Unfair Advantages

Erin Krannawitter

Mrs. Gawith

Comp. I

20 December 2017

The Unfair Advantage: Private vs Public School Competition High school sports in Kansas are very diverse with the skill level in certain areas of the state. The classification system that Kansas high schools utilizes, groups schools based on student count into classes 1A through 6A. Each class has a mixed number of private and public schools. However, private schools in these classes have the higher advantage because they can pick certain students from a wide pool, for enrollment that will be beneficial to sports’ teams. Public schools are required to admit almost every student that enrolls into them. This gives private schools an edge to benefit their teams and win more games. Many state

Public school teams are struggling to win championships, while private schools are offering scholarships to athletes that will help their teams win. Due to the number of public schools losing state championships and other major competitive achievements, private schools should be classified to their level of competition in the current system, or have a whole classification of their own. The majority of the powerhouse teams in Kansas often attend private schools. In certain cases, private schools’ sports teams classified as 4A, compete regularly against teams that are 6A. This allows smallers school to compete at a higher level because they are playing bigger and more competitive schools. Public schools are put in sports classes based on student enrollment within geographic boundaries. Majority of private schools are Christian religion based. Most have no boundaries because they pay more for a “privatised” education. Therefore, private schools can pick and choose any athletically gifted student within the state to be on a dominating team. Many private schools offer scholarships to these students, making the

According to Times Union, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has held meetings to discuss the possibility of having separate postseason tournaments for private and public schools. This would ultimately mean two state championships: a public school state champion and a private school state champion. However, if this idea were to pass, there would be lots of questions needed to be answered. Possible questions needed to be resolved are: “Would all sports hold separate playoffs, or just a select few? Wouldn't the best public and best private school want the chance to play each other? And how much resistance will there be from private schools who feel they're being punished for their success?” (TimesUnion). Changing the classification system is a complicated process than tends to be drawn out and has to have a well developed solution. However, many states have already adapted to a new system, or, have altered their current classification to compromise the private and public school competition