Illinois approves plan much like the previous one

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- New rules have been approved to level the playing field between Illinois public high schools and private schools, which some argue win a disproportionate share of state sports titles, officials said Thursday.

The Illinois High School Association announced that its member schools approved a proposal to promote competitive balance by boosting enrollment figures for private schools.

Under the so-called multiplier, the enrollment of private schools will be multiplied by a factor of 1.65 percent for purposes of placing them into classes for state championship tournaments.

The multiplier was approved 450-143 in voting by IHSA member schools over the last month, according to the IHSA. Nearly 600 of the Bloomington-based organization's 750 member schools cast ballots.

The new rule takes effect Feb. 1, in time for state basketball tournaments and other winter and spring sports.

"I think our member schools clearly think we needed to take some steps to level the playing field and this is the measure that will accomplish that at this moment," said IHSA executive director Marty Hickman.

Dennis Litteken, principal at Breese Mater Dei, said his school likely will lose some students to neighboring public schools because it will move up from Class A to Class AA under the new rule.

"We simply move on, we motivate our kids to step up to the challenge and deal with what's been dealt us," said Litteken, whose girl's volleyball team won the Class A state championship in 2001 but lost in the Class AA quarterfinals this year.

The binding vote was required under a settlement that dismissed a Cook County lawsuit filed in September by 37 private schools who challenged an earlier, IHSA-imposed multiplier.

Several of those schools were bumped from Class A to Class AA under the rule. They argued the multiplier penalizes teams for success and puts them at a competitive disadvantage.

The IHSA agreed to let its multiplier rule expire in November, then let members settle the ongoing dispute.

Private schools can draw student athletes from up to 30 miles away and public schools have tighter, locked-in geographic boundaries.

Under the settlement, schools submitted nearly a dozen new proposals to the IHSA ranging from separate tournaments for public and private schools to banning multipliers altogether. The proposal submitted for a vote was chosen by the IHSA's Legislative Committee, comprised of 35 principals and athletic directors from around the state.

The new multiplier is nearly identical to the old one, except that it applies to all private schools rather than only those with more than 450 students. Unlike the old multiplier, the new rule provides no opportunity for waivers.