School sports realignment postponed

RENO -- The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association still has plans to realign its classes. It just won't happen for the 2009-10 school year.

On Tuesday, NIAA executive director Eddie Bonine told the association's Board of Control that it will hold off on realignment until at least the 2010-11 school year.

"The state's superintendents were preparing for the worst-case scenario," Bonine said. "It didn't materialize. It wasn't as bad as they thought. There isn't quite the urgency."

Still, Bonine and many of the board members agree that something needs to be done as the association looks to cut costs for its member schools.

"It's necessary," said Dan Phillips, a board member and Palo Verde principal. "There are a lot of programs struggling at the (Class) 4A level. It never hurts to take the time to hear everybody's concern."

Last month, the NIAA proposed realigning the state's four classes, which are enrollment-based, to three divisions. The proposal mixed enrollment and competitive balance and had big-school veterans Basic, Clark and Western among the schools that would no longer be in the top division.

The NIAA originally asked for the proposal to go into effect for the upcoming school year. After receiving feedback from member schools, the public and superintendents, the association backed off the gas pedal.

"We do need to do something, and I absolutely see something happening for 2010-11," Bonine said.

Realignment should help smaller schools, as it would probably lessen travel and the amount of class time missed by athletes and by teachers who also coach.

"There were people really hoping it would happen now and others hoping it wouldn't," said Faith Lutheran athletic director Bret Walter, whose school will move from Class 3A to 4A next year. "This allows for more opinions and hopefully the best outcome for the state. At some point, there has to be some change."

Bonine said he hopes to have a realignment plan in place by the spring 2010 board meeting. The NIAA has had a four-class system since the 1996-97 season.

The board did adopt a slightly modified version of the NIAA's proposed game-limit reduction, which will affect basketball, baseball, softball and soccer teams.

Those teams had their game limits cut by approximately 10 percent. Basketball and soccer teams will play 18 instead of 20 games but can still participate in two in-season tournaments. Baseball and softball were reduced from 24- to 21-game seasons and cannot participate in more than two in-season tournaments.

"There are districts in our state cutting back further than what we have," Bonine said.