Ten private metro Atlanta high schools are proposing an enrollment multiplier for reclassification in 2016 in hopes that it will keep public and private schools competing against each other in Class AA and above.
The 10 private schools, plus three outside of Atlanta, were dominant in the calendar year 2014, winning 33 of a possible 54 state championships in all sports in classes AAAA, AAA and AA. In football, six of the 13 private schools above Class A made the semifinals or better, and nine made the quarterfinals.
Earlier this month, football coaches from about 25 AA public schools met informally in Macon, devising plans that would put all private schools in their own leagues. In 2012, an uprising among smaller rural public schools prompted the Georgia High School Association to break Class A into public and private divisions.
On Tuesday, the GHSA heard several proposals for reclassification, one by athletics directors Mark Kelly of St. Pius, Tommy Marshall of Marist and Rusty Hudson of Westminster.
Their agenda was clear: Keep public schools and private schools together.
‘’We’re supportive of any solution that treats everyone the same,’’ Kelly said. “We’re not supportive of any solution that separates a certain segment of the GHSA population and applies rules that apply only to one.’’
Represented in Kelly’s proposal were Blessed Trinity, Greater Atlanta Christian, Holy Innocents’, Lovett, Marist, Pace Academy, St. Pius, Wesleyan, Westminster and Woodward Academy. Those are the only 10 private schools in metro Atlanta above Class A. Darlington in Rome, Benedictine in Savannah and Riverside Military in Gainesville are the other private schools above Class A.
The group’s proposal calls for a multiplier on students that do not live in a school’s service area. For example, St. Pius’ service area is DeKalb County. St. Pius’ enrollment is roughly 1,125 students. Kelly does not know the number of those living outside of DeKalb, but he believes it to be substantial, putting St. Pius at risk of moving up one class to AAAAA.
That plan would be different than the old GHSA multiplier on private schools that existed academic years 2000-01 to 2006-07. That rule multiplied total enrollment by 1.5 to determine final classification.
Kelly’s group would want its multiplier applied to all schools, not just privates. Those would include charter, magnet and city schools that commonly accept students who do not live within their school-district boundaries. Also controversial in reclassification discussions are city schools such as sports powers Buford, Gainesville, Calhoun and Jefferson that have open enrollment.
Kelly’s proposal would maintain the public-private split in Class A. No school would be moved up more than one classification.
Kelly stressed that a key part of his group’s proposal is that the GHSA form a committee to study the perceived problems and then settle on a multiplier that is fair. He said that assumptions made about recruiting, the concentration of elite athletes at certain schools and the number of student-athletes outside school boundaries might be unfounded.
Kelly said his group’s objectives are to preserve the educational goals of school-based athletics.
‘’I’m an educator,’’ Kelly said. “I don’t think it is educationally sound for us to be competing only against private schools. We played Columbia [a public school in DeKalb County] last night in basketball. It’s wonderful competition. That’s two different types of communities. The coaches and fans get along great. There’s real value for our students, parents and fans when we compete against schools that are not exactly the same as ours.’’
There were seven other proposals made to the GHSA on Tuesday in Thomaston. Four of them – made by Kyle Gourley of Putnam County, Brian Nelson of Mary Persons, Lee Chomskis of Vidalia and Roger Holmes of Dublin - would apply multipliers or separate public and private schools altogether.
The others addressed different issues, particularly the disparity between schools at the highest and lowest ends of a classification. Proposals by Bob Stinchcomb of Darlington and Bradley Warren of Dade County would cut Class AAAAAA down by one-third and create what Warren called a Super 44.
The GHSA did not vote on any proposals. It will take up the issue of reclassification in the fall before the full executive committee. Reclassification for 2016-18 will not be approved until January of 2016.
For more on Tuesday’s proposal, see the GHSA’s website:
http://www.ghsa.net/informational-meeting-reclassification-held-jan-20
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