GHSA reclassification bump rule has little direct impact in Middle Georgia

The GHSA's bump rule for the 2016 realignment cycle likely will only affect four Middle Georgia schools, according to data published Wednesday by the association.

Jeff Davis, Vidalia, Bleckley County and East Laurens enroll more than three percent of their students from outside of their home counties. Those schools will be subject to a one-classification bump, although those schools will be able to appeal those figures next week.

The largest school affected is Jeff Davis, which is listed with 867 high school students. With 30 out-of-county enrollees, its out-of-county number is 3.5 percent, putting the school four students above the line at which it will be bumped up a class.

Vidalia (8.7 percent) and Bleckley County (9.6 percent) are well above the cutoff for out-of-county enrollees. East Laurens is at 4.1 percent, six students above the cutoff.

All four Macon private schools are above the three percent mark, but all of them likely will end up in Class A, which is unaffected by the rule passed in August by the GHSA executive committee.

In addition to the potential for moving up, there will be an opportunity for some schools to move down in classification, depending on how many schools move up in each classification.

The reclassification committee will meet next Wednesday in Thomaston to hear appeals of enrollment figures and to place schools in classifications. The GHSA will publish the classification lists the following day on its website, and schools will have until Nov. 30 to request assignment to a higher classification.

Regions will be determined Dec. 1 by the reclassification committee, with appeals for lateral transfers heard Dec. 8. The final region alignments go up for a final vote Jan. 13 in front of the executive committee.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 7:25 PM with the headline "GHSA reclassification bump rule has little direct impact in Middle Georgia ."