GHSA Agrees To Changes For Muscogee County Schools

Columbus, GA - A week ago the GHSA made some reclassifications based on the Base Realignment and Closure. It sent Hardaway and Northside up to AAAAA, Columbus went up to AAAA, while Carver and Kendrick were lowered to AA. Today, Muscogee County Athletics Director Gary Gibson appealed the moves and the high school governing body has agreed to the changes. Hardaway will remain AAAA, with Northside moving up to AAAA as well. Columbus remains at AAA, with Kendrick, Carver, Spencer, and Jordan representing AA in the city.

“The GHSA agreed to not include the BRAC numbers because they are so uncertain,“ Gibson said. “We will have to get with the building principals and meet with Susan Andrews (Muscogee County School Superintendent) to see if anyone wants to play up. It might be beneficial to AA schools to play AAA schools with Columbus and Shaw. It might also be beneficial for those schools to play AAAA.“

Gibson says they are looking at the regular season as far as transportation costs, the health and safety of the students, teams being able to compete, and also the bottomline from a dollar perspective. “Some of the proposals that we have come up with will benefit us more than others in the regions are realigned they way we think they might be,“ Gibson said. 

The numbers are based on spring and fall enrollment, and also BRAC, but Gibson said the GHSA agreed to take the BRAC numbers out, and if any of those schools have a 20% change in more or less students in the next four years, more changes could come.

Andrews must submit a proposal of schools playing up to the GHSA by November 25.