Board of Directors Meeting Synopsis, Dec. 1, 2022

  Minnesota State High School League  

Board of Directors Meeting Synopsis  

League Office, Brooklyn Center, MN   

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022   

Welcome  

• Board member May Thao-Schuck provided the reflection.  
• Board President Troy Stein called the meeting to order at 9:44 a.m. 
• The Board of Directors approved the consent agenda.  
• The Board of Directors approved the meeting minutes of Oct. 6, 2022. 

Lobbyist Report 

• League Lobbyist Roger Aronson shared updates from the State Legislature. Members of the State Legislature are showing interest in the League’s Adoption of Programs Task Force and the Together We Make a Difference initiative. 

Legal Counsel Report  

• Legal Counsel Kevin Beck reported one pending case.   

Executive Director’s Report  

Executive Director Erich Martens:  

• Introduced the League’s newest staff members. LaTayia McInnis started with the League on Nov. 21 and Marissa Anitzberger started on Nov. 28. They will serve in administrative assistant roles.  
• Shared an update on work with the Principals Advisory Committee which includes discussion on the Adoption of Programs Task Force, as well as key topics relative to communication with principals. 
• Shared an update on a recent statewide virtual conversation held with Minnesota Activities Directors providing discussion opportunities on Contest Management. 
• Provided an update on Competitive Section Placement followed by District Football determination. League Staff is anticipating receiving enrollment data from the Minnesota Department of Education which is the key information to start the process. Schools are encouraged to follow the timeline posted on the AD’s dashboard.  
• Shared a distribution update on MSHSL Foundation Grant A, and the implementation of the process for Foundation Grants B1 and B2. 
• Gave updates on online ticketing including the League’s partner HomeTown Ticketing, apparel vendor Signature Concepts, and streaming partner NSPN.tv. 
• Yielded the floor to League Staff for updates on the many successful Fall State Tournaments. 

Executive Committee Report 

Board President Troy Stein reported:  

• The committee formally approved the hiring of LaTayia McInnis and Marisa Anitzberger. 
• Approved a waiver for one additional game for softball opponents playing Spring Grove High School. 
• Discussed the Adoption of Programs Task Force’s work and Representative Assembly. 
• Williams Arena, Target Center and Concordia University will be used for the Boys Basketball State Tournament to be held March 21-25, 2023. Because of a scheduling conflict with the Minnesota Timberwolves, there will be no games played at Target Center on March 22.   
• The Board of Directors approved a venue change for the League’s Prep Baseball Championship Series. The four-game championship event will be held Friday, June 16 at CHS Field in St. Paul. The weather date is Saturday, June 17. The venue change was necessitated because of an extended Minnesota Twins homestand at Target Field. The event is planned to return to Target Field in 2024.  
• In observance of the end of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, the League adjusted the dates of the Speech State Tournament to Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29. 
• The Board of Directors approved the Executive Committee report. 

Action Items 

9A: Adoption of Programs Task Force Recommendation 

• The Board of Directors approved a board policy recommendation by the Adoption of Programs Task Force to create a path for the adoption of activities through the development of an emerging status process. The approval process is in alignment with the directive of the board’s senior leadership in June that called for development of a clear process by which activities or sports may be added to the League’s programming.  
• The Board of Directors approved a proposal to classify Boys Volleyball as an emerging sport beginning with the 2023-2024 school year.  
• The Board of Directors approved a proposal to send consideration of the Boys Volleyball proposed bylaw amendment directly to the Representative Assembly. The approved proposal includes the recommendation of Boys Volleyball becoming a fully sanctioned, interscholastic sport for the 2024-2025 school year.  

Discussion Items 

10A: Together We Make a Difference 

• League Staff shared an update on the “Together We Make a Difference” initiative. Planning continues toward a statewide event that is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Jan. 13 at Park Center High School. The League appreciates the strong partnership of MSBA, MASSP, MASA, AMSD, MNIAAA, MSHSCA and Forbes Solutions in this initiative.  

10B: Wrestling Weight Classes 

• Beginning in 2023-2024, due to a change in the NFHS wrestling rules, each state association may select the number of weight classes for their state at 12, 13 or 14. League Staff shared data received from member schools sharing feedback. Feedback from the Wrestling Advisory Committee will be shared and a decision is anticipated in February 2023.  

10C: Fall Activity Advisory Proposals 

Football: 

• A proposal has been submitted to seed the Class Nine-Player through Class AAAAA fields prior to the quarterfinal round. Currently, the state tournament quarterfinal matchups are a rotation of geographically connected section opponents. The proposal seeks to seed Nos. 1-8. 

Soccer: 

• Mercy rule --- This proposal would implement a running clock if the goal differential is five goals or more in the second half. 
• Regular season overtime --- This proposal would eliminate regular-season overtime games. The result will be recorded as a tie. 

Tennis  

• Adding a third class --- This proposal seeks to add a third class for both boys and girls tennis and modify the way schools are grouped in each class. The proposal also seeks a modification to the MSHSL Classification Formula for Activities Conducted in Multiple Classes. 
• Seeding --- Member schools competing in Class A are seeking the implementation of a seeding system that uses the seeding of Nos. 1-5.  

Volleyball 

• Official squad size increase --- This proposal seeks to increase the number of players on the official roster from 15 to 18.  

10D: Representative Assembly 

• The Representative Assembly is scheduled to convene Tuesday, May 9, 2023. 
• The Board of Directors has submitted the proposed bylaw amendment relative to requiring eligible Cross Country officials at meets. 
• Another proposed bylaw amendment is to create a separate bylaw for Adapted Athletics Programs. The authors of the proposed bylaw amendment are working closely with and supported by the Minnesota Adapted Athletics Association.  

Committee Reports 

11A: Eligibility Committee 

• The Eligibility Committee report included updated data on the number of cases and outcomes and was approved as presented. 

11B: Audit/Finance Committee 

• The Board of Directors approved the September 2022 and October 2022 financial statements. 

11C: Marketing and Communications Committee 

• League Staff: 

• Shared a social media update from State Tournament coverage. The League seeks to continue and grow its use of social media. 

• Shared updates on corporate sponsorships and corporate engagement via public messaging and support of League programming. 

• Shared a technology update that included AD Education tracking and reporting and website mobile display enhancements. 

• Analytics and historical information on souvenir state tournament programs were shared.  

11D: Education and Leadership Committee 

• The committee introduced an Action Item for approval for a three-year Continuing Education Renewal beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. The Board of Directors approved the proposal. The focus areas will be concussion protocols, mental health, education-based activity philosophy, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.  
• League Staff shared that 40 applicants have shown interest in the Student Advisory and Leadership Team (SALT). An introductory Zoom meeting is planned for Jan. 4, 2023. An in-person meeting is tentatively planned for Jan. 23, 2023, at the League Office.  
• Winter Season Rules meetings are posted on the League’s website for viewing by coaches and referees. Activities Directors are encouraged to view the meetings. They can be found on their AD Dashboard. 

Information Items 

• Board of Directors Workshop, via Zoom: Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, 2 p.m. 
• Next Board of Directors Meeting: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. 
• The League Office will be closed from Dec. 23, 2022 to Jan. 2, 2023. 
• The meeting was adjourned at 12:53 p.m.