CIF SS Seperate Public and Private Divisions

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   Interesting L.A. Times article about separating public and private schools. What are everyone's thoughts on this? Does this level the playing field? ...
This is by the L.A. Times' Eric Sondheimer. 
Call it a public-vs.-private schools feud that is simmering, if not starting to boil.
It has come to the point that Newhall Hart Coach Mike Herrington, a member of the Southern Section football advisory committee and someone respected for his calm, clear thinking, says he's ready to propose that the Southern Section create separate playoff divisions for public and private schools.
"The equality is not there," Herrington said of the current alignment.
Front and center in the debate are Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Ventura St. Bonaventure, private schools that were placed with public schools in the Tri-Valley and Channel leagues, respectively, and aren't just winning but wiping out the competition.
In Ventura County, the public school coaches are fed up. And now Herrington, after four consecutive losses to St. Bonaventure in nonleague games, is wondering if the unlimited attendance boundaries enjoyed by private schools is too great an advantage to overcome.
Herrington said that as media coverage has expanded because of television and the Internet, private schools have gained added exposure.
"They are more visible than ever and kids say, 'I want to go there,' and they can," he said. "There might be a kid in Ventura County say, 'I want to go to Canyon,' but they can't unless they move."
Public schools were given a brief boost when the state legislature passed the open-enrollment law that took effect beginning with the 1994-95 school year. It allows students to attend any public school within their school district, regardless of where they live as long as there is room.
And that's the problem today. Open enrollment has fallen to a trickle in many districts because of space limitations.
That leaves an unequal playing field, at public and private schools. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, high schools that still have open enrollment slots continue to attract athletes for top programs, such as Chatsworth in baseball, Woodland Hills Taft in basketball and Lake Balboa Birmingham in football. Other schools that want to offer open enrollment spots can't because they're overcrowded.
Private schools have complained that they are at a disadvantage because they charge tuition, but financial aid, or "scholarships," as coaches like to say, have become commonplace.
Bill Redell, football coach at Oaks Christian, has grown frustrated with the continuing criticism of his program and said he would support a separate playoff division for private schools.
"It might be a good idea," he said. "Then you'd quit all this controversy about us taking all their players."
Setting up such separate playoff divisions would be such a complicated task, its chances of happening are improbable, Westlake Village Westlake football Coach Jim Benkert said.
Benkert tried to come up with a plan last year but abandoned the idea because, "I could never get it to the point where I could answer all the questions."
In Honolulu, there are separate football leagues and playoffs for public and private schools before they join for a Hawaii state championship tournament. But there are 28 public and 26 private high schools on Oahu compared to 360 public and 204 private high schools in the Southern Section.
In Chicago, there's a public school league and a Catholic school league, and the top football teams from each, if they are not involved in the state playoffs, play each other at Soldier Field at the end of the season. .
Whether this issue is important enough to attract interest from many schools in the Southern Section remains to be seen.
Thom Simmons, a Southern Section administrator, said, "No coach has called me, 'Thom, there's a problem with public versus private schools.' "
That may be because many coaches have given up hope that something can be done. Or, for some, the problem was temporarily resolved during the last go-round or league realignment, when many private schools were grouped in the same leagues.
What's certain is, if someone as respected as Herrington has concluded there's a disparity problem, others are sure to agree. 

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Just-Hoop'n Members Profile Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Admin Group Admin Baller Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Location: Simi Valley Posts: 134	Quote Reply Topic: CIF SS Seperate Public and Private Divisions Posted: 23 Dec 2007 at 9:28am
	Interesting L.A. Times article about separating public and private schools. What are everyone's thoughts on this? Does this level the playing field? ... This is by the L.A. Times' Eric Sondheimer. Call it a public-vs.-private schools feud that is simmering, if not starting to boil. It has come to the point that Newhall Hart Coach Mike Herrington, a member of the Southern Section football advisory committee and someone respected for his calm, clear thinking, says he's ready to propose that the Southern Section create separate playoff divisions for public and private schools. "The equality is not there," Herrington said of the current alignment. Front and center in the debate are Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Ventura St. Bonaventure, private schools that were placed with public schools in the Tri-Valley and Channel leagues, respectively, and aren't just winning but wiping out the competition. In Ventura County, the public school coaches are fed up. And now Herrington, after four consecutive losses to St. Bonaventure in nonleague games, is wondering if the unlimited attendance boundaries enjoyed by private schools is too great an advantage to overcome. Herrington said that as media coverage has expanded because of television and the Internet, private schools have gained added exposure. "They are more visible than ever and kids say, 'I want to go there,' and they can," he said. "There might be a kid in Ventura County say, 'I want to go to Canyon,' but they can't unless they move." Public schools were given a brief boost when the state legislature passed the open-enrollment law that took effect beginning with the 1994-95 school year. It allows students to attend any public school within their school district, regardless of where they live as long as there is room. And that's the problem today. Open enrollment has fallen to a trickle in many districts because of space limitations. That leaves an unequal playing field, at public and private schools. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, high schools that still have open enrollment slots continue to attract athletes for top programs, such as Chatsworth in baseball, Woodland Hills Taft in basketball and Lake Balboa Birmingham in football. Other schools that want to offer open enrollment spots can't because they're overcrowded. Private schools have complained that they are at a disadvantage because they charge tuition, but financial aid, or "scholarships," as coaches like to say, have become commonplace. Bill Redell, football coach at Oaks Christian, has grown frustrated with the continuing criticism of his program and said he would support a separate playoff division for private schools. "It might be a good idea," he said. "Then you'd quit all this controversy about us taking all their players." Setting up such separate playoff divisions would be such a complicated task, its chances of happening are improbable, Westlake Village Westlake football Coach Jim Benkert said. Benkert tried to come up with a plan last year but abandoned the idea because, "I could never get it to the point where I could answer all the questions." In Honolulu, there are separate football leagues and playoffs for public and private schools before they join for a Hawaii state championship tournament. But there are 28 public and 26 private high schools on Oahu compared to 360 public and 204 private high schools in the Southern Section. In Chicago, there's a public school league and a Catholic school league, and the top football teams from each, if they are not involved in the state playoffs, play each other at Soldier Field at the end of the season. . Whether this issue is important enough to attract interest from many schools in the Southern Section remains to be seen. Thom Simmons, a Southern Section administrator, said, "No coach has called me, 'Thom, there's a problem with public versus private schools.' " That may be because many coaches have given up hope that something can be done. Or, for some, the problem was temporarily resolved during the last go-round or league realignment, when many private schools were grouped in the same leagues. What's certain is, if someone as respected as Herrington has concluded there's a disparity problem, others are sure to agree.

Just-Hoop'n Members Profile Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Admin Group Admin Baller Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Location: Simi Valley Posts: 134	Quote Reply Posted: 23 Dec 2007 at 10:22am
	Here is another story I just found. It was in this week's LA Times: Tension grows between public, private schools Inequity concerns' prompt a movement to take action with one league expected to propose separate playoff divisions for private and public schools. December 19, 2007 Storm clouds seem ready to appear again in 2008 when it comes to the relationship between private and public schools. At least one league is expected to make a proposal to have separate playoff divisions for private and public schools. Mike Herrington, the football coach at Newhall Hart and a member of the Southern Section football advisory committee, said "inequity concerns" are fueling a movement to take action. He said private schools with no attendance boundaries are taking advantage of the increasing media exposure through television and the Internet to attract athletes no matter where they live. "It exposes them to a wider base," he said. Adding to the unease is that private schools, determined to develop winning athletic programs, are beginning to loosen the purse strings in order to lure top coaches away from public-school programs. Santa Ana Mater Dei pulled off one of the biggest hires this past year in snatching away Kevin Kiernan from Fullerton Troy to coach its girls' basketball program. Last year, North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake convinced Matt LaCour, the baseball coach at Woodland Hills El Camino Real, to leave the City Section behind. Sun Valley Village Christian hired Jeff Cortez, an alumnus, away from Lancaster to run its football program. San Juan Capistrano JSerra hired Jim Hartigan away from Clovis West to coach football. San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's hired Harry Welch from Canyon Country Canyon as its football coach. "I never thought I'd be back at Village," Cortez said. "I had always heard what Village teachers were paid. Things have been set up to attract quality people." LaCour had returned El Camino Real to baseball prominence, guiding the Conquistadores to the 2005 City Championship, when Harvard-Westlake made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Although the money is good, LaCour said equally important is the freedom that comes with coaching at a private school. "The bureaucracy of getting things done is tough," LaCour said of the City Section. "The best thing about a private school is your boss is there every day and knows what you're doing." Kiernan insisted that money was not the main reason he said goodbye to coaching girls' basketball at Troy, where his record was 317-32 and included three state titles and eight Southern Section championships. "I left for a variety of reasons," he said. "It was my time. We had done a lot of good things. I felt it was a big challenge [at Mater Dei] and the tradition was great." Mater Dei's upgrade of its athletic facilities has schools in Orange County feeling pressure. Its $18.2-million athletic center includes a gym that resembles a college arena. There's also a new aquatic center named after a home builder, the Rod Dedeaux Baseball Stadium and an all-weather field for soccer. Santa Margarita and JSerra also have growing athletic facilities. "Their financial resources are much greater than public schools," Placentia El Dorado Athletic Director Carl Sweet said. But Mater Dei President Patrick Murphy said public schools receive millions of dollars from the state and his students all pay tuition, though financial aid lessens the burden for many. What's clear is that jealousy and animosity are growing. The latest sign of the deteriorating relationship involves Chatsworth baseball Coach Tom Meusborn and his former assistant, LaCour. LaCour recently hired away Meusborn's pitching coach, Chad Redfern, who was an unpaid assistant at Chatsworth, a seven-time City Section baseball champion. "I don't think good friends do that," Meusborn said. Meusborn said he no longer considers LaCour a friend even though the two vacationed together last summer. Said LaCour: "I regret the fact he's upset, but I don't feel we did anything wrong." It's just the latest example of the private-public school squabbling that must be resolved because there are good people on both sides trying to make a difference. Edited by iamadminballer7 - 23 Dec 2007 at 10:23am