T-R FILE PHOTO - Marshalltown junior quarterback Dalen Huston releases a pass during the Bobcats’ 42-13 win over Des Moines Lincoln on Sept. 30 at Leonard Cole Field. As the 21st largest school in Iowa, Marshalltown’s standing in Class 5A will likely go unchanged with the proposed socioeconomic reclassification by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

When the Iowa High School Athletic Association announced in early December that there would be a vote on a reclassification amendment with the potential to change football classes as early as 2023, there was widespread positive reaction across the state.

For many reacting on social media, it was a step in the right direction for the IHSAA in an effort to level the playing field among schools and lessen the current competition divide between socioeconomically privileged and underprivileged school districts.

But with the amendment passed by a tally of 211-52 on Friday, members of the Marshalltown Community School District expressed their concerns about the amendment and the lack of impact it projects to have on MHS football and the state at large. MHS Activities Director Ryan Isgrig said it was a positive development, but at the same time he felt the amendment didn’t go far enough.

“It’s interesting,” Isgrig said. “I appreciate the IHSAA and the Board of Control really looking into new ways to even the playing field, kind of why we made the decision to start the new conference [Iowa Alliance Conference]. I think it’s a step in the right direction but I feel like more could be done.

“I hope they just continue to research what other states are doing. I don’t know, we’ll see what happens.”

The IHSAA’s plan for socioeconomic reclassification is based on the Minnesota State High School League’s plan that allows every member school to subtract 40 percent of its free and reduced lunch count from annual enrollment numbers.

This will come into effect when schools are classified at the end of each school year.

Dr. Theron Schutte, the Marshalltown School District Superintendent, said that the model used by the IHSAA was disappointing and didn’t focus on truly leveling the playing field. He added that the impact of financial imbalance among high schools competing at the same level in sports across the state has the potential to lead to diminished participation, something which helped push Marshalltown to start the IAC this year with 10 other schools. He added that the move is already showing positive results.

“The problem is, if you have communities whose populace is extremely privileged competing against communities whose populace is extremely underprivileged, it’s a no-win situation,” Schutte said. “After not having success for an extended period of time, people stop participating, which defeats the whole purpose of kids going out for athletics.

“In all honesty, that was the premise for which we, along with 10 other schools, pulled out of the CIML to create our own conference which provided a more equitable playing field.”

Under the current proposal, Isgrig said Marshalltown would remain as a Class 5A school and potentially could only drop six spots in total enrollment figures [from 26th to 32nd] — this is despite having just under 70 percent of its students on free and reduced lunches, according to Schutte.

Dr. Schutte said he conveyed his disappointment directly to the IHSAA and added that Washington state’s model would have presented a better path to equity among programs in Iowa.

Washington state’s plan deducts one percent of a school’s enrollment figure for each percentage point above the state’s median number for free and reduced lunch, per the Seattle Times. It was voted into use in 2019.

“[The Minnesota plan] treated everyone equally instead of equitably,” Schutte said. “On the one hand, I’m happy that the IHSAA is finally starting to move in a better direction as it relates to equity, but what they’ve done really treats everyone equally instead of with equity and that is something I’m disappointed in.

“Because of treating everyone the same in this regard, it minimizes the impact of what they’ve done and, in my opinion, it gives the appearance that they’re trying to do something but it really isn’t addressing the problem the way it needs to be addressed.”

As it stands, under the IHSAA’s new plan — which goes to the Iowa State Board of Education in January — Bobcat head coach Adam Goodvin expects business to continue as usual for Marshalltown football in 2023 and 2024.

“We weren’t the only ones that were crunching enrollment numbers, but it doesn’t impact us at all,” Goodvin said. “With this formula, it’s only going to impact a couple of schools. This could be just a step in the process of making actual improvements, I don’t know, but the 40 percent of free and reduced is really not enough to make any major difference.”