Domination last season revs up private-vs-public debate

► This is the first in a three-part Sunday series on the private vs. public school debate.

A debate that has long existed between public schools and private schools in Georgia has grown to a fever pitch with the completion of the 2008-2009 school year.

And that debate seems to have little, if any, middle ground.

By the time all of the high school sports seasons were completed in late May, private schools had claimed 12 of the 14 possible Class A state championships.

Many advocates and representatives of public schools think that private schools have an unfair advantage in terms of where they can draw their students from. Instead of only having to pick from students that live within county lines, like public schools, private schools can accept students from any reasonably close area.

"You look at their opportunity to draw from one-and-a-half million kids and we draw from 16,000," Banks County football coach Blair Armstrong said of private schools. "How is that fair?"

Armstrong makes the analogy that, if the Atlanta Falcons were only allowed to take players from Georgia and all other teams could take players from all over the country, any NFL fan would claim it is unfair.

"Anybody that thinks it's fair needs to go back to school and do some math," Armstrong said. "I don't care about it for me, but it is unfair to my kids. When I'm going to compete against these teams in the playoffs, my kids don't have a chance of going that far."

The Banks County coach also shares a concern with Lincoln County football coach Larry Campbell - that the schools in small, rural areas will eventually disappear under the success of private schools near Atlanta.

"I would hate to see small-town football be demolished," said Campbell, who is the winningest high school football coach in Georgia history. "All I'm looking for is a level playing field. I want to see small towns like Lincolnton, Twin City, Washington and others to have the opportunity to have state championships."

Defenders of private schools claim that this advantage does not exist and it isn't as simple as picking and choosing athletes from any of the surrounding counties.

Several representatives from private schools have pointed to the fact that their schools have much stricter entrance requirements, which are self-enforced and enforced by the Georgia High School Association.

"It is never that simple," said Van Beacham, athletic director at Athens Christian School. "I see the conflict between public and private schools, but I understand the transfer rules. I understand their purpose. It makes it tough on us. We have to get our students at a much younger age."

Beacham said that 15 counties are represented in the Athens Christian School system, kindergarten through 12th grade. But for a student to be eligible to play high school sports, he or she has to be enrolled prior to the start of his or her freshman year.

Hardship appeals can be made, but if a student becomes a member of Athens Christian School without a bona fide move into the Clarke County area, he or she will have to sit out of athletics for a year and may never be eligible to compete.

And there are also the admission procedures individual private schools enforce. Franklin Pridgen, football coach at Wesleyan, a private school in Norcross, claims that whether a student is a good football player matters little - if at all - in the decision to allow him admission.

That was tested this academic year after the Wolves won the Class A football title, just the third private school to win a football title in 20 years.

"I had at least a dozen families approach me, saying they liked the way we did things and wanted to play for us," Pridgen said. "In alm

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Home Site Map Advertise For Sale Subscribe to our Monthly Email Newsletter	Attend Domination last season revs up private-vs-public debate ► This is the first in a three-part Sunday series on the private vs. public school debate. A debate that has long existed between public schools and private schools in Georgia has grown to a fever pitch with the completion of the 2008-2009 school year. And that debate seems to have little, if any, middle ground. By the time all of the high school sports seasons were completed in late May, private schools had claimed 12 of the 14 possible Class A state championships. Many advocates and representatives of public schools think that private schools have an unfair advantage in terms of where they can draw their students from. Instead of only having to pick from students that live within county lines, like public schools, private schools can accept students from any reasonably close area. "You look at their opportunity to draw from one-and-a-half million kids and we draw from 16,000," Banks County football coach Blair Armstrong said of private schools. "How is that fair?" Armstrong makes the analogy that, if the Atlanta Falcons were only allowed to take players from Georgia and all other teams could take players from all over the country, any NFL fan would claim it is unfair. "Anybody that thinks it's fair needs to go back to school and do some math," Armstrong said. "I don't care about it for me, but it is unfair to my kids. When I'm going to compete against these teams in the playoffs, my kids don't have a chance of going that far." The Banks County coach also shares a concern with Lincoln County football coach Larry Campbell - that the schools in small, rural areas will eventually disappear under the success of private schools near Atlanta. "I would hate to see small-town football be demolished," said Campbell, who is the winningest high school football coach in Georgia history. "All I'm looking for is a level playing field. I want to see small towns like Lincolnton, Twin City, Washington and others to have the opportunity to have state championships." Defenders of private schools claim that this advantage does not exist and it isn't as simple as picking and choosing athletes from any of the surrounding counties. Several representatives from private schools have pointed to the fact that their schools have much stricter entrance requirements, which are self-enforced and enforced by the Georgia High School Association. "It is never that simple," said Van Beacham, athletic director at Athens Christian School. "I see the conflict between public and private schools, but I understand the transfer rules. I understand their purpose. It makes it tough on us. We have to get our students at a much younger age." Beacham said that 15 counties are represented in the Athens Christian School system, kindergarten through 12th grade. But for a student to be eligible to play high school sports, he or she has to be enrolled prior to the start of his or her freshman year. Hardship appeals can be made, but if a student becomes a member of Athens Christian School without a bona fide move into the Clarke County area, he or she will have to sit out of athletics for a year and may never be eligible to compete. And there are also the admission procedures individual private schools enforce. Franklin Pridgen, football coach at Wesleyan, a private school in Norcross, claims that whether a student is a good football player matters little - if at all - in the decision to allow him admission. That was tested this academic year after the Wolves won the Class A football title, just the third private school to win a football title in 20 years. "I had at least a dozen families approach me, saying they liked the way we did things and wanted to play for us," Pridgen said. "In alm Continue read the rest of "Domination last season revs up private-vs-public debate" by Athens Banner-Herald © 2009 http://onlineathens.com - Athens Banner-Herald - All rights reserved. Rate This Article: Comment on "Domination last season revs up private-vs-public debate" Your Name Your Comments Verification Code: 6Y9UXC Enter Code: Hyland Software Partners with CollegeSource, Expands OnBase Transfer Credit Evaluation Solution CLEVELAND, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's economic climate finds most campuses with fewer enrollment staff to effectively manage admissions processes. At the same time, more transfer students arrive with previous college credit ready to complete their degree, hoping they won't have to repeat a class. 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