WPIAL board increases to 21 seats with diversity advisory council addition

By: Chris Harlan
Tuesday, October 18, 2022 | 12:00 AM

The WPIAL board has expanded to 21 members with the addition of a seat for a representative from the WPIAL Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council.

The first to fill that seat is David Hunter, a Donora native and an accomplished professional in investment and finance. The nine-person advisory council chose Hunter as its first representative and the WPIAL board approved his addition Monday.

The council was created in 2020 with the mission to help the WPIAL become “a socially responsible organization that includes, respects and celebrates individuals from all walks of life.” Its members take part in board meetings and eligibility hearings, but had no vote in those matters until now.

“That just didn’t make any sense to me,” said WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer, hired in July. “If you’re going to be sitting there and you’re going to be listening and you’re going to give input, you should also have the ability to vote. That has personally bothered me from the beginning, when I was president.”

If Hunter is unable to attend a hearing or meeting, he can choose an alternate from the council to replace him, Seltzer said.

The new WPIAL board position is the second added in two years.

In August 2021, the board added a seat earmarked for a private school representative. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart principal Shawn Holup has served in that position since.

‘What you get for $300’

The WPIAL already holds informational meetings for coaches, athletic directors and principals, but add school district business managers to the list.

Seltzer, who came to the WPIAL with an administration background, scheduled an online meeting Tuesday for those individuals who oversee school district budgets.

“When I was assistant superintendent, I would get business managers asking me WPIAL this, WPIAL that,” said Seltzer, a former administrator at Chartiers Valley. “I figured I’d give an opportunity for every business manager (to understand) this is what you get for your $300.”

That’s the amount each school pays in WPIAL dues.

Seltzer noted that along with providing schedules and reviewing transfers, the WPIAL uses its funds to rent championship venues, award scholarships to students, organize an annual sportsmanship summit, along with workshops for new athletic directors and principals. The majority of the WPIAL budget comes from playoff ticket sales, and the league also shares back up to $200,000 of those proceeds with schools.

“There are a lot of things that we provide,” he said.

The two previous WPIAL executive directors were former athletic directors. As an employee of a school district administration office, Seltzer brings to the job a different perspective about finances.

Seltzer sees his job as advocate for the importance of interscholastic sports.

“My hope is that school districts don’t stop having athletic programs to save money,” Seltzer said. “If you look at all school finances, when you start talking to them in January and February when they first start getting their budget ready, they’re out millions of dollars. A lot of schools aren’t breaking even.”

Board business

• Laurel Highlands forfeited an Oct. 11 boys soccer game against Albert Gallatin for using an academically ineligible player. Laurel Highlands self-reported the error and created a plan to avoid repeating the mistake, which the WPIAL board accepted Monday.

• The board voted to hold eligibility hearings for two girls basketball players, Maddie Syka and Abbi Jannuzi, who transferred from Blackhawk to Lincoln Park, according to Seltzer. A date for the hearing was not finalized.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.