Reclassification process heads toward resolution next week.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

The Oregon School Activities Association, Eugene School District and Salem-Keizer School District have all filed responses to the proposed order written by a hearings officer last week that ruled the OSAA violated state laws during its reclassification process.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo is expected to make a ruling on the proposed order next week.

Hearings officer William Young ruled last week that the OSAA violated state laws when it voted to expand its current four-classification system to six classes beginning next year.

Young said the OSAA violated the law when it said it would use nine criteria during the process and then later prioritized three of those criteria. In addition, Young ruled that the OSAA violated the law when it expanded from four to six classes without approval from the Oregon State Board of Education.

The OSAA has said it does not believe it violated state law and sent a response to the State Board on Wednesday as did the two school districts.

The OSAA lists five objections to the proposed order in its response, including one that states the OSAA is not required to get the State Board's approval of its final decision, but only of the criteria used to reach that decision.

In its conclusion, the OSAA response reads: "The Proposed Order contains errors of fact and law. When those errors are corrected, withdrawal of the Proposed Order is required."

The Eugene School District's response is more focused on what should happen next in the process and asks that the current four-classification system be kept in place at least through the 2006-07 school year.

The ESD memo reads in part that "Oregon's schools need to know now where we stand. With the Superintendent's order we will know that the attempted changes that proposed a six-classification plan are ineffective as a matter of law. A final order could provide clarity for our schools by recognizing that our four-classification system remains in effect today and for the coming school year."

Eugene, Salem-Keizer and the Medford school districts all appealed the OSAA decision that would move Sheldon and South Eugene into a 6A league with North Medford, South Medford, Grants Pass and Roseburg.

Randy Harnisch, a policy assistant to Castillo, said he was meeting with the State Board's legal counsel on Thursday to look over the responses from the OSAA and the school districts.

"Our goal is to take all of those exceptions that have been filed by the parties and the hearings officer's proposed order and put it all in the mix and then during the first part of next week decide if we will modify the proposed order - and to what extent - or issue it as it's written," Harnisch said. "Then we will take that recommendation to the Superintendent next week and get it out as soon as we can. The soonest I expect anything, and this is probably an outside chance, is Tuesday."

A hearing that had been scheduled for Monday has been postponed indefinitely.

"Whether or not it is rescheduled depends on the outcome of our review," Harnisch said.