Pa. public schools may consider pulling out of the PIAA in private-public sports dispute
... Is the PIAA an endangered species?
John Sarandrea understands the angst of people in public schools across Pennsylvania. And he has been so disgusted that he decided to take the issue into his own hands and try to change it.
The issue is this: Should public schools that are constrained by boundaries have to compete athletically in the state playoffs with private, non-boundary schools that can recruit players from just about anywhere?
Sarandrea worked with the Western Pa. Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) to send out a questionnaire to schools asking for their opinions. The WPIAL schools overwhelmingly want separate playoffs for public, boundary schools and private, non-boundary schools. “I’m hoping that the other districts in Pennsylvania will take a look at this survey and are willing to distribute it to their member schools as well,” Sarandrea told the New Castle News in May. “I can’t tell you how many people have contacted me, how many superintendents across the state have contacted me and everyone has said how this is long overdue.”
Privates now dominate state competition
The numbers support Sarandrea’s concern as over the past four seasons in football, along with boys and girls basketball, 26 of 36 state championships were won by private, non-boundary schools. That is despite the fact that fewer than 20 percent of the schools in the state are private schools. [see previous article for other numbers]
The issue is so contentious right now that superintendents and other officials from districts across the state are meeting in State College on July 24 to discuss their alternatives. Among the issues that may reach the agenda is one that would consider abolishing the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), the organization that has attempted to administer high school athletics in the state.
However, the problem — as mentioned in the earlier post — was caused by the state legislature in 1972 when the Pa. house and senate passed, and Gov. Milton Shapp signed, Act 219, which provided in an amendment to an education bill the following verbiage: “Private schools shall be permitted, if otherwise qualified, to be members of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.” [PIAA] That means that only the legislature can change it, or in the alternative, that the schools pull out of the PIAA and form their own structure without the non-boundary schools.
WPIAL survey
[For convenience, I will refer to the boundary schools, those that are constrained by geographical boundaries in having athletes compete for them, as public schools. The non-boundary, which can use athletes from anywhere, I will call private. They include independent schools, Catholic schools, as well as charter organizations.]
An email sent out to school superintendents from across the state on Tuesday indicated that a meeting would be held in State College later this month to discuss this issue. However, to understand how the situation has mushroomed this year, a quick review would help.
WPIAL Questionnaire
In April, the WPIAL sent out questionnaires to 137 schools regarding the boundary-non boundary issue. Here are the found questions:
• As a school district, we believe schools without geographical boundaries have a competitive advantage over schools with established geographical boundaries.
• Do you feel the existing PIAA Transfer Rule, PIAA By-Law Article VI, Transfer, Residents, and Recruiting, is functionally effective in controlling transfers that might result in a competitive advantage?
• Attempting to create competitive balance, would you be in favor of separate tournaments for schools that have established geographical boundaries and for schools without geographical boundaries?
• Does your district favor an expanded classification approach for all sports, to include those with an individual component, or are you satisfied with the expanded classification approach being applied to team sports only?
The answers were simply yes or no.
Of these, 108 responded, and 93 of them agreed that they favor separate tournaments for the playoff competition. Ninety-seven of them agreed that the non-boundary schools have a competitive advantage, and 82 believed that the transfer rules do not function well. The WPIAL was not surprised that the schools favored those, but the high percentages may have. The issue has generated intense anger on the part of the public schools throughout the state since the privates won seven of 12 state titles this past basketball season.
However, another situation really spurred the schools to react because of the blatant unfairness of it. And it placed the PIAA, which has not been fairly moderating transfers, in its cross-hairs.
Neumann-Goretti outrage
Many of the current problems are caused by schools in Philadelphia, though certainly not all of them. The one that has outraged people throughout the state occurred at Neumann-Goretti High School in Philadelphia, which identifies itself as a member of the Philadelphia Catholic League. To understand why it is considered a sports factory, the boy's team was the AAA state title for the fifth consecutive season and the girls for fourth consecutive year.
However, what occurred there is a horrible injustice. First, to understand the PIAA rule, a student is not permitted to transfer simply because of athletic intent. Determining that is always the bugaboo, but that is the rule. Here is what occurred with Neumann-Goretti this year.
A young girl by the name of Diamond Johnson was an outstanding player at Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va. Just a sophomore, she was a prolific scorer, averaging 33 points per game.
Suddenly, in February, Johnson transferred to Neumann-Goretti, which was hoping to compete for another state title. “The school is better for my basketball and my education,” Johnson told the Daily Press in Hampton Roads after the transfer. “I want to try and get into a good college. I’m very excited.”
Just looking at that quote, it is obvious that she transferred there for athletic intent. She mentions getting into a good school for basketball — and for my education. In addition, Johnson’s mother did not move with her.
The girl’s mother, who is originally from Philadelphia, said that “Basketball wasn’t the main reason. It was more education-wise. It was like an opportunity I really couldn’t resist — I mean, a private school.”
So, get this straight. Brooks applies for her daughter to get into N-G. “Luckily, she got accepted right away.” Right away, in February? If this was for education, why didn’t she apply last summer? In addition, she added, “I’ll miss seeing her play. I’m still here in Virginia.”
Why in the world would a high school admit a "student" who had not moved their in February, after their second semester had already started?
This was an egregious case of transferring for athletic intent.
Anger about Johnson story
According to Mike White in the P-G, “Johnson’s story has created more ire toward Catholic and private schools around Pennsylvania, the PIAA, and especially officials of District 12, Philadelphia’s equivalent of the WPIAL. Johnson’s situation also is a classic example of how different districts around the state view the student-athlete transfer rule.”
For many years, the transfer rule was clear, even if administered unfairly. If a student transferred from one school to another, regardless of where the student studied, he or she must sit out for 90 school days. I had to do that in the 1960s, and I thought it was too severe. It was, missing an entire fall season and more than half of the winter season. However, everyone had to do it.
Ironically, the team that N-G defeated in the state title game expressed frustration about the Johnson situation prior to the championship. “There’s nothing anybody can do to change this [Johnson situation], and it’s unfortunate because it seems every year now, the state tournament comes and the eastern part of the state dominates,” Scott Dibble of Bishop Canevin in Pittsburgh told the P-G’s White. “The reason they do is because kids go to school wherever they want. I should’ve gone down to Florida two weeks ago and brought two players up here to play and said there here for academics and family reasons. But the WPIAL would never let that happen because they have ethics and stick by them.”
[Well, the WPIAL is not all peaches and cream, either. Remember the transfer of the sons of Steeler Coach Mike Tomlin and Assistant Joey Porter. They left a Catholic school because a former Steeler was fired from the job there. It was obviously done with athletic intent, but the WPIAL declared both eligible.]
Administration of transfer rule is hap-hazard
That 90-day rule was the standard, but then the PIAA went wishy-washy. If both principals sign off on the transfer and certify that it was not for athletic intent, the PIAA allows it. The wishy-washy people are those principals in the public schools for the most part. Regardless, it is unfair, and the public schools are lashing out and threatening now to leave the PIAA.
District committees serve as the final arbiter, as it did in the Johnson, and they are notoriously inconsistent.
July 24 meeting
According to a story posted Wednesday out of Erie on Wednesday, superintendents along with others from public schools throughout the state will meet in State College in a few weeks to take on the issues that are paramount in the minds of public schools. “Superintendents and other officials from at least 75 public school districts from across the state are scheduled to meet in State College on July 24 to discuss ‘the current inequity’ in the playoff system, which the PIAA now operates, according to an email that schools received on Tuesday about the meeting,” Ed Palattella of the Times-News wrote. “Another potential topic of discussion, according to the email, is ‘the possible formation of a separate entity to provide a fair, equitable playing field for all students and schools in Pennsylvania if appropriate action is not taken by either the PIAA or through legislation’.”
Few options
Since the problem started with the legislature with a law that is still on the books, there are only two alternatives, at least legal and logical ones: First, force state legislators to change the law; and second, have the public schools withdraw from the PIAA and form another umbrella organization.
The legislative one could be interesting if the superintendents take one route. They could make this a political issue since this is an election year, forcing all state representatives, and half the state since all are up for election or re-election, and half the state senators, to take a position on the issue. And since public schools predominate in terms of population, they would have significant leverage. Withdrawing from the PIAA would be a logistical nightmare, but not an impossible one. The truth is that with either, nothing would occur during the upcoming school year. The WPIAL may try to have its own public and private playoffs, but the PIAA would not recognize them.
Perhaps the administrators can come up with another solution, but what that might be is difficult to ascertain right now.
The PIAA has been adamant that it can do little to solve the problems, though it can do some things with transfer problems. Executive Director Bob Lombardi, whom many school administrators would like to remove, has said that separate playoffs could not be held because of the 1972 legislation. The law forced the PIAA to accept non-public schools. Prior to that, the Catholic schools competed under the PCIAA, their own organization.
Consequently, the PIAA may be in its most tenuous position ever, though remember that Brad Cashman managed to keep his job despite all kinds of controversies in the later years of his tenure. Do not count Lombardi out.
This could get interesting very quickly.
Part Three: Is the system fair?
Part 1 URL:
http://hce1947.blogspot.com/2018/06/pa-public-schools-boundary-schools.html
Anger about Johnson story
According to Mike White in the P-G, “Johnson’s story has created more ire toward Catholic and private schools around Pennsylvania, the PIAA, and especially officials of District 12, Philadelphia’s equivalent of the WPIAL. Johnson’s situation also is a classic example of how different districts around the state view the student-athlete transfer rule.”
For many years, the transfer rule was clear, even if administered unfairly. If a student transferred from one school to another, regardless of where the student studied, he or she must sit out for 90 school days. I had to do that in the 1960s, and I thought it was too severe. It was, missing an entire fall season and more than half of the winter season. However, everyone had to do it.
Ironically, the team that N-G defeated in the state title game expressed frustration about the Johnson situation prior to the championship. “There’s nothing anybody can do to change this [Johnson situation], and it’s unfortunate because it seems every year now, the state tournament comes and the eastern part of the state dominates,” Scott Dibble of Bishop Canevin in Pittsburgh told the P-G’s White. “The reason they do is because kids go to school wherever they want. I should’ve gone down to Florida two weeks ago and brought two players up here to play and said there here for academics and family reasons. But the WPIAL would never let that happen because they have ethics and stick by them.”
[Well, the WPIAL is not all peaches and cream, either. Remember the transfer of the sons of Steeler Coach Mike Tomlin and Assistant Joey Porter. They left a Catholic school because a former Steeler was fired from the job there. It was obviously done with athletic intent, but the WPIAL declared both eligible.]
Administration of transfer rule is hap-hazard
That 90-day rule was the standard, but then the PIAA went wishy-washy. If both principals sign off on the transfer and certify that it was not for athletic intent, the PIAA allows it. The wishy-washy people are those principals in the public schools for the most part. Regardless, it is unfair, and the public schools are lashing out and threatening now to leave the PIAA.
District committees serve as the final arbiter, as it did in the Johnson, and they are notoriously inconsistent.
July 24 meeting
According to a story posted Wednesday out of Erie on Wednesday, superintendents along with others from public schools throughout the state will meet in State College in a few weeks to take on the issues that are paramount in the minds of public schools. “Superintendents and other officials from at least 75 public school districts from across the state are scheduled to meet in State College on July 24 to discuss ‘the current inequity’ in the playoff system, which the PIAA now operates, according to an email that schools received on Tuesday about the meeting,” Ed Palattella of the Times-News wrote. “Another potential topic of discussion, according to the email, is ‘the possible formation of a separate entity to provide a fair, equitable playing field for all students and schools in Pennsylvania if appropriate action is not taken by either the PIAA or through legislation’.”
Few options
Since the problem started with the legislature with a law that is still on the books, there are only two alternatives, at least legal and logical ones: First, force state legislators to change the law; and second, have the public schools withdraw from the PIAA and form another umbrella organization.
The legislative one could be interesting if the superintendents take one route. They could make this a political issue since this is an election year, forcing all state representatives, and half the state since all are up for election or re-election, and half the state senators, to take a position on the issue. And since public schools predominate in terms of population, they would have significant leverage. Withdrawing from the PIAA would be a logistical nightmare, but not an impossible one. The truth is that with either, nothing would occur during the upcoming school year. The WPIAL may try to have its own public and private playoffs, but the PIAA would not recognize them.
Perhaps the administrators can come up with another solution, but what that might be is difficult to ascertain right now.
The PIAA has been adamant that it can do little to solve the problems, though it can do some things with transfer problems. Executive Director Bob Lombardi, whom many school administrators would like to remove, has said that separate playoffs could not be held because of the 1972 legislation. The law forced the PIAA to accept non-public schools. Prior to that, the Catholic schools competed under the PCIAA, their own organization.
Consequently, the PIAA may be in its most tenuous position ever, though remember that Brad Cashman managed to keep his job despite all kinds of controversies in the later years of his tenure. Do not count Lombardi out.
This could get interesting very quickly.
Part Three: Is the system fair?
Part 1 URL:
http://hce1947.blogspot.com/2018/06/pa-public-schools-boundary-schools.html
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