Corpus Christi school district trustees could decide today how the district will improve its softball program and how quickly it will happen.
The Corpus Christi Independent School District Board of Trustees will meet at 1 p.m. in a special meeting to discuss the softball program and facilities -- which federal officials say is unequal for boys and girls and must be changed.
The meeting is open, and the public will be allowed to comment on softball issues.
Most administrators said little about today's meeting. But one official said administrators and trustees would discuss how the district could comply with federal guidelines mandating gender equity in sports programs.
Trustee Manuel Flores said the board will decide on a list of improvements and a timeline for improvements to send to investigators with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
A civil rights office investigation showed that girls softball facilities are not equal to boys baseball facilities in CCISD. The agency has asked the district to provide a plan by March 1 detailing how it will correct the problem and when.
"We figure it was important enough to discuss openly what we want to do and how fast we want to do it," Flores said. "It's basically where we're going to spend the money we have available and how long it will take us to get the campus fields up to par.
"I think the majority of the board is looking for a three-year timeline."
Flores said trustees will discuss how to bring the on-campus softball fields into compliance and what the district will do for game fields.
Carroll, King and Moody have rudimentary practice fields on campus. Ray uses a city field adjacent to campus. Miller does not have space for an field on campus and uses a city field several miles away. The district is trying to purchase land within walking distance.
The district currently uses the city's four-field Greenwood Complex, but the fields are not regulation size and CCISD teams must share them during the season with city fastpitch leagues.
Voters recently approved a bond package that includes construction of two game fields at the Cabaniss Field Complex where the boys baseball game field, as well as a football field, soccer field and natatorium are located.
Flores said some bond money for that project could be used to upgrade on-campus softball fields and to modify the Greenwood Fields. Trustees, however, may be reluctant to abandon the planned fields at Cabaniss, he said.
"The city keeps asking us to take over Greenwood for half the year," he said. "If we did that, we would take some money and make those really good fields. That's part of what we'll find out (today).
"We'll try to stretch our dollars so it won't hurt our other programs. Right now, I'm of the opinion we should build two fields at Cabaniss. In the very near future we could have another high school. I don't want to see the girls playing until midnight like the boys do."
CCISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra could not be reached for comment. Athletic Director Richard Avila would say only that the meeting was called to discuss the softball program and that he would attend and would be available to answer questions.
Corpus Christi resident Ed Hodges, who was one of two people who complained to the Office for Civil Rights about CCISD softball, said he would attend the meeting.
"I've been following events, and I will be," Hodges said. "They (CCISD) probably will be observed for the next several years by the OCR, too."
The Office for Civil Rights has determined that CCISD is in violation of Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX outlaws gender-based discrimination in athletic programs at educational institutions receiving federal funds.
The Office for Civil Rights, an agency in the U.S. Department of Education, began an investigation of CCISD in November 1993 after the federal agency received complaints.
On Dec. 6, a federal official toured baseball and softball facilities used by the district and concluded that the district violates Title IX. The investigation concluded that there are inequities in the district's baseball and softball facilities that negatively affect the district's female players.
Saavedra has agreed that there are inequities, but he has said the district has been trying to address the problem. Because the district implemented softball last year, it has not had time -- or sufficient funding -- to bring girls facilities in line with those for boys, he has said.
District officials say they already are taking steps to improve the popular and growing softball program. Each of the five high schools has expanded its softball program to three teams. Last season, only Carroll and King fielded a varsity and two junior varsities.
Also, a third softball coach has been added at each high school. High school softball programs across the state typically have two coaches, athletic department officials have said. The baseball programs, which district officials say have more participants, have four coaches.