Unpopular Opinion Part 1: Time to Change How We Classify Private Schools
Hold on. I know – just from reading the headline – you’re already emotionally charged about this. There probably isn’t a more heated topic in high school sports in Nebraska right now. But, let me stop you right there and…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingHold on. I know – just from reading the headline – you’re already emotionally charged about this. There probably isn’t a more heated topic in high school sports in Nebraska right now. But, let me stop you right there and ask you to proceed with an open mind.
First, I am not pro-public schools or pro-private schools. What I am for, however, is making high school sports the best possible experience and for conserving the integrity of it.
So, let’s have a rational conversation about the way we classify private schools and public schools right now in Nebraska and what might be – in my opinion – a better way to do it. Also know that this is part of a series of articles outlining changes that would be good for the long-term health of high school sports in Nebraska – again – in my opinion. How we classify private schools is a portion of that conversation. But, know this: it’s my strong belief that Nebraska needs to go back to a four-class system in all sports, except football (which is its own animal). That is at the foundation of all my thoughts on changing for the better.
Finally, please realize that when I reference the NSAA, I AM NOT talking about the people who work at the NSAA office. Those individuals do an amazing job and work within the confines of what the member schools agree upon. There is a legislative process (a couple, in fact) that allows member schools to enact changes and, in essence, operate the NSAA how they see fit while maintaining a strong and important relationship with the National Federation of High Schools.
And, most importantly, remember that this is a volleyball website. I’m speaking specifically about volleyball. I realize not everything that works for one sport would work for all. I get that. This is very much volleyball specific, but I think it can be applied (perhaps with some tweaks) to work with other sports as well.
So, let’s get to it.
I’m not going to mince words here. Volleyball is a high school sport in Nebraska that is dominated now – and for the foreseeable future – by white females from above average to high income families. Let’s just talk about that elephant in the room from the get go. Socioeconomics plays the single biggest role in the success of a high school volleyball program in the state of Nebraska right now.
Of the 111 girls listed on the rosters for the eight Class A state tournament teams from 2018, only four (3.6%) are minorities. According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Nebraska shows that 12.2% of the state are minorities. And while I’m only using last year’s Class A field as an example, as you might imagine, the percentages become smaller in terms of minority participation as the class size shrinks.
Let’s also confront the other elephant in the room about the economics of it all. If you don’t play club volleyball – probably starting from the age 12 or younger – your odds of making a successful high school program in Class A are – well – pretty low. Yes, it can be done. Yes, there are examples of kids that have been successful and gone on to college without playing club volleyball. But it’s the exception and not the norm.
In our player rankings, 45 of the top 50 players (90 percent) in the 2019 class play major club volleyball. In the class of 2020 it’s 38 of the top 50 (76%) while in the class of 2021 it’s 45 out of 50 (90%).
In order to be successful at volleyball – especially in the largest three classes – you have to play the sport year round. Now, re-read what I said. You have to play it year round. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be a multi-sport athlete or play other sports. That’s not what I said. But, you do need to intertwine your other activities with club volleyball so that you can continue to get the touches you need year round in order to be successful – on a percentage basis.
Club volleyball will cost you – depending on where you go and the level of training – anywhere from $1,000 a year to closer to $2,500. That doesn’t include the cost of traveling across the Midwest – and in some cases from coast to coast – and the associated costs that come with that (hotels, entertainment, dining out, admission to tournaments, etc.). Families of the best players are spending in the neighborhood of $3,000-$5,000 a year for club volleyball. That’s $250-$415 a month. Basically, an extra car payment. And that doesn’t include the costs of lessons, camps, etc. If your child is playing club volleyball from the age of 11 through their senior year of high school, the minimum invest you are making is at least $25,000. Again, this is the cost of top athletes at top clubs.
So, volleyball is going to be dominated by programs where they are pulling athletes from economic situations where they have the $200-$500 a month in expendable income. I don’t like it. But, to deny that’s the case would be foolish. It’s simply the way it is.
When you look at private schools, their students are going to typically be from families that have that expendable income that others don’t. That’s not a judgement, that’s a fact.
According the U.S. Census data from last year, in families with an income less than $20,000, 1.4% had a child in private school, 44.3% had a child in public school and 0.7% had a child in both. The remaining families did not have a school-aged child.
In families with an income of between $20,000 and $75,000, the percent with a child in private school rose to 2.2% while those with a child in public school dropped to 35% and 0.6% had a child in both. The remaining families did not have a school-aged child.
In families with an income greater than $75,000, the percent with a child in private school rose sharply to 4.1% while those with a child in public school dropped again to 33.5% and 1.1% had a child in both. The remaining families did not have a school-aged child.
The U.S. Census does not break those numbers down in relation to higher levels of income, but it doesn’t take much to figure out that the higher the income, the more likely the family is to send their child to private schools.
These socioeconomic situations are hard to ignore when they are so obvious in certain places – like the volleyball court.
In this century, 10 of the 38 teams to play for a Class A title has been a private school (26.4%). In Class B that number is 16 of 38 (42.1%) while in Class C-1 it is 30 of 38 (79.0%). In Class C-2 it is 17 of 38 (44.8%). In Class D-1 the numbers are 12 of 38 (31.6%) and in Class D-2 the breakdown is 2 of 38 (5.3%).
The member schools of the NSAA need to be willing to be honest and truthful with themselves about the role socioeconomics plays in high school sports. It also needs to understand that the amount of smaller schools is only going to continue to fade with more co-ops and consolidations while the number of Class B and A schools opening up around the Omaha and Lincoln areas will continue.
In order to preserve both the competitive balance and the integrity of the reason why athletics is part of the educational process to begin with, these things can no longer be ignored. There are several other tweaks that need to happen, but this is the biggest along with going back to a four-class system.
It is my opinion that any private school that is among the 64 largest in the state based on enrollment figures, needs to be classified as a Class A school. Private schools have complete control over their enrollment numbers. This ability along with the ability to be selective – when public schools can not be – with its enrollment along with the natural socioeconomics of volleyball creates too much of an advantage for private schools. That is neither good for the sport itself nor for the student athletes involved.
Therefore, my unpopular opinion is that any private school within a 20-mile radius of the nearest Omaha Public School or Lincoln Public School with an enrollment among the top 64 in the state should be classified as Class A for volleyball. This would impact Omaha Duchesne, Omaha Mercy, Omaha Gross, Skutt Catholic and potentially Omaha Concordia and Omaha Roncalli.
Keeping with the theme that we should be operating as a four-class system, it is also my unpopular opinion that any private school that is not within a 20-mile radius of the nearest OPS or LPS school or does not have an enrollment among the highest 64 in the state, should be classified as Class C (in a four-class system) or Class C-1 (in a six-class system).
Every successful sports organization understands the importance of competitive balance. This isn’t about a bias one way or another or punishing those who are successful. This is about the integrity and competitive balance of high school volleyball in Nebraska. Nobody can honestly say that because of the socioeconomics of the sport, that the current system we have in place allows for competitive balance and the best possible environment for high school sports.
We have to be constantly evaluating and improving the experience for high school athletes and the lessons they are learning in athletics as part of the extended classroom experience. In my unpopular opinion, the message that the current structure – as it pertains to the classification of private schools – sends is that an unbalanced playing field because of socioeconomic conditions is acceptable when, I hope, we all agree that it should not be.