The IHSA Board of Directors met this week for their regularly scheduled meeting in Bloomington, Illinois. The meeting covered various topics, but one of the most significant issues that was addressed was the classification cycle for schools starting in the 2025-2026 season.
The change comes in response to widespread frustration over smaller schools still being placed in very big classes which does not allow them to compete at the state level.
The Board came to the conclusion that a one-year cycle would be the best option moving forward to ensure all schools compete in the appropriate class size. The new classes in this cycle are determined by enrollments collected by the Illinois State Board of Education in September of 2024 to create the new classes for the 2025-2026 school year.
The new class cycle will see teams moving in class sizes a lot more frequently than they used to, creating a more competitive balance at each level. This addresses the concerns that people had about an almost clean sweep of private schools winning state championships this fall and many large public schools competing against smaller schools because of uneven class sizes.
The Board also heard a presentation with feedback from administrators from LeRoy High School and Tri-Valley High School in Downs regarding the IHSA Classification Policy.
In addition to classification changes, the Board discussed many other topics, such as potentially developing a policy that would allow IHSA to partner with third-party groups that conduct state tournaments in Illinois in sports and activities that are not currently offered by the IHSA.
If developed and approved, the policy would allow a third-party group to continue to operate its state tournament with the IHSA providing awards and logistical support.
Allowing third-party organizations to work with IHSA could offer businesses to promote and market themselves on the statewide stage. The IHSA partnering with media outlets could result in greater coverage of sports beyond just the major football games at the end of the year, bringing more visibility to other activities.
The Board also heard a report on the nine proposals forwarded by the IHSA Legislative Commission for the all-school ballot. IHSA member schools will vote on these nine proposals through December 16.
One proposal was from Moline High School and East Moline High School to amend Policy 18 regarding State Series hosting and seeding in team-bracketed sports.
The IHSA made some major adjustments to how they will operate in changing class sizes, and only time will tell to see how well this plan will play out.
