Principals Criticize O.C. Proposal : High schools: Debate over Orange County section continues at Southern Section meeting.

The debate over an Orange County section for high school athletics continued Thursday in the Southern Section’s general council meeting, where two county administrators criticized the proposal.

Consultant Barbara Wilson, representing the superintendents of the county’s 14 public high school districts, reviewed the proposal in an effort to gain support from representatives of the section’s 66 leagues.

Maury Ross, former superintendent of the Tustin Unified School District, assisted Wilson with the proposal. Ross said Wednesday that he hoped the issue would be voted upon “as soon as possible,” but the council merely discussed the proposal.

“We will not ask for a vote from this group,” Wilson said. “Our next step is to go to the State Federated Council meeting (Feb. 7-8) for more discussion. The superintendents haven’t said absolutely that they want a section, I was merely asked to take it (proposal) through the process and let everyone come to the right decision.”

Two county principals, representing private and public schools, voiced displeasure with the proposal to form the new section.

Bill McKinley, principal and superintendent of Whittier Christian High in La Habra, said a county section would fail to serve the needs of the county’s 15 private schools. Whittier Christian is a private school with an enrollment of 600 students.

“The private schools would like to know, ‘Where do we stand?’ ” McKinley said. “We’ve been given token information and have not been included in the process since it began. Do we have an option of remaining in the Southern Section or will we be forced to join the new section?

“At this point, I’m not sure the new section is in the best interests of any high school in Orange County,” McKinley said.

Dennis Evans, principal at Newport Harbor High, noted the 300% increase in dues, inequity in playoff competition and lack of knowledge and creativity by the county’s school boards in governing high school athletics were all drawbacks to a county section.

“We have a small group of superintendents who have acted following a defeat of the parochial-public issue in the county,” Evans said. “The travel advantage of a county section is overstated.

“The people who cry about traveling for playoff games are the same people who are scheduling tournament games in Hawaii or Las Vegas.”

The council did approve a motion to direct the Southern Section office to distribute information about the proposed section and survey member schools on how the current section would be impacted if the county’s 57 public schools formed a section.

Other council agenda included:

--The elimination of the rule restricting athletes from competing on club teams during the school season. Currently, only 40% of the members of a high school team can compete for a club team in basketball, baseball, volleyball or softball during the school year.

The decision, which goes into effect immediately, came as a result of litigation in Santa Barbara Superior Court, where the parents of Santa Barbara High volleyball players challenged the rule.

--Two non-action proposals from Sea View League representative Duffy Clark of Tustin would alter playoff entry if approved. Under one proposal, eight-team leagues would be guaranteed four teams in the playoffs. In another proposal, teams would be grouped according to enrollment, similar to the method used in the basketball playoffs.

--An announcement that gate receipts from the Division I football championship game last month at Anaheim Stadium totaled $150,000. The section earned $75,000 and the participating schools, Mater Dei and Eisenhower, will receive $37,000.

--A proposed three-week dead period--when teams would not be allowed to practice--beginning Aug. 3, 1992, for athletes and coaches will be voted upon at the next council meeting March 19. The exception to the dead period would permit water polo and cross-country teams, which would have the option of selecting a period from June 29-July 19.