Monday, March 8, 1999

HHSAA finally
opens up

The board will discus a state
football tournament at its
meeting tomorrow

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

It's been a long time coming but the Hawaii High School Athletic Association will finally open a meeting to the public tomorrow morning.

The five-member HHSAA executive board, which oversees 22 state tournaments involving all of Hawaii public and private high schools, will convene in the International Ballroom (East Room) of the Pagoda Hotel at 10:30 a.m.

Some legislators had warned last summer they would vote not to reauthorize a $38,000 grant the independent HHSAA receives if meetings were not opened to the public.

The hottest item of business tomorrow is expected to be the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's proposal for a state football tournament and the Oahu Interscholastic Association's response.

OIA principals voted Friday behind closed doors on whether or not to accept the recommendation of the league's athletic directors to reject the state tournament. The result of that vote has not been revealed.

One of the last items on the agenda is gender equity. Jill Nunokawa, president of the Gender Equity Sports Club, will address the board.

HHSAA president Anthony Ramos, principal of the Kamehameha secondary school, said last night he expects most matters on tomorrow's agenda will be discussed in public. He also said the minutes of the meeting will be posted on the HHSAA's website.

Ramos said last year he'd been told by the state attorney general that the HHSAA is exempt from open meeting laws because it is a 501(3)(c) tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. He did not indicate he feels any differently on that issue, but is willing to open the meetings.

A Star-Bulletin survey last July showed that of the country's 50 state associations plus the District of Columbia, there are 46 independent associations and the HHSAA was the only one closing its agenda to the public.

HHSAA meeting

What Hawaii High School Athletic Association's first open meeting
Where Pagoda Hotel's International Ballroom
When 10:30 a.m. tomorrow
Key agenda items
-Proposal for a state football tournament.
-Gender equity.