SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Private vs. Public question

Waited until after the finals to ask this question to avoid the "sour grape response." Obviously the are some very talented teams in SCISA. Why do BE and CC play in the public school leage? How much money do they have to pay to play? Why are they allowed to play? I would assume said schools are well connected politically. Any input would be appreciated. I know this subject has been debated in the past but I have never seen answers to these questions. Thanks.

Well, here's one answer. The league is a public service, supported by the taxpayers. The parents of kids in private schools pay taxes, too. By the same reasoning that home-schooled kids can play on public school teams- because of the word public and its meaning- private schools should be able to participate in the Public league.

Now, the terms of that participation should be open to debate. Some have proposed a 1.5 multipler for attendance at private schools, for example. They clearly have competitive advantages in some sports; probably not in others.

You question "why are they allowed to play" is simple. How can they not be allowed to play, and where do you get the term "public school league" Last time I checked it was the South Carolina High School League, and all the other scisa schools used to play in it, and on their own, decided to join SCISA for educational purposes.. Christ Church, Southside Christian and Bishop England just decided not to leave.

I think the issue should not be IF they are allowed to play, but how to be sure we make the playing field level—as we do with AAAA, AAA, AA, and A classifications. The classification system acknowledges that the larger the population from which you choose the team, the better the team should be. Private schools have a much larger pool form which to choose since they have open enrollment.

Purpleandyellow makes a good point. How do you level the playing field if they should be allowed to play? Did'nt the multiplier thing recently get voted down by 3A athletic directors because they did'nt want them either? Benp is SCHSL not part of the public school system? I always thought SCHSL=public and SCISA=private. A public school coud'nt join SCISA could they? I'm not anti-private just does'nt seem fair for 1A and 2A to be at an un-fair advantage.

"purpleandyellow" makes a good point. What he/she fails to realize is that SCHSL does not spend a lot of time worrying about soccer specific issues. Neither does NHFS. If either were interested in soccer specific issues, they would consider the proposed 1st/2nd/3rd division classification that was introduced here at scsoccer.com (is it still a link on the home page?). You wouldn't have any trouble getting buy-in from SC coaches from SCHSL/SCISA/public/private/WHATEVER!

Hey purpleandyellow - Why don't you go that route instead of trying to isolate individual schools that aren't in a position to change classifications? I bet you could get more soccer coaches to jump on that bandwagon. Give it a try. Your arguments have been talked about by people without clout for at least two decades, and nothing has changed.

SCHSL=South Carolina High School League.
SCISA=South Carolina Independent School League.

Certainly public schools cannot compete in Scisa unless they become independent of the public system, then they may! Last time I checked Bishop England is still a high school, so why can't they play in the high school league? I may be wrong on the who SCHSL thing, maybe it stands for South Carolina Highpublic School League, but I couldn't find much on their website saying that the schools that compete have to be public.

You have conflicting logic there though Ben. You can't just go based off of what the acronym stands for.

SCISA has to be independent of "something"..that being the SCHSL..if I'm not mistaken. Also, if I'm not mistaken. Schools like Bishop England and Christ Church only have affiliation with the SCHSL in athletics..for example. They don't compete with public schools in Science Olympiad, or SAT competitions, etc... (i could be wrong about that)

Since these schools are first and foremost academic institutions..it's reasonable to presume that Bishop England and Christ Church are first and foremost..private schools..independent of other South Carolina High Schools..which is where the controversy is.

The argument most people have against private schools playing in the SCHSL..is that if they are first and foremost private/independent of South Carolina's public schools..how is it "fair" or what is the rationale for them being allowed to compete in a league designated for South Carolina public high schools (who to my knowledge cannot participate in SCISA).

Beaufort Academy
Ben Lippen School
Cardinal Newman School
Pinewood Prep
Hilton Head Preparatory School
Porter-Gaud School
Thomas Sumter Academy
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Hilton Head Christian Academy
James Island Christian School
Thomas Sumter Academy
Wilson Hall
Hammond School
Bishop England High School
Christ Church Episcopal School
Southside Christian School


No SCISA school..or the schools listed that participate in SCHSL (except BE) have "High School" in their names.. so therefore should not be allowed to participate in SCHSL play.

Under this same acronym logic..we must take a look at York Comprehensive High School, Fort Dorchester Comprehensive High School..and so on.