The Florida state legislature made big headlines this month when Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster proposed creating a new governing body for the state's private schools. He says that the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) places too many restrictions on private schools and that its transfer rules interfere with the state's school choice initiatives. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, a former public schools superintendent who supported Webster's proposal, told the Orlando Sentinel:

"I don't know whether [the FHSAA needs] to be put out of business or whether they need to be put into a more controlled business where they are more responsible and more responsive, not to the Legislature particularly, but to the people that pay the dues ... They have a chip on their shoulder about private schools."

Defenders of the FHSAA say that the 77-year-old association's rules effectively carry out the wishes of its membership. They note that ever since a 1997 restructuring, the association's decision-making processes are more democratic than ever. Still, though the proposal failed, its supporters have vowed that the matter is not closed, and that scrutiny of the FHSAA will continue.

While Floridians grumble that private schools are getting the short end of the stick, the opposite case is being made in New Jersey. Some public schools in the Garden State are unhappy about the inequities that exist between themselves and private schools, so they're talking about some type of a split. Bridgeton High School (public institution) Athletic Director Joe Blandino told the Hammonton News:

"I don't think it's a fair way of doing things ... We have 6.2 miles to recruit from and [private schools] can get their kids from anywhere," said Blandino. "How are we supposed to compete with that?"

Meanwhile in the Show Me State, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) has voted down a proposal that would have created separate championships for public and private schools. By a 321-92 count, member schools decided that the current system should be changed, not eliminated:

"We are encouraged by the results of this vote and the desire of our membership to work together," MSHSAA Executive Director Kerwin Urhahn said in a press release. "However, there is still a lot of work to be done in this area. In the near future, we will be establishing a standing committee on public and nonpublic school relations to make sure that our membership has a formal channel to communicate concerns as they arise and recommend changes when they are needed. Keeping an open dialogue on these issues is critical to making progress and moving forward."

A columnist for the Joplin (Mo.) Globe is critical of the MSHSAA's decision, pointing out that private schools in the state have claimed much more than their fair share of state titles in recent years. The paper notes that financial aid and a larger geographic recruiting area give private schools a significant competitive advantage over their public-school counterparts.

Athletic Management tackled the issue of competitive equity (and inequity) in high school sports in its Oct./Nov. 2006 issue. The article, Uneven Ground, examined many different causes and effects related to athletic inequity, including the disparities that exist between public and private schools.

Greg Scholand is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management.