To “B” or not to “B”
Frequently asked questions about moving to Class B
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• Why is Ronan thinking about moving to Class B?
Ronan High School currently has an enrollment of 317 students, well under the 340 student cutoff that is the currently the bottom end of Class A schools.
• What are the enrollment numbers for the classes of schools in Montana?
The current breakdown for high school classification in Montana is as follows: Class AA - 826 and above; Class A - 340-825; Class B - 120-339; Class C - 1-119.
• How long will we be in Class B if we move?
The classification of schools are recalculated every two years based on enrollment numbers.
• What happens if we drop down and enrollment goes up?
Any school that exceeds the maximum enrollment levels for a classification by no more than 10 percent can remain in the lower classification for two years. A school whose enrollment changes more than 25 percent during the two-year period shall them be placed in the proper classification.
• How does the process work?
According to the Montana High School Association website, “Any school that feels it has sufficient cause for reclassification, or wishes to transfer to another conference, division or district may petition the Executive Board in writing before July 1 of any school year, stating the reasons for submitting the petition. The Executive Board will decide in their November meeting whether the classification change will be granted. If the Executive Board approves the petition, the school will be moved into the new classification, district or division for the following year.”
• How will this affect the sports themselves?
Most sports will remain the same but golf will become a spring sport instead of a fall sport. If the school were to move to Class B, there would be no golf until the spring of 2012.
• How does this affect school funding?
School funding will not be affected by the change.
• Won’t the students have a harder time getting a scholarship playing for a Class B team?
While scholarships are handed out on a merit basis, it may be harder for a student to get noticed at the Class B level. Coaches maintain, though, that college coaches will find the good athletes despite what class they play in.
• Who gets to make the final decision about moving to Class B?
The final decision rests in the hands of the Montana High School Association but the Ronan School Board must vote to make a petition to move before the decision goes to the MHSA.
• How much has the enrollment at RHS changed over the years?
Since 2001, the enrollment at RHS has dropped by 94 students, a decrease of -23 percent.
• What about the enrollment at other schools?
Statewide, high school enrollment has dropped by 3.2 percent over the past 10 years while Polson has dropped 9 percent, Charlo is down 15 percent and Mission is down 7 percent.
• Where are all of the students going?
While no one can give a definitive answer to that question, there are several factors that had attributed to the falling enrollment at RHS. Hard economic times have brought about the loss of many jobs in the area, causing families to move away. Students may choose to attend another school. One of the hardest hits to the enrollment in Ronan schools came in 2004 after two middle school students left the school in the middle of the day and their bodies were later found in a field outside of town after the pair died of alcohol poisoning. The enrollment at RMS dropped from nearly 470 at the beginning of that school year to 360 at the beginning of the following year. The loss of jobs with the closing of the Plum Creek timber facility in Pablo has also recently contributed to the loss of students.
• How would a move to Class B affect travel costs?
A study by RHS of the proposed travel by the boys basketball team shows that the change in miles traveled by the team during the season would drop slightly if the school were to move to Class B. According to the study, the team will travel 1,603 miles this season and would travel 1,544 to play in the proposed Class B division.
• What do the students think?
A poll conducted at the high school showed that 72 perecent of the students (216) in graded 8-11 were in favor or staying in Class A while 28 percent (82) were in favor of moving to Class B.
• Are there any other schools that have recently made the change?
Bigfork was the most recent school to make the switch from Class A to Class B, making the move two years ago. According to Bigfork High School Activities Director Matt Porrovecchio, the change has been very good for Bigfork, but it did not come easily. According to Porrovecchio, there were many in opposition to the move but the change has been “real positive” for the school.
