I now suspect that the IHSA itself was surprised by the December vote in favor of districts. Some of their decisions since have left me scratching my head...
First, I suggested shortly after the vote that the IHSA probably would propose districts, and then give the co-oping schools time to digest them and decide whether to keep the co-ops. Likewise, they should have given smaller schools the opportunity to go 8 man if they didn't like what was going on. According to what I read about Hoopeston Area's co-ops, the IHSA informed schools in late February that all existing co-ops for football were going to become two year co-ops for 2019 and 2020, even if the agreements were to end after 2019. The deadline for deciding to go 8 man was apparently March 1. Danville Schlarman apparently saw the 4A writing on the wall for the co-op and bailed, deciding to go 8 man without proper notice. Hoopeston and Armstrong, the other two schools in the co-op, are left without the time to determine whether or not they should split and go 8 man, continue as a two school co-op, or whatever other options they may consider. The two school co-op is presumably 3A now, if they stay together...Maybe headed for 8 man...I assume many co-op and 1A programs are pretty pissed at the IHSA for their timing on this and were thrown into similar situations...And just now, three months later, the first district proposals are being passed out based on old enrollments.
Second, if the IHSA had any advance theory, you would think that the CPS non-playoff schools would not have been included in the first proposal...Or multipliers would have been included across the board (McNamara actual enrollment is 2A, but they are listed in 4A, while Montini is 5A?).
Third, despite the whining I repeatedly have heard on here, the IHSA puts more schools in 8A than they have in 1A thru 5A...Apparently the administration isn't buying into the "more rigorous 8A schedule" argument often used on this site...
This seems like the administration is begging for someone to put the concept back up for vote to be reversed...