2 Compromises Pass

 

And again Wilson Sears shows his complete unwillingness to compromise.

 

Sears and other public-school leaders want private schools to draw their athletes from "affiliated schools."

 

"Until that is adopted," he said, "then we're not going to be happy."

Interesting and both topics will create considerable debate.

I am in general agreement with both of these proposals. The only part that I wish the privates had refused to go along with is the restriction on merit based financial aid. This proposal limits merit based aid to 25 percent. I know that they don't give more than that now, but I can't see any reason to limit aid that is based on an objective measure of performance. There is no way to tie that aid into athletic performance.

The proposal concerning 8th and 9th graders is a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned and should have been passed long ago. Once you have played varsity for one school if you change you should be considered a transfer.

 

I can live with the financial aid proposals BUT since all students at public schools in effect get 100% tuition scholarships that are subsidised by tax dollars...

I agree with Trinity Alum on the Merit Based Aid. The public schools don't seem to be complaining that the privates are recruiting the academic All Stars so why limit aid based on test scores and academic performance?

 

I imagine that merit based aid exceeds the 25% in very, very rare occasions anyway but why make parents decide how much a child's athletic experience may be worth in dollars? i.e. Johnny scores highest on HS entrance exam and receives one year merit aid of $3000 towards his freshman tuition of $6300. Parents must decide if Johnny's participation in frosh baseball is worth $1425? The maximum award to remain eligible would be 25% or $1575. Johnny only plays baseball and will probably never play at Varsity level.

 

The proposal requiring one year ineligibility for middle school students who have already participated with one high school and then attend a different HS mirrors the transfer rule and makes sense. I imagine we will see more middle school students playing HS sports very shortly in order to "Lock Them In".

Here is one issue that stands out to me that I just don't know what the answer is:

 

"Territories allows, for instance, Lexington Christian or Lexington Catholic to pursue students from all of Fayette County and much of Central Kentucky," he said. "Affiliated schools requires that they can pursue students only from the affiliated middle school, as we do in Somerset."

 

This is basically a urban vs. rural issue, I am sure that Somerset is a lot like Mayfield, we don't have the population to even pull from like Fayette county does. So if you gave us open enrollment it wouldn't make a difference cause things wouldn't change cause the cities are so far apart. Now if you took Mayfield High School and dropped it into Louisville or Lexington, the good athletes would be banging the door down to get in.

Here is one issue that stands out to me that I just don't know what the answer is:

 

"Territories allows, for instance, Lexington Christian or Lexington Catholic to pursue students from all of Fayette County and much of Central Kentucky," he said. "Affiliated schools requires that they can pursue students only from the affiliated middle school, as we do in Somerset."

 

This is basically a urban vs. rural issue, I am sure that Somerset is a lot like Mayfield, we don't have the population to even pull from like Fayette county does. So if you gave us open enrollment it wouldn't make a difference cause things wouldn't change cause the cities are so far apart. Now if you took Mayfield High School and dropped it into Louisville or Lexington, the good athletes would be banging the door down to get in.

How many schools are there within 40 miles? If you said that your (or any other) school would accept students from anywhere and charge them $8,500 to come, would you have a lot of applicants? If Mr. Sears said that he would accept students from anywhere, would he have a lot of applicants? I don't think that Mr. Sears wants to know the answer to that question. By the way, the private schools don't get many from that far away either. The real issue is that Mr. Sears does not want students to have a choice in education because he is afraid that they won't choose his school.

Here is one issue that stands out to me that I just don't know what the answer is:

 

"Territories allows, for instance, Lexington Christian or Lexington Catholic to pursue students from all of Fayette County and much of Central Kentucky," he said. "Affiliated schools requires that they can pursue students only from the affiliated middle school, as we do in Somerset."

 

This is basically a urban vs. rural issue, I am sure that Somerset is a lot like Mayfield, we don't have the population to even pull from like Fayette county does. So if you gave us open enrollment it wouldn't make a difference cause things wouldn't change cause the cities are so far apart. Now if you took Mayfield High School and dropped it into Louisville or Lexington, the good athletes would be banging the door down to get in.

 

But we classify schools by student attendees right?

How many schools are there within 40 miles? If you said that your (or any other) school would accept students from anywhere and charge them $8,500 to come, would you have a lot of applicants? If Mr. Sears said that he would accept students from anywhere, would he have a lot of applicants? I don't think that Mr. Sears wants to know the answer to that question. By the way, the private schools don't get many from that far away either. The real issue is that Mr. Sears does not want students to have a choice in education because he is afraid that they won't choose his school.

 

Heaven forbid there should be competition amongst schools. Most reasonable parents are going to pick a school based on academics. Meaning that even if the school has a good athletic program but the academics stink, then they will go somewhere else. Generally, good academics is tied to good athletics (not always the case, but generally).

 

As I have posted on here before, Michigan has open enrollment statewide. If I lived in Lansing and wanted to drive 1 1/2 hours to go to school in Grand Rapids I could if there was an opening. No tutition. At first schools were scared that they would lose tons of students, but pretty much after the first couple of years things have settled down and it is not an issue. And guess what???? Academics have improved at most schools because they know that they have to have quality programs if they are going to keep their students. Obviously in the more rural areas where there is not much of a choice of which school to attend (like some areas in KY), there probably has not been much change. But generally, more schools have made strides for the better and more students are reaping the benefit.

Heaven forbid there should be competition amongst schools. Most reasonable parents are going to pick a school based on academics. Meaning that even if the school has a good athletic program but the academics stink, then they will go somewhere else. Generally, good academics is tied to good athletics (not always the case, but generally).

 

As I have posted on here before, Michigan has open enrollment statewide. If I lived in Lansing and wanted to drive 1 1/2 hours to go to school in Grand Rapids I could if there was an opening. No tutition. At first schools were scared that they would lose tons of students, but pretty much after the first couple of years things have settled down and it is not an issue. And guess what???? Academics have improved at most schools because they know that they have to have quality programs if they are going to keep their students. Obviously in the more rural areas where there is not much of a choice of which school to attend (like some areas in KY), there probably has not been much change. But generally, more schools have made strides for the better and more students are reaping the benefit.

Who puts the restrictions on open enrollment in KY?

Here is one issue that stands out to me that I just don't know what the answer is:

 

"Territories allows, for instance, Lexington Christian or Lexington Catholic to pursue students from all of Fayette County and much of Central Kentucky," he said. "Affiliated schools requires that they can pursue students only from the affiliated middle school, as we do in Somerset."

 

This is basically a urban vs. rural issue, I am sure that Somerset is a lot like Mayfield, we don't have the population to even pull from like Fayette county does. So if you gave us open enrollment it wouldn't make a difference cause things wouldn't change cause the cities are so far apart. Now if you took Mayfield High School and dropped it into Louisville or Lexington, the good athletes would be banging the door down to get in.

Can you imagine the turmoil created, if schools must "agree" and decide, what those territories are. In some counties across Kentucky, high schools, middle schools, elementary and magnet schools, are located within current boundaries of other school systems. How would that be handled.

 

School "A" is public and located in the county, while School "B" is different but located within the boundaries of the other school, or within each others boundaries. What will schools in Lexington, Louisville, Owensboro and your more heavily populated towns, which have more schools but may be restricted by area to pull from.....

Heaven forbid there should be competition amongst schools. Most reasonable parents are going to pick a school based on academics. Meaning that even if the school has a good athletic program but the academics stink, then they will go somewhere else. Generally, good academics is tied to good athletics (not always the case, but generally).

 

As I have posted on here before, Michigan has open enrollment statewide. If I lived in Lansing and wanted to drive 1 1/2 hours to go to school in Grand Rapids I could if there was an opening. No tutition. At first schools were scared that they would lose tons of students, but pretty much after the first couple of years things have settled down and it is not an issue. And guess what???? Academics have improved at most schools because they know that they have to have quality programs if they are going to keep their students. Obviously in the more rural areas where there is not much of a choice of which school to attend (like some areas in KY), there probably has not been much change. But generally, more schools have made strides for the better and more students are reaping the benefit.

 

Lordy I loved reading your post. Nothing like adding a little free enterprise and competition to make complacent schools get off their duffs. If you don't want to make the committment to athletics and academics at your school, fine, but don't begrudge those schools that do.

Lordy I loved reading your post. Nothing like adding a little free enterprise and competition to make complacent schools get off their duffs. If you don't want to make the committment to athletics and academics at your school, fine, but don't begrudge those schools that do.

 

:thumb:

What he said

The financial aid restriction on the definition of "immediate family" is going to be an issue. What is an immediate family? Suppose a trust fund pays it? How about a Coverdell Education account (which anyone can contribute to)? How do you track that? Kids being raised by their grandparents? Aunts and uncles? Foster parents? You laugh but these all are scenarios that are not as unusual as it used to be. Restricting who can pay for someone to go to school doesn't sir right with me.

The financial aid restriction on the definition of "immediate family" is going to be an issue. What is an immediate family? Suppose a trust fund pays it? How about a Coverdell Education account (which anyone can contribute to)? How do you track that? Kids being raised by their grandparents? Aunts and uncles? Foster parents? You laugh but these all are scenarios that are not as unusual as it used to be. Restricting who can pay for someone to go to school doesn't sir right with me.

 

I'm sure that those that bend the rules are already figuring out loopholes to get around the letter of the law..Not sure why we spend so much time on this. The cheaters will cheat and the KHSAA will continue to do nothing..