BleacherCoaches.com

Public school criticism of state basketball playoffs 'sour grapes,' says PIAA director

Contact your state representatives and senators. Tell them you are concerned about the fairness of the PIAA's practices regarding public schools and open enrollment/private schools. Refer to Amendment Act 219, House Bill No. 2104. The act was put in place in 1972. Times have changed, and it needs to be re-examined to better serve the interests of Pennsylvania's public school athletes who compete in PIAA sponsored sports.

Also ask how much oversight the Pennsylvania Legislature has over the PIAA as it is a state-affiliated entity. The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court found "[The] PIAA’s statewide control over high school athletics and the connection between the funds it receives from its members and the commonwealth’s taxpayers is sufficient such that its classification as a 'state-affiliated entity.'"

Around eighty-six percent of schools in the PIAA are public or charter charter schools. Yet, a small number of private schools continually dominate the PIAA championships. This is not a matter of "sour grapes" as Dr. Lombardi put it, but rather an unfair imbalance in Pennsylvania high school athletics.

House Bill No. 2104


Find Your Legislator

Bedford

Representatives

House District 69: Carl Walker Metzgar (R)
House District 78: Jesse Topper (R)

Senator

Senate District 35: Wayne Langerholc Jr. (R)

Blair

Representatives

House District 79: Louis C. Schmitt Jr. (R)
House District 80: Jim Gregory (R)

Senator

Senate District 30: Judy Ward (R)

Cambria

Representatives

House District 71: Jim Rigby (R)
House District 72: Frank Burns (D)
House District 73: Tommy Sankey (R)

Senator

Senate District 35: Wayne Langerholc Jr. (R)

Centre

Representatives

House District 76: Stephanie Borowicz (R)
House District 77: Scott Conklin (D)
House District 81: Rich Irvin (R)
House District 171: Kerry A. Benninghoff (R)

Senator

Senate District 34: Jake Corman (R)

Clearfield

Representatives

House District 73: Tommy Sankey (R)
House District 75: Mike Armanini (R)

Senators

Senate District 35: Wayne Langerholc Jr. (R)
Senate District 25: Cris Dush (R)

Clinton

Representatives

House District 76: Stephanie Borowicz (R)

Senator

Senate District 25: Cris Dush (R)

Fulton

Representative

House District 78: Jesse Topper

Huntingdon

Representative

House District 81: Rich Irvin (R)

Senators

Senate District 30: Judy Ward (R)
Senate District 34: Jake Corman (R)

Indiana

Representatives

House District 55: Jason Silvis (R)
House District 60: Abby Major (R)
House District 62: James B. Struzzi II (R)
House District 66: Brian Smith (R)

Senator

Senate District 41: Joe Pittman (R)

Mifflin

Representatives

House District 81: Rich Irvin (R)
House District 82: Johnathan D. Hershey (R)
House District 171: Kerry A. Benninghoff (R)

Senator

Senate District 34: Jake Corman (R)

Somerset

Representatives

House District 51: Matthew D. Dowling (R)
House District 59: Leslie Rossi (R)
House District 69: Carl Walker Metzgar (R)

Senator

Senate District 32: Patrick J. Stefano (R)

This man gets it! Thank you.

Our state legislators (hopefully) have more important things to do.

Knowitall, I agree with you that maybe this shouldn't be the top priority for the politicians to work. However, it should be looked into because they are ij charge of our tax dollars and the decisions they make affect all of us and our money. If I am a PA taxpayer I expect my political leaders to use money tax money the right way and in an equal way that is fair for all. And if that includes the money that is provided to our public schools and yes even that should involve the fairness of athletics under the public school system. If your kids go to a public school you pay taxes to that school district if your neighbor has kids that to a private or c charter school, you are paying that extra cost for them to go there. Which isn't right to begin and then to add upon insult the the way athletics are unequal, does make people feel that there are injustices being created. That is what Nemesis is trying to get across, I believe.

F.Y.I. I was interested in what the teams in the Philly area offered. I chose Roman Catholic, because they have an informative website. Some info., I discovered was 1.The basketball varsity team has 7 assistants, not counting the head coach. The JV and JR high coaches number 4, none of these are part of the 7 I mentioned earlier. There are 75 or more players listed in their basketball brochure that have gone on to Division one programs. They have 7 current players offered division one scholarships. Their basketball program brochure is 50 pages.The tuition 9-12 averages out to about 9,900 dollars a year, that is around 40 thousand for 4 years.They offer 14 sports programs, some unusual ones were crew (ROWING) Rugby,Ice hockey and equestrian a cop opt. The classes are to numerous to list.Some I found interesting, Business law, fine arts, engineering. I was going to check out some of the other private schools who are always competing in the PIAA Basketball final, but need I go any further?

Roman Catholic is playing in the proper class, i.e., AAAAAA. I have no problem with them.

Private schools need to go. A new league would be fair and the way it should be

Dad, my parents made the sacrifice to send me to private school. They had to pay that tuition on top of paying their local school taxes. As they should have. I’m not seeing the point.