It's that time of year again. With the PIAA's 2017 high school football season nearing, the annual outcry against charter/private schools is starting.
Four non-public schools -- St. Joseph's Prep (6A), Archbishop Wood (5A), Cathedral Prep (4A) and Bishop Guilfoyle (A) -- captured state crowns last season. The 6A and 5A games featured all private/charter matchups. Before expanding to six classes last season, private/non-charter schools won three of the four titles in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
While the PIAA has talked about moving up teams who have success in consecutive years to help offset the imbalance, that doesn't appear to be a viable solution. That would punish small public schools with traditionally strong programs.
Creating a class for just private schools would likely lead to a legal battle. An easier fix would be to have consistent rules and regulations throughout the 12 districts on recruiting rules.
The simplest solution would likely be an enrollment multiplier. Many states multiply the total male enrollment to force private schools to play up in bigger classes. While it wouldn't help the schools in bigger classes, it would keep those schools with more resources away from small publics.
The reality is none of this is going to change any time soon. Until then, prepare for a lot of saber-rattling and few solutions.
Four non-public schools -- St. Joseph's Prep (6A), Archbishop Wood (5A), Cathedral Prep (4A) and Bishop Guilfoyle (A) -- captured state crowns last season. The 6A and 5A games featured all private/charter matchups. Before expanding to six classes last season, private/non-charter schools won three of the four titles in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
While the PIAA has talked about moving up teams who have success in consecutive years to help offset the imbalance, that doesn't appear to be a viable solution. That would punish small public schools with traditionally strong programs.
Creating a class for just private schools would likely lead to a legal battle. An easier fix would be to have consistent rules and regulations throughout the 12 districts on recruiting rules.
The simplest solution would likely be an enrollment multiplier. Many states multiply the total male enrollment to force private schools to play up in bigger classes. While it wouldn't help the schools in bigger classes, it would keep those schools with more resources away from small publics.
The reality is none of this is going to change any time soon. Until then, prepare for a lot of saber-rattling and few solutions.
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