HIGH SCHOOLS : Subcommittee: Keep Winter Sports Intact

Members of a subcommittee of the Interscholastic Athletics Committee in the Los Angeles Unified School District said Thursday they will recommend that the winter-sports season remain intact when the district changes to year-round school in July.

The recommendation is being made after reviewing sentiments expressed by coaches and administrators at public hearings Tuesday and Wednesday nights. It will be presented to the full IAC at a meeting Monday. The IAC will have until early March to work out the specifics of a plan to keep the winter sports seasons intact before presenting a final proposal to the school board.

When year-round school begins, most of the district’s high schools will not be open all year because they are not overcrowded. Those schools will follow a calendar that has them closed for seven weeks during the winter. As a result, there has been speculation that winter sports would have to be moved to a fall calendar to accommodate the closures.

Thursday’s statement, however, does not mean there will be no changes in winter sports. The subcommittee said the winter season could remain intact only if a long list of conditions could be met by the school board, including access to transportation for athletes and supplying supervision and security at all contests.

“Our coaches expressed their desires and we plan to honor them,” said Hal Harkness, district athletic commissioner. “But everything is contingent on whether the school board will give us the financial support we need.”