MHSA: Bigfork High School back to Class B

The Daily Inter Lake

Due to dropping enrollments, Bigfork High School could be on its way back to Class B.

The Montana High School Association notified school officials of the possible reclassification earlier this week. Bigfork's sports programs currently compete in Western Class A and have one of the lowest enrollments in the class with 326 students as of February 2008. In comparison, Columbia Falls had 834 students at that time.

"There's a lot to consider," said Bigfork School District Superintendent Russell Kinzer.

"There are positives and negatives to either side of it. I think it's important to try and maintain a competitive fairness for students in your school, and each school district has to evaluate that."

If successful, the reclassification would take affect in the new school year next fall. The school district has until November 14 to file an appeal, which is much sooner than previously allowed because the MHSA guidelines recently moved the appeal date back from January.

The issue will most likely top the agenda at the Nov. 12 school board meeting.

"We'll give them the factual information that we have and discuss the administrative recommendations," said Kinzer. "You can't condense it to objective data to make a decision."

After learning of the news, Kinzer said the school's coaches were surveyed about the possible change.

So far the results have come back 50/50, he said.