2 for Girls Volleyball, April 27 for Cheerleading, May 29 for Music, June 1 for Scholastic Bowl and June 6 for Track and Field.

Finance Committee Agenda - Items to be included on the agenda for the committee's annual meeting June 8, 2007, will include: association vehicles, financial institutions and state final ticket prices.

Division Reports

At each meeting of the Board of Directors, time is devoted for each board member to report on communication with and requests from the member schools in the Board member.s division. In addition, Board members also may make observations regarding the operation of the Association. Following is a report of those from the March 30 meeting:

Division F - Ms. Isackson reported that she received many compliments regarding the manner in which the 2007 State Final Wrestling Tournament was conducted.

Division G - Mr. Bunting reported receiving concerns from member schools regarding the travel time and distance that schools in his division experienced at the regional tournament level in Girls Volleyball. He hoped that the issue would be addressed for next year.

Division M - Mr. Carr reported that he had been in discussion with members in his division concerning the assignment of state final sites in central locations. He also reported that he had addressed complaints regarding admission fees for the state series music contests.