**Senate Passes Bill Forcing UIL To Accept Private Schools**

[KFDM COOP]

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB1943

This afternoon, the full Senate passed SB 1943 by Senator Dan Patrick by a vote of 28-3.The bill will now go to the House where it will likely be referred to the House Public Education Committee sometime next week.On Tuesday, the House Public Education committee heard testimony on HB 2588 by Rep. Frank Corte, which is the companion to SB 1943.HB 2588 was left pending in committee.

A summary of SB 1943 as passed is below.

The bill would prohibit the UIL from denying a private school or its students the opportunity to participate in an activity sponsored by the league or the opportunity to become a member of an appropriate league district.

A private school or its students would have to satisfy each eligibility requirement by the UIL.

A private school seeking to participate in a league activity or to become a member of a league district would be required to apply to the UIL on a form prescribed by the UIL.

A private school would have to provide proof of accreditation.

The UIL could not impose eligibility requirements that exceed the requirements for public schools.

The appropriate league district in which an eligible private school would participate would be determined by multiplying the private school's enrollment by two and placing the private school in an appropriate league district based on an enrollment figure.

A private school could not be placed in a league district lower than the 2A level.

The bill would allow the UIL to adopt rules designed to discourage an eligible private school from recruiting any student to attend the school for the purpose of participating in a league activity.

This would seem to have the potential to have a major impact in the metropolitan areas of Texas, SA, Dallas/Ft Worth, Houston. In turn, it could significantly change some district alignments and the current split between region 1 and 2 and regions 3 and 4, depending upon how many private schools actually want to get into the UIL.

[KFDM COOP]

Very interesting here!! Bill has passed beginning next relignment that Priavte Schools can join Public School Sports. Looks like the UIL will be very busy this Fall getting ready for February. Let's hear your opinions on this!!!!!!!

[BUNA95]

I do not know if this is a good idea. It might bring up some recruitment issues. ???

[bleacher_bum]

I do not know if this is a good idea. It might bring up some recruitment issues. ???

I would have to agree with ya.  Don't know how this will work, should be intresting to say the least.

[Guest ECBucFan]

I do not know if this is a good idea. It might bring up some recruitment issues. ???

Ha! I agree 100%! Oh, I am sure the UIL will dilegently battle recruitment issues just as always!  : : 

Money gets what money wants...

[piratefan]

This is a very bad idea.there will be  all kind of investigations brought up.

        Basically a kid can go to a private school in the "area" of where he lives and participate in athletics.

then those same schools get to compete against our public schools who dont get to sign just anybody up.You have to live in that town or school district to play.

very bad idea.Never thought i would see it in Texas

[DP#1FAN]

UIL does not care about you or your kids. To them it all about the $$$$$$$$$$$.

[stang4life]

I have the same concerns.  Doesn't seem fair especially when it comes to issues with their ability to "recruit".

Is it true that private schools are not required to administer the TAKS test?  I mean, I guess my point is that if they want to be treated like public schools then there needs to be adherence and compliance with the standards expected of public schools across the board. 

[CoachLB]

IMO,DP#1 fan hit the nail square on the head! Money drives everything they do! The rules this puts on private schools in this bill doesn't really matter.If you have 300 enrollment and by rule that is doubled to 600 ,what is that a jump from 2a to 3a? Public schools have to play with the kids who live in their districts, and sometimes in 2a and 3a talent levels may vary from year to year just because of numbers.But if you know you need a QB or RB and you can go find one and give him academic aid to go to your school,what a deal! And the way you do it unnoticed is to scout the Jr. High's and bring them in as freshman.In state's that allow private schools to play in the same leagues as public schools, for the most part the power schools usually are the private schools,because of their ability to give academic aid.It may not happen over night but I believe that's what will happen in Texas also.If a private school has a policy of giving aid to students who can't afford to go to their school,I wouldn't think you could make a rule denying it to athletes. The only two winners here IMO are the private schools and the UIL, and as my good friend from Deweyville said it is all money driven.

[bronco1]

UIL rules govern public school extracirricular activities, it just seems fishy that they would allow schools that don't have to meet the same academic, attendance and district standards as the schools they would be competeing against.

Would no pass no play still be in effect for private schools? What about students with discipline problems who left public school to go to private schools?

Seems like a big headache, so that means the UIL will love it.

[rtdirish]

The recruiting issue is not valid. Kids do not go to private schools in this state to play sports. The public schools do as much recruiting around here as the privates, which is not much by the way. You have to put up with to much to go to a private school, just ask J'covan Brown. The tuition is also an issue, private schools are not just going to let kids go for free. They have got to cover their costs somehow. Not everyone can afford to send their kids. Schools like Kelly and Cathedral in our area only stay around because of donations of a wealthy few. The average student and family just pays tuition which does not cover the cost of educating a kid. This whole thing does not seem to be a problem for the 2 private schools(Strake Jesuit in Houston & Dallas Jesuit) and their districts that are already in the UIL.

[KFDM COOP]

I don't think the UIL will be happy. This will be the most anticipated Relignment coming up in years next February, especially if the new District plan passes. The UIL was wanting to shorten Districts but now especially in the big cities Districts will be bigger. I have no problem with it, I would love to see Kelly in our 3A District. Once again though Private Schools do have to do this, it will be by choice.

[Cat22]

Would Kelly be in 3A though?  That article says that you take the enrollment and multiply it by two.  Would that put Kelly in 4A?  What is their current enrollment?

[KFDM COOP]

Kelly has 3A Numbers but if they had to mulitply it by 2 they would be 4A. There will probably be alot of Private Schools stay in the Private Sector if they had to multiply by 2. It will be interesting to see.

[PURPLE 4EVER]

This is not a good idea!!!

If you don't think the enrollment of kids with "athletic" ability won't increase in private schools in Houston and Dallas your hamster has fallen off the wheel.

Think about basketball...

One "stud" athlete can carry your team way into the playoffs, maybe even to the state championship.

[CoachLB]

Rtdirsh, Kids for the most part don't go to private schools now to play sports because they play in their own leagues.You put private schools in UIL districts and the kids will be willing to go there for sports,and if the schools have academic aid for students it will be made easier for them.I am not saying everyone in the private schools will recruit,but you have to admit the opportunity is there and if the opportunity is there someone will take it.Alot of real concerns have been brought up by posters,and I am not against the private schools coming in if everyone plays under the same rules and guidelines.Look at Cali, Florida and other states and see who the powers are, and IMO recruiting is the reason.

[tvc184]

This will create a stacked deck against public schools. In many cases it might create a situation like in the 70's and early 80's when Gerry Faust took Moeller High School in Ohio to several consecutive state football championships and mythical national championships. Faust won so many games and championships they brought him to Notre Dame to be the head coach. Oops.. without the stacked deck and competing on an even field, Faust could not win anything and lasted four years. I had a friend that was a big ND fan back then and he told me how it was great that ND now had the most successful current high school coach in the country and big things were on the horizon for ND football. I thought it was funny. I mentioned the stacked deck that he had a Moeller and he didn't see that as a problem... until four years later when they found out that Faust could not coach. It does not take a lot of players to create an unfair advantage in high school and the private school vs public school in football shows it.

Private schools have no boundaries. They can get students from anywhere. Imagine if a couple of the best players from WO-S, Memorial, Ozen, Central, PN-G, etc., all played on what amounts to be an all-star football team.

Rtdirish attempts to make a point about recruiting not going to be a problem. As evidence? One player didn't like the rules. Oh well, that's ONE. For every player that doesn't like living within a tighter system of rules, there are probably 4 others that don't mind it. Irish then goes on to say that money is an issue but as an example, says that the school is supported by a wealthy few and other students just pay tuition. Well there you go. I will bet that there are plenty of parents in the area from all schools that would be willing to pay just a tuition fee to get their kids on a winning team and to better a chance at a college scholarship. Sure there are some that won't but many will. Again, how many does it take?

Speaking of the wealthy supporting the schools, more wealthy parents will now send their children athletes to a private school that would not have done so had the rules not changed. They will not only be recruiting athletes but their wealthy parents. I can see this a potential increase in donors to the private schools. That is good for them but at what cost to fairness? How many all district or all state players does it take on a team to give them an unfair advantage?

[PURPLE 4EVER]

What are the odds of Vince Young graduating from Madison if this bill would have been law 10 years ago???

VY, Earl Campell, all the greats would not be playing in public schools but private.

They really need to think this through before making it law.

[KFDM COOP]

It's already been passed!

[rtdirish]

Who said anything in life was fair. You have got to look at education in this country like a business. The strong will survive while the weak will get run over. If you are worried about the privates having higher standards and more to offer then demand that your public schools raise their standards. The problem with a lot of public education is that it maid to insure that the lowest common denominator is catered too. That does not help those who want more.

Anyway, Texas is one of a small handful of states that the publics and privates do not play together (I believe that there are only 3 others but I am not sure on that). It does not seem to be a problem in the rest of the country. There just seems to be a big prejudice against the private schools in this state because of what might happen. You also must remember the coaches in these situations. They are trying to have a career and they do not want to get labeled that the only way that they can win is by recruiting/cheating. This was going to  be a big problem in Beaumont when Ozen open but it is amazing how things always seem to even themselves out. I am not saying that the Ozen thing is fixed by the way but that is a whole nother discussion board.

By the way Kelly's enrolement is about 480. I do not know where that would put them if you doubled it in the UIL. What is the cut of for 3A to 4A. By the way I think that this part of the rule will keep a lot of private schools from moving over. I think that it will be an all or nothing type thing. If say just 25% of the private schools moved out of TAPPS, I think that it would probably fold.

By the I am sitting in a public school classroom as I write these. So I am not a Kelly or Cathedral person. I just went to private schools growing up in different states.

[KFDM COOP]

If they double enrollment Kelly would be right on the line of 3A/4A.

[CoachLB]

This is not about academic standards,this is about private schools wanting to play sports in the UIL districts.You are right life is not always fair,and that sounds to me what the private schools are saying,why can't we play with ya'll,that's not fair.Why do you think they want in? Could it be because it would make their schools more attractive to a wider range of students,or maybe larger crowds at the games,or many other reasons that really just comes down to more money for the school.Like I said I have no problem with private schools playing in the UIL,and they can keep their academic standards, but when it comes to sports just play by the same UIL rules.By the way,schools should be run with the kids best interest at heart as the #1 priority,not as a business IMO.

[tvc184]

Who said anything in life was fair.

Life isn't fair because you were born to poor parents, you couldn't run as fast as your neighbor, you lived in a bad neighborhood, you are not as smart as your classmates or you played on a lousy team. There is a difference between circumstances in life and legislated unfairness.

[tvc184]

After reading the bill, I am not sure that it will involve TAPPS schools. It appears from the language of the bill that it is for new schools that may not be part of TAPPS and have nowhere to go. The law specifically states that to join the UIL, the school must have:

(  The University Interscholastic League may not deny a school or its students the opportunity to participate in an activity sponsored by the league or become a member of an appropriate league district or otherwise discriminate against a private school or its students if the private school:

_____(5)  sought membership in another interscholastic organization but was denied membership in that organization.

The law says that they must have been denied membership in another interscholastic organization AND was denied. TAPPS is an interscholastic organization. If a school such as Kelly is already part of an interscholastic organization, how can they fit the requirement of a school that has been denied membership?

It seems as if this bill is targeted at a school that is looking to compete in athletics and has nowhere to go. That does not fit the current state of most (all?) private schools in this area.

[Bon_Mot]

Will the privates have to follow all UIL guidelines?  One thing that is not much of an issue in football but greatly affects other sports is coaches participation outside of the season.  Currently, a private school coach can work with whoever he wants at any time, but a UIL coach cannot coach any student in grades 7 on up within his school distric in any club sport.  That's year-round coaching, which is in no way a level playing field.  Another thing these private schools can do is hire whoever they want to coach these teams.  

I have no problem with any private school joining UIL - as long as they follow UIL rules.