One of the biggest issues and concerns that our member schools have involves Releaguing. Every four years, the task of configuring our leagues takes place. It is a subject that our member schools are extremely passionate about and take very seriously. The process involves having each of the nine designated areas of our section formulate a plan that places every school in that area into a league within that area for the next four years. However, before the formal Releaguing effort can begin, another important task must be accomplished that has a major effect on the ability of our areas to form viable leagues. That situation is called Area Placement. Area Placement often gets ignored because of the much larger focus our schools put on Releaguing, but the decisions made regarding Area Placement can have a tremendous impact on how an area can arrive at a league configuration that works best for that area. We are currently involved in the Area Placement process for the 2014-2018 Releaguing Cycle. What that means is we are following the current CIF Southern Section Blue Book rules toward establishing the areas for our member schools so they may begin to develop their area’s Releaguing Plan. To gain a better understanding of these Blue Book Rules, I suggest you visit our website, www.cifss.org, where the entire Blue Book is available for you to download.
This year, some new Blue Book Rules will be applied to Area Placement for the first time. Specifically, the CIF Southern Section Office now has the responsibility of developing the Area Placement plan for our section. Here is the process we are following…
- We surveyed the principals of our member schools to ask if they wished to remain in their current area or wished to be placed into a different area. The surveys were mailed out on September 14, 2012 and were due back in our office by October 12, 2012. A key component of this survey is a requirement that schools are only allowed to address their own placement into an area, they cannot address issues involving other schools in their area.
- The results of our survey indicated that approximately 95% of our schools requested to remain in the area they are currently in.
- On October 24, 2012, our office staff met with the Releaguing Chairmen from the nine areas to review the survey requests and discuss issues and concerns in each area.
- On November 26, 2012, the CIF Southern Section Office will distribute the Area Placement recommendations for the 2014-2018 Releaguing Cycle.
- There is an appeals process available to schools who believe they have been placed inappropriately and schools who appeal may only address the appeal to their own school’s placement in that area, not the placement of other schools into their recommended area. The appeals process will be concluded by March 20, 2013. After that date, Area Placement will be complete and Releaguing can begin.
I hope this information is helpful and I wish all our member schools good luck in the time ahead.