September 29, 2004
The IHSA Public-Private Task Force Committee met for a second time on Tuesday, September 28, 2004. The committee consists of three members of each of the Board of Directors Divisions and is chaired by Joe Schlender, principal of Hoffman Estates (Conant).
According to Mr. Schlender, “The task force worked hard Tuesday to define key issues and to explore modifications to the Association's rules and policies. Overall, I believe the group is making good progress. However, it was evident that this is a very complex issue.”
The committee initially heard a report from Chairman Schlender regarding a meeting he attended at the National Federation Summer Conference where the topic of public/private school relations was discussed. Mr. Schlender said it was clear from that meeting, that the issues at hand are both regional and national in scope.
Mr. Schlender also reported on a meeting with private school representatives from across the state that he attended with IHSA Board Member Dr. James Quaid, Oak Park (Fenwick). The meeting was to report on the work of the Task Force and to gather information from private member schools. Approximately seventy (70) private schools were represented at the meeting.
Based on the discussion at the meeting, the following issues will continue to be explored by the task force:
“This was an excellent meeting,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “Private and public school officials openly shared their concerns and suggestions. The discussion illustrated how important this issue is to our membership.”
The IHSA Public-Private School Task Force will meet again on October 25, 2004, at the IHSA Office in Bloomington. The Task Force plans to present recommendations to the IHSA Board and membership in March or April of 2005.