The UIL District Assignment Appeals Committee has agreed with SBISD’s request to release Stratford High School from Conference 4A competition for the next two years and place it  in District 18-5A.

All schools affected by the decision supported Stratford High’s placement in the 5A Conference. Superintendent of Schools Duncan Klussmann argued the district’s appeal on Feb. 21 before the appeals committee.

On Feb. 1, UIL had notified SBISD that Stratford High had been placed in District 23-4A for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. The realignment affects campus athletics, fine arts and other UIL-related student groups and organizations.

The district’s successful realignment appeal was based on three main points:

• All schools in District 18-5A and District 23-4A voted unanimously to allow Stratford High’s movement to District 18-5A.
• Moving Stratford High to District 23-4A under the realignment decision breaks a 46-year tradition of Spring Branch secondary schools competing against each other in the same UIL district.
• The realignment would impose significant and costly travel requirements on Stratford High and the school district.

All schools in District 18-5A canvassed Feb. 4 voted unanimously to allow Stratford High to enter the new district. On Feb. 8, all District 23-4A schools were canvassed and voted to allow Stratford High to leave the new district and enter District 18-5A.

As noted in Superintendent Klussmann’s presentation and the district appeal letter, all SBISD high schools – Memorial, Northbrook, Spring Woods and Stratford – have participated and competed in the same UIL athletic district since the early 1960s.

“As you can imagine, over these years strong rivalries have been established. Since 1966, all the district football games among these four schools have been played in Darrell Tully Stadium. Stratford High’s movement to District 23-4A would eliminate these longtime traditions,” Superintendent Klussmann told the appeals committee, which met in Austin.

Oliver Luck, past president of the Stratford High School Booster Club, submitted one of many letters supporting the appeal. “Spring Branch ISD has served as the glue that holds this community together,” he stated. “Located in the suburbs of west Houston, there is no natural ‘gathering point’ for the residents of the district.

“There is no City Hall, no park, no town square that serves to hold this community together. That function is met by SBISD, in particular by the sporting events between the four high schools. The four high schools have competed together for decades. Should Stratford High School not be successful with this appeal, an important thread in the fabric of this community will be removed to the detriment of the community.”

For many years, SBISD has awarded a series of common athletic awards. “The awards given have historical significance for our students, schools and community. The placement of Stratford High in a conference not aligned with other schools would end these time-honored traditions,” the district argued in its appeal.

Realignment would also impose costly, new travel requirements on Stratford High and the school district. An analysis prepared by the SBISD Athletics Department of suburban and urban schools found that Stratford would have the greatest travel requirement of all Houston metropolitan area high schools.

posted 02-21-08