By Will Wright
The Herald-Zeitung
Published January 29, 2006
There's an old saying about state politics — something about a man's life, liberty and property being in danger whenever the Texas Legislature's in session.
The folks at the University Interscholastic League would like to think they're nowhere near as dangerous, yet to some its biennial realignment of the state's public school academic and athletic districts carries the same kind of fury.
On Thursday, the UIL, the governing body for extracurricular activities, will announce which Texas schools will go where for the next two school years, and it's anybody's guess where they'll wind up. It's a process that's continual for the UIL, and, of course, it's not perfect — dozens of appeals will be filed by school districts not happy with where their schools have landed.
Locally, the feeling is that the UIL may be lenient compared to its 2004-06 4A alignment that lumped both New Braunfels schools in with those west and northwest of Austin. Two new 4A schools have opened since the last realignment — Kyle Lehman and Schertz Steele — splitting the populations of their parent schools, Hays Consolidated and Schertz Clemens, sending all into the 4A ranks.
That alone would be enough to send the New Braunfels schools into a closer district just south of Austin or into a district just north of San Antonio. It could save the Comal and New Braunfels school districts a bunch of travel dollars, as well as helping kids at those schools get a little more sleep.
In San Antonio, the immediate future of one school in the North East district may well determine where Smithson Valley winds up. San Antonio Lee, which on Oct. 28 submitted an average daily membership (ADM) of 1,968 for 2006-08, is very near what many believe will be the cutoff separating Class 5A and Class 4A.
That line, currently set at 1,925, could see its biggest jump in several realignments because of the addition of several new high schools in 4A and 5A throughout the state. The UIL also allows some schools with 4A ADMs to opt up, or to compete in 5A for travel reasons. Because the UIL is mandated to have a maximum of 245 schools in 5A, all of the above could send a ripple effect into higher ADM bars set for 4A and even 3A.
UIL Assistant Athletic Director Mark Cousins said there are bound to be some wide eyes when the new alignments are announced at 9 a.m. Thursday.
“I think when you're talking about 1,300 schools and 250,000 square miles, somebody's always going to be surprised,” he said. “One of the things our superintendents who sit on the legislative council are concerned about is trying to keep the enrollment ratio between the biggest and smallest schools in the 2A, 3A and 4A levels as close to 2.0 as we can.”
By 2.0, Cousins means that the ADM for a school at the top of the class will not be more than twice that of the school at the bottom. It hasn't always worked out that way, especially in 4A and 3A, because of the total number of schools needed to spread out between 32 districts.
“The UIL runs scenarios through its computers and they can come up with millions of scenarios for the schools districts around the state,” New Braunfels schools Superintendent Ron Reaves said. “They try to balance travel among the schools in Texas as best as they can and really try to minimize the hardships of travel. They try to make it as equitable as possible.”
Enrollment is the first dictator of which school is placed where, and several schools could drop from 5A into 4A. For example, the effect of 5A schools Belton, Copperas Cove and Waco going into 4A will work its way south to Austin and eventually here. The drop of two Corpus Christi 5A schools into 4A could send the three remaining Corpus 5A schools and Victoria Memorial into San Antonio.
There will be a bevy of nine- and 10-team conferences in 5A and possibly 4A.
“There will be several nine-team districts and some with 10 teams,” Cousins said. “It may occur in other conferences, sometimes by policy and others by circumstances warranting more than an eight-team district.”
At least the Comal school district won't have to worry about where the new Canyon Lake High School will wind up. District officials did not submit numbers for the school, which will open in 2007-08 for ninth and 10th grade only.
Canyon coach Les Davis thinks assessing realignment can be a waste of time.
“It's fun to look at all the possibilities, but they can't all happen,” he said. “The one thing I do know: The toughest district in America is the one you're in.
“I also know that the thing I think will happen usually doesn't happen.”
Smithson Valley's placement
If Lee drops into 4A, it could leave the Rangers in their current setting with the NEISD's five other schools — MacArthur, Churchill, Madison, Roosevelt and Reagan — along with Converse Judson and the new Converse Wagner.
If Lee stays in 5A and the Converse schools align with the North East schools, Smithson Valley might wind up where it was two years ago, in a district with what's left in the current 25-5A — Seguin, East Central, San Marcos, Highlands and Southwest.
“We're a one-horse town in 5A, so wherever they need one team is where we're going, and wherever they need two teams is where Judson (ISD schools) are going,” Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill said. “If they need three, then we'll all go together.”
It all hinges on the UIL's line separating 5A and 4A. Hill, the president-elect of the Texas High School Coaches Association, has heard a smattering of theories the past few months — mainly from “number crunchers” dabbling in speculative assessments who feel that line will fall between 1,950 and 1,980 students.
“My personal belief is that if Lee stays, we'll leave that district (26-5A),” Hill said. “If Lee goes to 4A, we'll stay in that district.”
There's always the chance that Smithson Valley could stay in the current 26-5A, which would add the extra Converse school for a nine-team district.
“I don't think that you could have a nine-team district in San Antonio,” Hill said. “But there's rumbles that the Corpus schools and Victoria could be coming up here, and if that happens, it's possible. But I really don't know.”
Class 4A possibilities
If recent history is a guide, then both city schools will return to a closer district. In 2002-04, New Braunfels and Canyon were with schools south of Austin — Dripping Springs, Del Valle and Lockhart — and Lake Travis in a seven-team district.
This time, look for Lake Travis to stay closer to Austin and for Lehman to stay in 27-4A, where it currently plays every sport except football. Including Hays Consolidated would almost mirror that district of two years ago, with Manor — on the 3A-4A bubble — making eight.
“The changes in our area with the new schools in Hays and Schertz and with Manor possibly going up (to 4A), that all throws kinks into the deal,” New Braunfels athletic director Chuck Caniford said. “It's going to be interesting.”
A different scenario has both New Braunfels schools lumped in with both Hays schools, both Schertz-Cibolo schools, Dripping Springs and Del Valle. But Del Valle has always been lumped in with Lockhart, and the addition of Manor would create a 10-school league.
The UIL usually aligns the Schertz schools south and the Hays schools north. Where Canyon and New Braunfels will fit is anyone's guess.
“Taking into account that the UIL says travel is one of the guidelines, it would be real easy to put Hays, Lehman, Canyon, New Braunfels and the Schertz schools in one district, but that would make it difficult for some of the schools around us,” Caniford said. “That's why I think us and Canyon will be part of one of the two and not both.”
In 1998, when New Braunfels was moved into Class 5A (there's no chance of that happening this time around), Hays, Bastrop, San Marcos and Lockhart joined Smithson Valley and Canyon in a league. Now that Bastrop and San Marcos and Smithson Valley are bonafide 5A, the first scenario makes the most sense.
But then again, looking at the 2000-02 alignment that put Canyon, Smithson Valley and New Braunfels in with Fredericksburg, Kerrville Tivy and Boerne, the UIL is capable of anything. Right now, Boerne is straddling the fence with 5A, and Fredericksburg could drop into 3A.
If neither happen, there's a chance Canyon and New Braunfels could get to know Texas 46 quite well. And there's yet another layout that has those three Hill Country schools hooking up with Dripping Springs, Lake Travis and Burnet, leaving the New Braunfels schools aligned with the Hays schools, Del Valle, Lockhart and Manor in a six-school league.
Saving time and money
New Braunfels athletics transportation costs have risen from $63,156 in fiscal year 2002 to $99,659 in fiscal 2004, the first year of the long-distance drives to schools throughout District 27-4A.
“It's a big concern for all of us because the cost of transportation has gone up so much in the last couple of years,” Caniford said. “Going to Burnet for a basketball game has become a pretty pricey deal.”
Not only that, kids participating in 27-4A volleyball, basketball, softball and baseball have at least three long trips to make to schools west and northwest of Austin. Most of them occur on a school night, with those student-athletes returning in the wee hours the next morning.
“One of my concerns has always been, especially with basketball, is 8 p.m. start times,” Caniford said. “We've got to find a way to bump those times up so kids aren't getting home so late. It might be 12:30 when they get in, and then they have to turn around and be at school at 7:15.
“You wouldn't expect adults to be productive at work with that little time — we shouldn't expect our kids to be, either.”
Comal schools figure all co-curricular activities (band, cheerleaders, pep groups etc.) into its travel expenses, which for Canyon and Smithson Valley are harder to distinguish.
The Cougars costs are up from $78,045 in 2002-03 to $82,674 in 2004-05, but the school totaled $95,526 in travel in 2003-04 and is over $103,277 thus far for 2005-06. Smithson Valley's expenses have come way down since its days in Class 4A, having spent $175,465 in 2001-02 to $135,140 last school year.
“Over the last five years, travel costs have gone up 50 percent,” New Braunfels' Reaves said. “Anything we can do to keep costs down would be better for us.”
Although gas prices have increased by 50 cents a gallon over this time last year, it's not really the extra travel expense that irks school officials, but the time element.
“I'd love to get out of driving so far, especially in the sports that have Tuesday night games,” Canyon's Davis said. “It's a long haul back to New Braunfels from Marble Falls if you have to get up for school the next morning.”
Where they'll be on Thursday
Caniford, Hill and Davis will be at the new Texas High School Coaches Association's headquarters in San Marcos. Deputies from each school will be at the Region 20 Education Service Center in San Antonio, with a few others set at the Region 13 ESC in Austin.
At those locations, coaches will receive packets announcing statewide realignments. This being Texas, the first order is football and all will be wearing out cell phones trying to arrange opponents for open dates.
“All of us have verbally agreed for nondistrict games,” Caniford said. “It's real important to have someone in the room as soon as it's announced. If we've got to find a Week One, Week Five or whatever, we can start with the people who are there.”
School districts protesting their realignments have until Feb. 13 to file their request with the UIL. They must have permission to leave their assigned district to leave for another, and all members of both district executive committees must concur. The UIL will hear appeals in Austin on Feb. 20.
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You never know what the UIL will do. This is going to be interesting.
