Radical reclassification? Delayed on Monday by GHSA

Macon — The Georgia High School Association finally found a way to satisfy the majority on the controversial issue of reclassification at Monday’s meeting.

They decided to delay a vote for another month or two.

The chairman of the Reclassification Committee, Earl Etheridge, read a few sentences about the “4/8 plan” which had been narrowly approved for proposal the day before. Another GHSA member motioned to table or delay the vote and it was quickly approved by the 50-person Executive Committee.

“I think, among the 50 members, there were some people who liked the ‘4/8 plan,’ there were some people that didn’t like it, and there were some people who didn’t know enough to vote wisely,” said Ralph Swearngin, the GSHA’s Executive Director.

Ironically, delaying the vote on the “4/8 plan” was a minor victory for supporters of the radical plan, which consists of reducing the state’s five classifications to four, and then have two state championships per class for each sport. If the “4/8 plan” would’ve gone to vote on Monday, it would’ve likely been denied because of a lack of information and details.

“I think with the limited amount of knowledge that some people had about it, tabling was the best thing to do,” Etheridge said. “We’ve got to do a better job of educating people about it.

“We’ve got to sit down and talk to people that live in the North part of the state as well as the South and put together something that both of us can live with. If the ‘4/8 plan’ is not possible, then let’s go to something that is better for everybody.”

What’s next? The Reclassification Committee will have discussions and then send packets of detailed information to all the of the state’s region representatives. It will likely be voted upon in a special GHSA meeting in late April or May that has yet to be scheduled.