Meeting was convened at 4:15 p.m. by Chairman Majikes
ITEM 1 Chairman Majikes welcomed member schools to the meeting and quickly introduced the PIAA District II committee members as well as PIAA Associate Executive Director Robert Lombardi and PIAA Assistant Executive Director Mark Byers.
ITEM 2 Chairman Majikes thanked all of the member schools for their cooperation during the past year in regard to hosting district championship events in all of the various sports. The cooperation of all of the member schools in District II is greatly appreciated.
ITEM 3 A motion was made by Tom Jenkins (District II Vice Chairman), seconded by Charlie Turco (AD-Pittston Area) to approve the minutes of the 2008 Annual Business meeting and to dispense with the reading of said minutes. All Ayes
ITEM 4 Frank Victor, District II Treasurer, gave the 2008 Treasurer’s Report. Our operating budget for 2008-2009 was set at $350,000. Our fund balance as of June 30, 2008 was $139,668.43 an increase in the fund balance of $10,510.89. A total of $46,428 was given back to District II member schools as a result of participation in boys’ and girls’ basketball playoffs as well as football playoffs. We currently have $69,678.39 in our checking account, $58,089.50 in our PIAA corporate account, and $11,900.54 in a Certificate of Deposit.
A motion was made by Gerald Bavitz (AD- Nanticoke Area High School), seconded by Tom Wolfe (AD-North Pocono High School) to approve the Treasurer’s Report as submitted. All Ayes
ITEM 5 Jim Higgins presented the Credentials Report. There are 36 High Schools and 35 Junior High Schools present at today’s meeting.
ITEM 6 COMMITTEE REPORTS:
a) Tennis (Joe Lalli): Information on the upcoming District Boys’ Playoffs was available at the sign in table. Details of all of the deadlines, dates of competition and venues are located on the web page and in the handout distributed at today’s meeting.
b) Volleyball (Maureen Williams): The format for the boys’ tournament is available at the sign in desk and on the web page. The tournament will have 8 “AA” playoff spots available. This year there is also a “AAA” classification and our representative will participate in the District XI playoffs.
c) Track and Field (Danielle Adams): Information for the championships is available in today’s handout as well as on the web page. Please pay attention to all deadlines, dates for meetings and competitions. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact Danielle via email (address available on web page).
d) Baseball (Frank Majikes): Information was distributed and will be available on the web page – please remember that the deadline for non-participation notification is May 6th – registered letters to that affect must be sent to Frank.
e) Softball (Frank Majikes for Dino Galella): Information was distributed and will be available on the web page – please remember that the deadline for non-participation notification is May 6th – registered letters to that affect must be sent to Dino.
f) Soccer (Vito Quaglia): The format for the spring girls’ championships is available at the sign in desk and on the web page.
n) Officials (Joe Lalli & Maureen Williams): District II was complimented on the number of officials who worked state championship events this season in all of the various sports championships.
o) Eligibility (Mike Ognosky): Member schools continue to be very timely and cooperative in the filing of eligibility rosters.
p) Sportsmanship (Frank Galicki): The District II Committee will be meeting in May and finalizing this year’s selections for the annual Sportsmanship Awards.
ITEM 7 Chairman Majikes introduced Mark Byers, Assistant Executive Director of the PIAA. Mark then offered comments on the following proposed Amendment changes which will be voted on by member schools today:
§ Proposed Amendment Number 1 is to amend Article VII, Powers and Duties of the Board of Directors and Officers, Section 1, to recognize the power of the Board of Directors to hear appeals from Regional Panels and for the Executive Director to resolve emergency matters relating to appeals from Regional Panels, effective July 1, 2009. High School Members 36 Ayes; Junior High School Members 35 Ayes.
§ Proposed Amendment Number 2 is to amend Article VIII, Regional Panels, of the PIAA Constitution, to (1) authorize each District Committee to select more than three members of that Committee to serve on a Regional Panel, provided each involved District has the same number of members on that Panel; (2) remove the requirement that officers of a Regional Panel serve for a period of one year; and (3) authorize the Executive Director to designate one member of the Regional Panel to serve as Chairman in the absence of an agreement by the participating Districts on the selection of that Chairman, effective July 1, 2009. High School Members 36 Ayes; Junior High Members 35 Ayes.
Mark also went on to highlight the following By-Law Amendment highlights:
§ Amended Article II, Amateur Status and Awards, of the PIAA By-Laws, (1) Section 2, Loss of Amateur Status, to expand the rule allowing participation in a professional try-out camp to sports other than baseball; (2) Section 3, Permissible Awards, to shift the focus from what an entity may give to a student to what a student may accept modernizing the list of permissible awards a student may accept, bringing school affiliated booster clubs within the scope of the rule, permitting a student’s acceptance of certain awards at the end of the season for participation on a team, and placing a monetary upper limit on the presentation of permissible awards received by students.
§ Amended Article VI, Transfers, Residence, and Recruiting, of the By-Laws, to recognize the authority of Regional Panels to hear matters arising out of Article VI relating to transfers and athletic recruiting involving persons or schools located in two or more districts, effective October 3, 2009.
§ Amended Article VII, Foreign Exchange Students, International Students, and Foreign Students, Section 3, Foreign Exchange Student/International Student Eligibility Agreement, and Section 4, Ineligible Students, of the PIAA By-Laws, to clarify that students that are determined eligible under this Article are only eligible for one year at any PIAA member school, effective July 1, 2009.
§ Amended Article XIII, Penalties, of the By-Laws, to recognize the authority of Regional Panels to impose certain penalties under Article XIII, which involve PIAA member schools under the jurisdiction of contiguous District Committees, effective October 3, 2008.
§ Amended an interpretation of Article XIII, Penalties, Section 3 and 10, of the By-Laws to clarify that the forfeiture of an event or match by an ineligible contestant does not effect the individual results and statistics of otherwise eligible students participating in those same contests, effective January 30, 2009.
§ Amended Article XV, Officials, of the By-Laws, to update Section 1, Sports Officials must be registered with PIAA, to clarify the standards for PIAA registered sports officials to officiate contests at PIAA member schools; Section 2, How Persons may become PIAA Registered Sports Officials, to clarify how a person may become a PIAA registered sports official; and, the offenses identified in 23 Pa. C.S.A. 6344, all effective October 3, 2008.
Chairman Majikes then introduced Dr. Robert Lombardi, PIAA Associate Executive Director, who commented on a number of 2009-2010 PIAA current issues including:
§ The role of member schools in determining the fitness of sports officials registered with PIAA for the first time after March 31, 2007 and the process of completing the required clearances. Dr. Lombardi clarified the school role, the PIAA’s role and the official’s role in that process.
§ He reviewed the proposal to increase the member junior high school dues by $50 (from $150 to $200), “A” member senior high dues by $125 (from $350 to $475); “AA” member senior high dues by $150 (from $400 to $550); “AAA” member senior high dues by $175 (from $450 to $625); and “AAAA” member senior high dues by $200 (from $500 to $700) effective July 1, 2009.
§ Dr. Lombardi then explained community based “club” teams participating against PIAA member school sponsored interscholastic teams in sports under the jurisdiction of PIAA, Article XII, Athletic Relations Section 1, subsection A, Teams which PIAA member schools may play. Current By-Law language provides that “no inter-school practice, scrimmage, or contest may be played with a Team not sponsored and controlled by a public school or Private School nor any school not belonging to PIAA, unless the non-PIAA member school’s eligibility rules for school, Team, and contestants meet the requirements of PIAA”. This issue has recently come to the forefront in Lacrosse.
§ He completed his review of current issues with a review of the recommendations of the football steering committee to amend Article XVI, Season and out-of-season rules and regulations, Table 1 – Schedule of Fall Sports, of the By-Laws, to provide for the reduction of the Regular Season and Postseason in the sport of football from 16 weekends to 15 weekends; to amend the policy of determining number of enrollment classifications in the sports of baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball and volleyball, to “carve out” football from that policy; and, adopt a Policy for Determining Number of Enrollment Classifications in the Sport of Football, to provide for six enrollment classifications in that sport, effective July 1, 2010.
Dr. Lombardi also discussed the Pennsylvania Department of Health and PIAA Tobacco Free Initiative and presented to each member school a sign for each school member they have in the PIAA (junior and senior high school memberships) for display in their schools. He also discussed the extension of the 5 minute playing time sit out for a yellow carded player for the 2009-2010 year; and the change in the first legal practice date for the 2009-2010 winter sports season from Monday, November 23rd to Friday, November 20th. Finally, Dr. Lombardi notified the group that the deadline for RFP’s (Request for Proposals) for the 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012 PIAA Team Wrestling, Individual Wrestling, Swimming and Diving, and Basketball Championships are due in the state offices by Friday, April 24, 2009. The PIAA Board of Directors will announce the awarding of bids at its meeting on Wednesday, May 20, 2009.
ITEM 7 OLD BUSINESS – There was no old business conducted at today’s meeting.
ITEM 8 NEW BUSINESS – The following new business items were conducted:
Jim Sabatini entertained motions for the election of officers.
A motion was made by Frank Parra (AD- Wyoming Area) and
seconded by Al Holtzer (AD – Delaware Valley) that the present committee members be retained. All Ayes
A motion was made by Jack Kelly (AD-Dunmore), seconded by Tim Honeywell (AD- Berwick) that the nominations be closed. All Ayes
The current committee members will be retained as presently constituted.
ITEM 9 A motion was made by Chuck Alexander (AD-Honesdale), seconded by Sandy Mackay (AD-Wyoming Valley West) to adjourn. All Ayes
Meeting was adjourned at 5:38 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Ognosky
Mike Ognosky
District 2 Secretary