Cobb private schools face reclassifiication again
Dec. 2—Just when Cobb County's private schools thought they knew what region and classification they were going to be in for the 2022-24 school years, it looks like it is about to change again.
North Cobb Christian, Walker and Whitefield Academy are potentially moving up to Class AA, while Mount Paran Christian and Mount Bethel Christian would remain in Class A. Mount Paran, however, would be in Division 1 for schools with larger enrollments, while Mount Bethel would be in Division 2 for those with smaller enrollments.
This new configuration will become reality if the Georgia High School Association's executive committee approves the recommendation made Wednesday by its reclassification committee.
Less than a month after initially completing the new reclassification process, the GHSA was forced to revisit the issue after 10 private schools announced their decision to leave for the Georgia Independent School Association. That would have left Class A Private with only 25 football-playing programs.
Initially, the GHSA's 3.0 multiplier for out-of-zone students, enacted to help level the competitive balance between public and private schools in higher classifications, was not used on Class A schools because they were already split into public and private divisions.
Now, if approved, the multiplier will be used across the board, and it will force the recalculation of Class AAA, Class AA and Class A, as well as the creation of two divisions in the latter, each playing for its own state championships.
The new plan would have five current Class A private schools — Hebron Christian, Mount Vernon Presbyterian, St. Vincent's, Savannah Christian and Wesleyan — move up to Class AAA.
Among those joining the three Cobb schools in Class AA would be current rivals Darlington, Eagle's Landing Christian and Fellowship Christian.
Assuming the GHSA executive committee passes the proposal, the reclassification committee would meet again next week to hear appeals from schools in the three lower classifications to either move up or down. Once the appeals process is completed, the schools would then be put in new regions for the 2022-24 school years.
Whitefield athletic director Danny Ryan said in an email he was in favor of the GHSA's proposal.
"We were pleased that the reclassification committee decided on applying the multiplier and zoning rules to all classifications, including Class A," Ryan said. "Letting the schools 'fall where they may' according to the calculations was the most fair and equitable thing to do. There are still a few rounds of appeals that must take place, and regions have yet to be determined, but we are excited about the opportunities this presents for new rivalries and great competition with both public and private schools playing together in the GHSA."
