Amendment could circumvent play-up proposal

    By now the twice-warmed-over proposal to allow schools to compete in a higher classification may have or have not been approved.
    Principals were scheduled to vote on Jesuit principal Michael Giambelluca’s third attempt to allow this to happen on the morning of Jan. 27.
    It might be a reality today had it not been for the conspicuous absence of a handful of high school principals from schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans at the 2011 meeting.
    As it turned out, Giambelluca’s proposal failed by just six votes (142-136).        
    The Jesuit principal is cautiously optimistic that his revision of the rule that would allow a school to play just one class above its classification might pass muster. His original proposal called for a school to play up in any class.
    This alteration raised my confidence level as well until LHSAA executive director Kenny Henderson told me that an attendee from Assumption Parish may amend Giambelluca’s proposal to allow schools to compete in any class above their own. This raises my red flag at full mast.
    Both the Jesuit principal and I are feeling the vibrations of a possible circumvention.
    The fastest way to shoot down a proposal is to (1) call for an amendment that changes its original intent, (2) have enough principals approve the amendment, then (3) vote against the amended proposal.
    There are other important proposals on the 50-item agenda, but none is as important to the local Catholic schools as this one.
    If passed, Holy Cross and St. Augustine would voluntarily play in Class 5A, and hopefully Henderson would reunite them in a district with Jesuit, Brother Martin and Archbishop Rummel. I’m sure the athletic staff at Shaw would like to be in that number as well, but they don’t possess the school’s voting power.
Local support needed
    The key is to get enough local non-public school principals to join the minority of public school principals who would welcome the proposal.
    And there might be just one reason they wouldn’t … money.
    I have called District 9-5A as the “Catholic League Plus 3,” referring to the addition last year of West Jefferson, Grace King and Chalmette. I do this tongue-in-cheek and in no way mean to discredit the three public schools.
    But as it will turn out by the end of the school year, Martin, Jesuit and Rummel already have finished 1-2-3 in football and may do so again in boys basketball. In girls’ basketball, Archbishop Chapelle, Dominican and Mount Carmel dominate. Catholic schools are also dominant in soccer, baseball, softball and in the other spring sports with the possible exception of track and field.
    So the only thing the publics have to lose is revenue they derive from the larger fan base of the Catholic school supporters for events in which the competing schools split the gate.
    Giambelluca’s proposal would also benefit these Jefferson Parish public schools as well because it might enable them to reform one district of West and East Bank schools.
    That would leave Chalmette, which should remain with the local 5A Catholic schools. It is a district member and a good fit.
    Ron Brocato can be reached at [email protected].