LCBlue

Exactly. If no exceptions are made, it is not a public vs private issue.

Thanks for the heads-up, LBBC.

I can't wait for someone on the P & P forum to pick up on this and suggest a CATS/non-CATS split. Seriously, though, my mother taught in public schools for 40 years. Seeing some of the obstacles she faced that were placed in the way of educating her students was one of the factors that helped make up our minds to send our son through the private school route.

Congratulations to Andy!

It's easy to say "It was just a cartoon (or joke)" if it's not targeted at you or or something you put a lot of time and energy into. If it is targeted at your interests it can be very offensive and provoke ill feelings, even if only meant to be funny. (Ask Don Imus) As the parent of a current LexCath football player, I can tell you this cartoon is not funny in the least. Did LexCath commit violations? Yes (5 years ago) Was LexCath punished for those violations? Yes ($31,000 plus other punishments including forfeit of football wins over 3 seasons) Since the violations LexCath has cleaned up its house. The administrator involved with the violations is gone. There is a stance of doing things the best possible way within the rules. In fact, LexCath was ready to institute prop2 a year before it was due to go into effect and this was communicated to all incoming freshmen. The insinuation that LexCath is standing in line to purchase championships with something other than the hard work and dedication of its students, coaches, administrators and parents is an affront to everyone involved. This could be the reason Coach Letton was so upset. I may go against many of my fellow private school supporters, but I place much of the blame for this kind of attack squarely on the shoulders of the LCA administrators. After LexCath's violations and subsequent punishment, they should have examined the sources of their own students' funding and cleaned up any improprieties. If that had happened we would not be having this discussion.

I've learned that in Ky when you take something out of the freezer you "unthaw" it. I thought that meant you were putting it INTO the freezer.

Jim Gaffigan and Brian Regan

Bell, you are partially correct. The Diocese of Lexington does include churches and schools in most of the eastern half of Kentucky. However, the effective area from which students are drawn is much smaller. I think there is zero probability for a student at St Julian in Middlesboro making the nearly 3 hour trip each way to and from school on a daily basis to attend LexCath for high school. I think it's safe to say that Bell Co. won't be losing any players to LexCath. In fact, several players from LexCath's middle school team from last year did not make the transition to the LC high school team due to the travel considerations. The public schools in Franklin and Scott counties gained some pretty good players. The actual feeder area for LexCath students remains Fayette and surrounding counties.

IMO this is over the limit. Is this meant to spur debate or merely to further inflame derogatory comments?:irked:

I agree. I was trying to make the point that a boundary wouldn't be practical between T & X. Their mission is the same as that for LexCath within the Diocese of Lexington.

You're probably right. There is going to be tension between publics and privates whether there is regulatory involvement or not, split or not. A lot of this tension results from perceptions that the "other side" is trying to take something away from our own side. To many of us that perception is reality but may not be based entirely in fact. In any case, any action or inaction should be grounded by what is best for the individual kid. My son happens to need the extra discipline and guidance of the private school and thrives in it. He has cousins, however, that floundered in that environment and did much better in the public system. There are, and always will be, a minority on both sides that take actions to bolster their own agendas rather than what is in the best interests of the kids. Those are the ones that end up causing schools to be punished and casting the perception of wrong-doing upon the vast majority of students, coaches, parents, administrators, etc. who are doing nothing wrong. I don't believe a split or regulation of districts or forming of feeder systems will completely eliminate the bad element. Much like the NCAA, much of the policing would have to be left up to the schools and the responsibility for disassociating themselves from those who break the rules would be theirs as well. An example that would be difficult to police: Johnny's dad wants him to attend School A because he wants his son to be on a championship football team. Johnny would do well at School B, his home district, and has no other compelling reason (religion, special interest, etc.) for attending School A. Johnny's grandfather lives in School A's district. Dad puts down Grandad's address as Johnny's residence so he can attend School A. I saw this scenario many years ago between two public schools, but under a district boundary regulation it could just as easily be seen between privates (How do you draw boundaries for T & X?) or between public and private. This would be nearly impossible for an outside agency like KHSAA to detect just from reporting of students' listed residences.

This sounds like a reworking of the "feeder school" concept. I was never opposed to that type of rule except for the fact it would be very difficult to police or enforce. Also, the determination of the boundaries in a equitable fashion could be a contentious affair for privates and publics alike, especially when those boundaries might cross county lines or among schools in the same county.

Lex Cath uses a placement test to determine class placements for incoming freshmen. It is not used as an admissions test. The cost of tuition, more difficult transportation, and the more discipline oriented catholic school environment keep growth from being out of control. Plus, even though kids of other faiths are accepted, it is still a school mainly for children originating from the parishes of the Diocese of Lexington, which includes those small catholic schools in nearby counties. That being said, I would not be surprised if LexCath moves up in class "naturally" in the next 5 years or so considering the growth rate.

OK, time for my first post to BGP. LexCath does not turn away applicants. In fact, the incoming freshman class for 2008-9 will probably be the largest in the school's history. As for the 100+ players dressed for games, the number dressed does not necessarily correlate to the number that see the field. The coaches at LexCath feel that the Fresman and JV players deserve to dress for varsity games as a reward for their hard work and support that help the varsity team reach its full potential. Most of these players will never be in a varsity game during the season. Also, I bet if you compared the number of players that saw action in the Bell/LC game, the numbers would be comparable. The main difference I saw between Bell and LC was that LC started experienced senior linemen on both sides of the ball while Bell had quite a few sophomores starting. IMO Bell will be a tough game for anyone in the next couple of years as these guys mature.