Preview and predictions for Friday's WIAA Annual Meeting

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) will host its 2026 Annual Meeting on Friday, April 24th at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, with a number of noteworthy items on the agenda, including proposed Constitutional changes that would impact the processes of the association.

The Annual Meeting serves as an opportunity for all member schools, of which there are 514 high school members, to come together to review and celebrate the previous year in high school athletics, discuss issues facing the association moving forward, and vote on Constitutional changes that come forward through the WIAA's processes.

Some years, the Annual Meeting is relatively low-key, with no significant changes on the agenda. Other years, there can be fireworks at the meeting, as we saw in 2015 when a petition introduced a private school multiplier and there was considerable heated debate with roll call votes, questions about Robert's Rules of Order, and a meeting that extended well beyond the normal timeframe.

This year, there are several proposals that the membership will vote on, with a simple majority of respondents (each school in attendance gets one vote, regardless of how many representatives a school sends) needed to pass any measure.

In addition to the two amendments below, there are editorial changes that provide clarification in language across several parts of the WIAA Constitution. These are editorial in nature and generally pass overwhelmingly with little debate or controversy.

There is always the chance that schools introduce amendments at the Annual Meeting, which would require a majority of schools in attendance to support, though a full vote for implementation of such a rule could not be voted on until the following Annual Meeting in 2027. This is extremely rare, and unlikely for this year.

This article isn't meant to provide judgement or opinion on the various proposals, but rather to provide a prediction of what I think will happen. Each of the Constitutional Amendments along with a possibility that could arise at the meeting will be examined.

To see the full list of proposed Amendments and the rationale behind them, please click here. The meeting begins Friday at 9 am in Stevens Point, and we'll have full coverage at the proceedings and following. Follow me on Twitter @travisBOUND for live updates throughout the day. The meeting can also be livestreamed here.

Number 1 - Powers and Duties of the Board of Control

Summary: Coming out of frustrations from schools over processes that led to the basketball shot clock to be approved (and later repealed) as well as an expansion of game maximums in basketball, a membership petition was proposed and passed in 2021 that gave additional authority to the WIAA Advisory Council. Previously, the Advisory Council provided feedback on the rules making process, but after the 2021 amendment, the Advisory Council was able to vote down proposals before they even got to the Board of Control for consideration. Since that time, a number of proposals generated through the various Sports Advisory Committees have been defeated at the Advisory Council level, causing frustration among the various sports groups. The amendment also limited the power of the Board of Control, and according to the WIAA’s justification for the amendment, led to functions of the association being delayed and limited Board of Control authority. This amendment received overwhelming support from the Sports Advisory Committee, Advisory Council, and Board of Control.

Prediction: I predict this will pass, as there has been frustration among coaches groups and schools alike that the rule-making process has become burdensome with two different groups having the power to defeat proposals generated from the various coaches advisory committees. This includes last year, when the Advisory Council voted down a basketball shot clock proposal that would have advanced the debate to the full membership for an up or down vote that has been avoided for many years, leaving things in a frequent state of limbo and frustration in the basketball community.

Number 2 - Coaching Contact

Summary: This proposal would remove barriers to hiring new coaches, which currently prevent schools from hiring a new coach who has coached athletes from that school during the summer period. This amendment would adjust language to still restrict returning coaches from coaching athletes outside of the sport season sanctioned summer contact period, but allow schools to hire new coaches who may have coached athletes previously. New coaching hires would be exempt from coaching contact restrictions. This amendment received full support from the Sports Advisory Committee and Board of Control, as well as significant support from the Advisory Council.

Prediction: I predict this will pass easily, as schools are having increasing challenges hiring new coaches, especially in certain sports where the pool of available coaches is often small, and many come from club programs.