Midvale • The Utah High School Activities Association board of trustees on Wednesday realigned the classifications for 2019-2021. It was the second consideration of the proposed realignment.
Schools in Class 4A experienced the most movement. A total of seven schools moved up to 5A: Salem Hills, Spanish Fork, Payson, Lehi, Bonneville, Park City and Orem.
Five schools moved up from class 5A to 6A. Those schools are Roy, Skyridge, Farmington, West and Corner Canyon. Hillcrest moved down from 6A to 5A.
Class 4A went from four regions to three. Crimson Cliffs and Cedar Valley, which were not in the previous alignment because they were new schools, were added to that class.
One of the most significant shakeups came in Class 1A. Previously, that class had four regions, three of which consisted of eight schools. But the board decided to make 1A two regions instead, with two divisions — an A and a B — within them.
Monticello moved up from 1A to 2A. No schools moved down to 1A.
Schools in the top three classifications largely stayed put whether they were considered for all activities except football, or football only. But Class 3A gained a region and six schools from 2A in the new alignment for football-only schools. Those schools are Grand County, South Sevier, San Juan, South Summit, American Leadership Academy and Delta.
Classes 1A and 2A were combined to just 2A for football-only schools, and designated into North and South divisions. Previously, both 1A and 2A had North and South divisions.
The board also had its first considering of how to split up the classifications into regions. Traditionally, classifications are considered all but final after the second consideration, while regions can still change for individual schools.
Alignment Proposal FINAL by The Salt Lake Tribune on Scribd
A public hearing on the classifications and regions proposed by the board will be held on Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Jordan High School.
Several administrators from nearly 50 schools appeared before the board to lobby for places in certain classifications and regions. Many of those schools were on the enrollment bubble, meaning the number of students at their schools could be placed in either of two classifications.
The administrators cited travel and natural rivalries as reasons for having certain classification preferences.
Some schools were not granted their requests. Corner Canyon, which did not have an administrator present, petitioned to stay in 5A, but was still moved up to 6A.
The principal for Cottonwood told the board that her school wanted to stay in 5A, but be moved down to 4A for football only. However, the board chose to leave Cottonwood in 5A for all sports.
Many schools were granted the petitions they submitted.
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