OSSAA Delays Decision on Enrollment Multipliers

Originally Published: Apr 13, 2010 12:6 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The OSSAA held a committee meeting Tuesday to address the possible need to change the way sports teams are classified, but decided to table the issue for further consideration.

The debate centers on whether magnet, private, American Indian and charter schools should have their enrollment numbers multiplied to determine their classification. Per the proposal, most private schools would be subject to a 1.3 multiplier, while magnet, American Indian and charter schools would be subject to a 1.15 multiplier.

“We've been charged with coming up with a solution for a very difficult problem,” OSSAA Board President Stephanie Spring said. “Oklahoma is not the only state that faces this.”

Some board members voiced concerns about the multiplying factor and how it would apply to some private schools and not others. Several athletic directors from private schools attended the meeting. They are worried how the change could affect their sports competitively because it could place them in a higher classification.

“Board members felt like adding a simple multiplier didn't create fairness across the board,” Spring said. “It moved some non-publics up and some non-publics didn't move at all.”

The board will conduct further study on the issue and render a decision at a later time. If a multiplier is instituted, it could cause several schools to jump into a higher class. Tulsa Public Schools would be particularly affected, since all TPS high schools are magnet schools.