IHSA Announcements

October 26, 2004

IHSA Public-Private Task Force Meets in Bloomington

The IHSA Public-Private Task Force Committee met for a third time on Monday, October 25, 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).

The meeting marked the third time the committee of the whole has met since its formation last spring. The committee had previously divided itself into three subgroups, each looking at a different issue relative to public-private school issues. One subgroup explored the possibility of using a multiplier in determining a non-boundaried school's athletic enrollment, one subgroup examined the possibility of expanding classes in all IHSA sports, and one subgroup examined general issues, such as transfers and financial aid regulations, concerning public-private school relations.

It is expected that when finished, the committee will make recommendations for consideration to the IHSA Board of Directors and the membership in March or April of 2005.

At Monday's meeting, the committee heard reports from each of the subgroups and identified a number of topics that will be discussed at next month's Principal's Rules Meetings/Town Meetings, 28 of which will be held around the state between November 4-19. Since IHSA By-Law 2.130 requires member school principals, or their designee, to attend one of these meetings, the committee hopes this forum will provide member schools with an opportunity to share their views on the identified topics, which include:

Expanding classes in IHSA sports in accordance with IHSA Policy 19 in the 2004-05 Handbook.
Use of a multiplier to determine a non-boundaried school's athletic enrollment.
Defining boundaried and non-boundaried schools.
Determining what it means to create "a level playing field" for schools.

Each subgroup will then meet in December to review feedback from the Principals' Rules Meetings/Town Meetings and prepare final recommendations for the committee as a whole at their next meeting, which is scheduled for January 18, 2005.

"The committee continues to move forward examining the relations between public and private schools from a number of perspectives. Each subgroup has done a thorough job of examining their issue, and we look forward to the November Town Meetings as a time to really gauge the feeling of the state on the committee's work thus far," said Mr. Schlender.