WSSDA’s Delegate Assembly has approved a new "weighted vote" structure for the association and made the Interscholastic Activities Committee (IAC) a standing committee.

The amendments were adopted during the annual meeting of the Assembly in Seattle. Both proposals met the two-thirds vote required for changing the WSSDA bylaws.

The Assembly endorsed a plan developed by the WSSDA Weighted Vote Task Force, which was formed last year in response to concerns about whether the current weighted vote structure provides adequate representation for WSSDA members, in particular those from the state’s larger school districts.

Weighted voting is an option available to delegates at WSSDA’s Legislative and Delegate Assemblies. When used, the weighted system allocates additional votes to districts with larger student enrollment. The new weighted vote structure creates 11 tiers of district sizes, replacing the previous three-tier structure.

The bylaws change also mandates that delegates from at least five districts be required to call for a weighted vote, and that the new weighted vote structure be evaluated at the end of three years.

The Assembly also approved a bylaws change to give the WSSDA IAC the same "standing" status as the Legislative, Resolutions and Nominating Committees. Members of the IAC will continue to be elected by Director Area.

In other business, the Assembly approved a 2.5 percent increase in membership dues for the coming year. Approval of the dues level will be followed in January by adoption of the association’s 2006 budget by the WSSDA Board of Directors.