Letters: School disparity a major issue

Indications are that the president of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association will be calling a statewide meeting for all principals in order to address the issue of “vouchers” for some high school athletes.

I understand that this is an important issue that will affect the status of some athletes.

I am requesting that another issue, much more important than the above, be placed on the agenda for consideration. That is the issue of the growing disparity between public and private/parochial schools in regard to fair and equitable competition, a statistical aberration!

In fact, the “voucher” system could enhance that very issue.

Marlin Ramsey, principal at South Beauregard High School, had an excellent proposal concerning a split of public/private schools in January. The proposal was tabled by a six-vote margin. I believe that this specially called meeting would be an excellent time to consider this proposal by “taking it from the table” for consideration during that meeting.

Let’s get some decision on Ramsey’s proposal prior to the November redistricting.

We can make high school athletics fair and equitable for all high school students in Louisiana if public school principals decide to make a bold move without fear that the quality of competition will be diminished.

Gibson Miller

high school principal

Iota

Comments

1) Comment by bourbon-soda - 18/06/2012

Not from around here, are you?

2) Comment by Old Man Kensey - 18/06/2012

How about we concentrate on education?

3) Comment by 8.3 - 17/06/2012

Isn't the point a Darwinian economic competition, thats why "private sector is always better" ? Having been employed in both modes, I have doubts about any superior "efficiencies".

4) Comment by bourbon-soda - 17/06/2012

The champion academic schools in the state, including public ones like Ben Franklin and BR Magnet, analogously skim academic talent from the youth gen pop. Maybe the answer is to have a public career academies in sports to skim talent and compete with the private skimmers.

5) Comment by teacherguy - 17/06/2012

I believe that separating the private school athletic programs from the public school programs would only serve to dethrone programs such as John Curtis, Evangel, Parkview, etc. who tend to win multiple state championships due to the ability of these schools to create grade school thru high school "programs" that public schools are not able to do. These schools are infamous for recruiting, giving scholarships, the best public school talent coming out of middle schools to add to their teams. It is a shame these schools do not have to get "graded" academically as the public schools do to validate better academic programs. It will be interesting to see if these "athletic" powerhouse private schools get in line for vouchers to offset the scholarships that were being given in the past. For every private school powerhouse, there are ten or more private schools that are not...to segregate the privates from the publics in sports NOW would only serve to decrease the desire of public school students to go to a private school athletic system that would only have a few elite schools in them...which goes against the trend of what the governor has put in place to abandon public schools and privatize education. I hope the LHSAA turns down allowing private schools the opportunity to capitalize the athletic programs using public tax dollar vouchers as scholarship money. And I understand how Mr. Miller would like to create a private school strand of athletics due to the disparity created here by being able to keep a group of kids in a team from 6-12 grade...but if you look at how many private schools can actually beat public schools on the field regularly (what 5 or 6 in the state?)...your proposal is punitive to the elite power house schools mostly. I'll read to see how this one turns out.

6) Comment by Scrooge - 16/06/2012

Do you really believe academic deficiencies were a deterrent for the prime beef? Maybe for the herd. BTW, no telling how much academic talent will go to waste or be lost to Louisiana in the future, given the drive for menial dregs to serve the economic Illuminati whose insights are mainly inspired by circumstance of birth, that birthright seeming to be a justification for exploitation of others, much like the feudal system of old. Interesting, the similarity between miser and misery.

7) Comment by bourbon-soda - 16/06/2012

You would think the athletic talent lost to Louisiana colleges because of academic deficiencies in the lower schools would motivate improvement in the schools. No telling how much meat- on-the-hoof goes to waste that could be playing college football. And then there's "I want a university the football team can be proud of." - attributed to George Lynn Cross, President, U of OK, 1943 -68

8) Comment by Scrooge - 16/06/2012

Good thing we have academics in Louisiana to support the athletic programs, otherwise the perception might be that Louisiana is quite backward. The basic problem should be obvious, the history of Louisiana may provide a clue.

9) Comment by bourbon-soda - 16/06/2012

Contrary to the last sentence, fear that the quality of athletic competition by public schools would be diminished, seems imminently reasonable. If better athletes, defined as those with a chance of playing in college, are already preferentially going to private schools, why would their segregation into a private school league not enhance their attractiveness to college scouts? A more basic problem is, whether for academic or athletic reasons, why do people pay for something that is available free?

10) Comment by DMJ - 16/06/2012

What was Ramsey's proposal? A little context would help...