Seems like the public/private debate is gathering steam everywhere lately...

Per an article from Cincinnati's WCPO News the member schools of the Suburban League, located in Northeast Ohio, are currently circulating a petition seeking a referendum vote to create separate state tournaments for the athletic programs from public high schools and private high schools in Ohio. The OHSAA's petition deadline of December 1, 2026 requires that the petition has (1) the signatures from at least 75 principals from OHSAA member high schools, and (2) the signatures from at least 5 schools within each of the OHSAA's 6 districts in order for the petition to be placed on the OHSAA's ballot in May 2027. If it makes the ballot in May, the matter will then be voted on by the full membership of the OHSAA. If the petition is successfully submitted and subsequently passed by voters, the separate tournament systems would be put in place for the 2028-2029 school year.

There OHSAA currently has 691 public high schools and 121 private high schools among their membership. Per WCPO, petitions to separate public/private high school tournaments in Ohio were attempted previously in 1978 and in 1993, but both petitions were voted down.

The Suburban League is a Greater Cleveland athletic league (Ohio high school sports are divided into school leagues with member schools competing in their league for playoff births) including schools from Cuyahoga, County, Geauga County, Medina County, Portage County and Summit County. The Suburban League schools who started the petition initiative are: Aurora, Barberton, Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Copley, Highland, Hudson, Kenston, North Royalton, Nordonia, Mayfield, Medina, Revere, Solon, Stow-Munroe Falls and Twinsburg.

121 private high schools is something to work with. Maybe four classes, 30 teams each. However, and I am just spitballing, other than D1 (the largest class in Ohio) I don't think private schools are dominating. Anyone?

2 hours ago, theguru said:

121 private high schools is something to work with. Maybe four classes, 30 teams each. However, and I am just spitballing, other than D1 (the largest class in Ohio) I don't think private schools are dominating. Anyone?

You have Hoban & Walsh Jesuit in D2. Outside of that, I think the other divisions are hit or miss with schools like Cardinal Mooney, Toledo Central Catholic, Alter, etc.

If that were to happen I would think the GCL South schools would add St. X and Trinity to the schedules. I think St. X and Trinity should play all 4 GCL South teams.

3 minutes ago, Tigerpride94 said:

If that were to happen I would think the GCL South schools would add St. X and Trinity to the schedules. I think St. X and Trinity should play all 4 GCL South teams.

On all three levels.

Public and state colleges totally eclipse the total number of football national championships, men's NCAA basketball tournament championships, and men's NIT basketball tournament championships that private colleges have. Why aren't private colleges throwing a temper tantrum, wetting their diapers and trying to start their own separate national championships?

Hot take. Public school educators like these folks in the Suburban league should start acting like grownups instead of babies. When you're preparing these high schoolers to be sent out into the world as adults teach them a valuable life lesson, life isn't fair, and expecting it to be is gonna cause you nothing but disappointment on a whole lotta levels.

Headlines from Gallup:

Record-Low 35% in U.S. Satisfied With K-12 Education Quality

26% say K-12 schools headed in right direction; majorities rate schools negatively for preparing students for work, college

Bottom Line

Public confidence in U.S. K-12 education has eroded further, as Americans express record-low satisfaction with the system’s quality and most say it is headed in the wrong direction. Majorities rate the education system as fair or poor for its preparation of students for the workplace and college.

Last week’s release of the latest results from the Nation’s Report Card by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) sheds some light on why Americans’ satisfaction with K-12 education has fallen since 2020 and why skepticism about students’ preparedness is high. The NAEP results show steep declines in K-12 students’ reading and math scores since 2019, with many failing to reach even basic proficiency.

Gallup.com

Record-Low 35% in U.S. Satisfied With K-12 Education Quality

Americans' satisfaction with the quality of K-12 education in the U.S. is at a record-low 35%, and just 26% say it is headed in the right direction.

All I see here is another example of the systematic attack on school choice and religion.

Generally speaking (as described above) public schools are a disaster.

We just saw this in Kentucky too with the Anti-Private School Football Multiplier. Public schools want to restrict, defund, take away choice, make it hard for, punish, and eventually kick private schools out of the educational system through any means possible.

Despicable...

20 hours ago, Tigerpride94 said:

If that were to happen I would think the GCL South schools would add St. X and Trinity to the schedules. I think St. X and Trinity should play all 4 GCL South teams.

Provided that Kentucky fixes it's ridiculous RPI formula.

1 minute ago, fatsnbul said:

Provided that Kentucky fixes it's ridiculous RPI formula.

We talk about this a lot and I agree. For example, Trinity losing to Baylor last week by only a touchdown is a far greater determination of worth than another school clocking Nobody County.

Furthermore, in part I see our current RPI system as the KHSAA colluding with public schools to punish private schools.

47 minutes ago, fatsnbul said:

Provided that Kentucky fixes it's ridiculous RPI formula.

The current RPI formula is pure laziness from the KHSAA.

Just now, TylerDurden said:

The current RPI formula is pure laziness from the KHSAA.

For sure, lazy and problematic. But hey, let's hire the guy in charge for a national job, lol.

2 hours ago, theguru said:

For sure, lazy and problematic. But hey, let's hire the guy in charge for a national job, lol.

Cronyism at its finest. I'm not sure why the NFHS decided to hire a dinosaur of their industry, but the NFHS doesn't really have a track record of major success with technology either. Their streaming platform is an absolute clunker at best.

19 hours ago, TylerDurden said:

Public and state colleges totally eclipse the total number of football national championships, men's NCAA basketball tournament championships, and men's NIT basketball tournament championships that private colleges have. Why aren't private colleges throwing a temper tantrum, wetting their diapers and trying to start their own separate national championships?

Hot take. Public school educators like these folks in the Suburban league should start acting like grownups instead of babies. When you're preparing these high schoolers to be sent out into the world as adults teach them a valuable life lesson, life isn't fair, and expecting it to be is gonna cause you nothing but disappointment on a whole lotta levels.

In college, there are no school zones to restrict enrollment. In high school, public schools are limited by physical school zones and private schools are not.

2 hours ago, Maroon Beech said:

In college, there are no school zones to restrict enrollment. In high school, public schools are limited by physical school zones and private schools are not.

This is incorrect.

In high school there are some public schools who choose to limit themselves to physical school zones.

Belfry is a public school and for years they have allowed kids from out of their district to pay tuition and attend and play sports at Belfry. David Jones was one of those kids. He lived in West Virginia and went to Belfry. Owensboro Senior, Ashland, Raceland, Highlands, Beechwood, they all allow kids to come in from out of their school district.

Same in Ohio. Princeton High School is a public high school that does it. I worked for years with a guy who had lived in Dayton and drove down to Princeton for high school every day because his dad worked down at the GE plant on the north side of Cincinnati and his family wanted him at Princeton instead of in Dayton Public Schools. Swam for Princeton's team for 4 years and ended up going to UC on a partial scholly for swimming.