Cheney could jump to 3A athletics by 2020-2021

The Cheney School Board had a lot on its plate at its Feb. 13 meeting, hearing essential updates on upcoming sports classification changes and the ongoing attendance boundary review.

By all accounts, Cheney may soon see a league change in its future following the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) vote to drop its current system of classifications based on percentage and return to basing classifications on a ladder set by fixed enrollment numbers.

That means that Cheney High School will almost certainly be classified as a 3A school in the 2020-2021 school year — not the 2A school it is now.

In a new ruling voted in by WIAA in January, the classifications are primarily dictated by enrollment numbers, though there are also socioeconomic factors. For every percent of the student population utilizing the free and reduced lunch program above the state average (about 43 percent) schools can decrease their enrollment by 1 percent.

Cheney’s average year-round enrollment hovers around 1,020 students. 3A schools will be any with 900 students or more.

“If we want to be a 2A school, we’re going to need a way to lose more than 100 students, and we’ve got to get families to fill out the free and reduced lunch forms,” Cheney athletics director Jeff Chandler said. “Even with that, I think it’s less than likely we’ll be a 2A school.”

According to current numbers, there could only be three 3A schools in the area – Cheney, Mount Spokane and North Central. Others, like Mead, will likely opt-up and be classified as 4A institutions.

The change would require Cheney to petition the Greater Spokane League for admission, as opposed to the Great Northern League it currently competes in.

Superintendent Rob Roettger expressed some concerns at the prospect of a classification change, citing safety concerns for certain sports.

“Who’s going to look out for Cheney?” Roettger said. “It’s going to have to be us. We want to avoid a situation where kids don’t want to go out for sports because we’re not competitive.”

Roettger and Chandler both clarified that the district would not be raising the number of students on free and reduced lunch artificially, just ensuring that students who do qualify actually fill out the paperwork.

“It’s not to game the system, but truly gain more equity,” Chandler said.

Chandler also presented the board with updated Title IX information. A recent survey found that girls are underrepresented in sports at Cheney High School by about 10.5 percent — a number that is actually higher than in past years thanks to the 2013 addition of gymnastics and the 2016 addition of competitive cheer to the school’s sports schedule.

The district is considering the introduction of slow-pitch softball, Chandler said, and the GSL has approved entrance to that league. A resolution adding softball to the fall sports roster will be brought before the board at its next meeting.

Any final decisions on classification changes or Title IX updates must be approved by the board.

The board was also briefed on the progress on the district’s ongoing attendance boundary review. Following some parent concerns primarily related to busing elementary students away from Snowdon Elementary, the boundary review committee decided to revise its draft boundaries and host one more public meeting to get feedback from residents. Slight revisions will also be made to the middle school attendance boundaries in an attempt to better balance school sizes. The committee hopes to present its final recommendations at the board’s Feb. 27 meeting.

Board members also heard a legislative update and an announcement that educator training visit by renowned educator Dr. Anthony Muhammad originally scheduled for Friday, Feb. 15 was cancelled due to a family emergency and will be rescheduled for later in the year.

Roettger also said that in light of recent parent concerns, he and the district’s director of security Kelly Hembach have discussed school resource officers (SRO) joining a national SRO organization to receive regular training and best practices information. SROs may also attend quarterly meetings with district officials to work together on student safety.

Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].