Not a fan of the 4A team dropping down to 3A per AAA Classifications.

[WarriorFan]

What are everyone's thoughts on this. And on to a second question. Isn't it about time for all privates to get their on Classification

[beach bum]

You don't know anything about classifications do you or how they work? If you noticed Baptist Prep played 3A in football this year too which means even if the classifications would have stayed at 7 for basketball too they would have still been 3A in basketball this cycle. This means BP is by enrollment a 2A school and private plays up one class so that's how they landed in 3A. What else do you want? Do you want BP playing Fayetteville to make you happy? They just happen to have a once in a decade or even generation player. Quit whining and sit back and enjoy greatness you likely won't see in the small classifications for a while. People aren't owed anything when it comes to their team winning. Just compete the best you can and tip your hat to greatness if they beat you. I apologize for being harsh, but there seems to be two out of three things going on this site lately the are my pet peeves on fearless...


A) blaming refs for losing (seen this for days now on here)


B) my teams losing to better teams or private schools so lets find a way for my team to win more and I call this the "Pulaski Academy jealousy syndrome" (sorry but no one is "owed" winning)

C) luckily no one does this much if ever but bash kids by name (keep it up folks and don't do this ever)


.....However I am seeing A and B happen all day. Please stop people

[beach bum]

I honestly think with school consolidation and teams dropping football or going 8 man... that moving to 6 classifications was a great decision. I may be totally wrong, but I personally think the "other sports' classifications dropping to 6A being the highest was a test in a way by the AAA to see if they will go this direction for football due to 8 man about to pop up. It was about time the AAA did this cause there are too many classifications still. There should be one less in my opinion. The way it was pre 2006 was the best

[54Bearkatz2014]

You don't know anything about classifications do you or how they work? If you noticed Baptist Prep played 3A in football this year too which means even if the classifications would have stayed at 7 for basketball too they would have still been 3A in basketball this cycle. This means BP is by enrollment a 2A school and private plays up one class so that's how they landed in 3A. What else do you want? Do you want BP playing Fayetteville to make you happy? They just happen to have a once in a decade or even generation player. Quit whining and sit back and enjoy greatness you likely won't see in the small classifications for a while. People aren't owed anything when it comes to their team winning. Just compete the best you can and tip your hat to greatness if they beat you. I apologize for being harsh, but there seems to be two out of three things going on this site lately the are my pet peeves on fearless...


A) blaming refs for losing (seen this for days now on here)


B) my teams losing to better teams or private schools so lets find a way for my team to win more and I call this the "Pulaski Academy jealousy syndrome" (sorry but no one is "owed" winning)

C) luckily no one does this much if ever but bash kids by name (keep it up folks and don't do this ever)


.....However I am seeing A and B happen all day. Please stop people


+1

[54Bearkatz2014]

I actually like the move they made. It seems to have created a lot more competition. Or teams could just not be separating themselves as before. But overall I think the AAA made the correct move.

[501Arkansas]

I love it!!! These kids can play better competition.

[beach bum]

I actually like the move they made. It seems to have created a lot more competition. Or teams could just not be separating themselves as before. But overall I think the AAA made the correct move.

Totally agree!

[WarriorFan]

Here is my take on the private schools. They offer scholarships, can recruit with a certain area.  That's an unfair advantage to the puplic school.  If the privates can recruit let the public schools have open school choice.  Open school choice will let any student go to any school he/she chooses. And let it be any grade k-12 without setting 365 days. 

[LRRandy]

Here is my take on the private schools. They offer scholarships, can recruit with a certain area.  That's an unfair advantage to the puplic school.  If the privates can recruit let the public schools have open school choice.  Open school choice will let any student go to any school he/she chooses. And let it be any grade k-12 without setting 365 days.

being in a rural location I'm sure that you may not be aware of the school choice option that the public schools have. There is much more recruiting and transferring in the public school sector than private schools. Those girls that beat you tonight have been at CAC for years, playing all the way up from elementary school.

[RamblinRazorWreck]

Issac McBride has been at Baptist since KINDERGARTEN.  And HE is the reason Baptist is such a juggernaut.  The rest of the boys there have also come up thru the school, except one homeschooler that took advantage of the new rule, but fully enrolled.

Don't accuse people of things you know NOTHING about!!!

[ZoneBuster]

There's not enough private schools to warrant them being their own class. As far as 4A teams dropping down, it doesn't seem that there are that many making a difference. Baptist has been up and down these past few years.

[WarriorFan]

There's not enough private schools to warrant them being their own class. As far as 4A teams dropping down, it doesn't seem that there are that many making a difference. Baptist has been up and down these past few years.

There are 31 private or charter schools that's plenty to have their own Classification.

[LRRandy]

There's not enough private schools to warrant them being their own class. As far as 4A teams dropping down, it doesn't seem that there are that many making a difference. Baptist has been up and down these past few years.

wait.....what? You mean the last 3 state championships in a row in 4a don't count?

[AT]

All charter schools with differing sizes. Some states do it and I disagree.

Subiaco in a conference with Pulaski for football? What does that solve for the competition angle?

[LRRandy]

There are 31 private or charter schools that's plenty to have their own Classification.

look, you got punched in the nose by a smaller school tonight. You don't like it. I get it. Funny how there isn't much complaining about private schools until you lose to them.

[WarriorFan]

look, you got punched in the nose by a smaller school tonight. You don't like it. I get it. Funny how there isn't much complaining about private schools until you lose to them.

I have been against private schools competing against public for the last 10 years. It isn't wins or losses it all about the unfair advantages the privates have. Either put the privates in their own class or let the public schools operate like the they do.  Let the puplic schools recruit from at 25 mile radius or let them have open school choice.

[ISU7]

What are everyone's thoughts on this. And on to a second question. Isn't it about time for all privates to get their on Classification

Team not doing to good huh!. ICC is 1A and they would compete big time in 3A. Deal with it.

[sevenof400]

While the question regarding the private schools has been addressed at length around here, there is a larger question of why AAA continues to cling to a system where set numbers of schools MUST fit into a classification on the higher end of the scale.  Why?

To illustrate using 2018-2020 classification numbers (using the largest / smallest public school):

7A: largest school Springdale 2413 student count
      smallest school: Van Buren 1393 student count

6A: largest school Jonesboro 1241 student count
      smallest school: Greenwood 893 student count

5A: largest school Texarkana 857 student count
      smallest school: Blytheville 506 student count

4A: largest school Mills 497 student count
      smallest school: Harmony Grove 293 student count

3A: largest school Booneville 290 student count
      smallest school: Horatio 190 student count

2A: largest school Yellville 189 student count
      smallest school: Strong 75 student count

One person might look at these numbers and declare this to be okay since (outside of 2A) no largest school is more than twice the size of the smallest school. 
but......more to follow.

[TTownfan]

Team not doing to good huh!. ICC is 1A and they would compete big time in 3A. Deal with it.

And ICC should be renamed North Central Prep. 

[ZoneBuster]

wait.....what? You mean the last 3 state championships in a row in 4a don't count?

No I mean they've been down to 3A and up to 4A over the past decade. Them being 3A isn't new. I'm helping your case lol.

[HorseFeathers]

While the question regarding the private schools has been addressed at length around here, there is a larger question of why AAA continues to cling to a system where set numbers of schools MUST fit into a classification on the higher end of the scale.  Why?

To illustrate using 2018-2020 classification numbers (using the largest / smallest public school):

7A: largest school Springdale 2413 student count
      smallest school: Van Buren 1393 student count

6A: largest school Jonesboro 1241 student count
      smallest school: Greenwood 893 student count

5A: largest school Texarkana 857 student count
      smallest school: Blytheville 506 student count

4A: largest school Mills 497 student count
      smallest school: Harmony Grove 293 student count

3A: largest school Booneville 290 student count
      smallest school: Horatio 190 student count

2A: largest school Yellville 189 student count
      smallest school: Strong 75 student count

One person might look at these numbers and declare this to be okay since (outside of 2A) no largest school is more than twice the size of the smallest school. 
but......more to follow.

Uh 7...I agree with the size disparity, but what would you do solve it? Also, the 1a/2a/3a schools don't have a set # of schools, they combined the 3 classes and split them evenly. Strong is a 1a school, they lost big to Kirby in boys and girls region this week..

[sevenof400]

I'm trying to get a couple of charts to look right......here is one of them.

Disclosure: the labels are NOT entirely accurate because I have dropped the private schools from this graph.

[Ice Water]

I have been against private schools competing against public for the last 10 years. It isn't wins or losses it all about the unfair advantages the privates have. Either put the privates in their own class or let the public schools operate like the they do.  Let the puplic schools recruit from at 25 mile radius or let them have open school choice.

I'm not sure you understand how the rules work. It's not a free for all, take anyone you can get within 25 miles. A kid that newly enrolls in a private school from within a 25 mile radius of the school has to sit out a year, even if there was a bonafide move from one location inside the radius to another... But while we're on the topic, Mayflower, the team that went toe-to-toe with big bad Baptist Prep last night, has one or two Conway transplants in the starting lineup.

[LeftyWorld]

That whole sit out a year isn't totally accurate. I know of one move in at a private school in Little Rock ( not BP ) that has played all year and played all last year at a public school. I thought any move public to private you had to sit out but I guess there is always a way around it. Also you can't say public school don't recruit, look at Joe T football. Still can't win the big one though 

[RedWolf275]

Harding Academy has a player, a very good one, who played at Batesville Southside last year so that must not be a rule.

[Ice Water]

Harding Academy has a player, a very good one, who played at Batesville Southside last year so that must not be a rule.

If his previous residence was outside a 25 mile radius of HA, and he moved inside of said 25 mile radius, he becomes immediately eligible just like a public school kid moving from one school district into another.

[RedWolf275]

Ok. I just knew he went public to private so that alone does not make him have to sit out.

[Ice Water]

Ok. I just knew he went public to private so that alone does not make him have to sit out.

Right. A kid can physically move to Searcy and chose to attend HA, which is what I'm guessing Patterson did. The move just has to be from outside of 25 mile radius to inside the radius. So hypothetically, say he had played at Bald Knob or Riverview last year rather than SS Batesville, there would be no way for him to play at HA without sitting.

[RedWolf275]

Got it. Thanks for info.

[CoolBreeze]

I have been against private schools competing against public for the last 10 years. It isn't wins or losses it all about the unfair advantages the privates have. Either put the privates in their own class or let the public schools operate like the they do.  Let the puplic schools recruit from at 25 mile radius or let them have open school choice.

These so-called advantages for private schools have been debunked time and again to no avail. The opponents have their mind made up and the facts don't matter. If you shoot down one set of arguments, they come up another one which may be inconsistent with the first. The fact is that very few private schools recruit for sports. Far more public schools do.


It's interesting that nobody ever brings up the primary advantage that public schools have over many private schools. Public schools have more financial resources. Their funding comes from taxes. Private schools have to raise their funding athletics from donations. Maybe they should have to play up a class compared to private schools.

[panther07]

Here is my take on the private schools. They offer scholarships, can recruit with a certain area.  That's an unfair advantage to the puplic school.  If the privates can recruit let the public schools have open school choice.  Open school choice will let any student go to any school he/she chooses. And let it be any grade k-12 without setting 365 days.

Harding academy doesn't give scholarships.

[Ctucker]

Here is my take on the private schools. They offer scholarships, can recruit with a certain area.  That's an unfair advantage to the puplic school.  If the privates can recruit let the public schools have open school choice.  Open school choice will let any student go to any school he/she chooses. And let it be any grade k-12 without setting 365 days.

And you are completely wrong

[sevenof400]

And you are completely wrong

Care to offer specific examples?

[Ctucker]

Care to offer specific examples?

tell us one kid that has had a scholarship from Harding of Prep give us a example? I will be waiting y'all say it happens name one kid! And by the way my kids went to public school! But if y'all know that kids get scholarships from these school name one kid I'm gonna bet y'all can't because it doesn't happen!

[biglion1985]

Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't Arkansas offer school choice?

[bobcats]

Harding academy doesn't give scholarships.

They do offer "financial aid". Check their web page.

[sevenof400]

Privates schools can and do offer financial aid - we have a very good conversation on this in another forum - but that aid is need based and (if I recall correctly) most private schools use an outside agency to determine the amount of financial aid a student might qualify for. 

[panther07]

They do offer "financial aid". Check their web page.

And before summer practice got going last season, they lost a couple of players who planned to enroll because of lack of financial aid. They aren't just tossing around aid. If HA was, they'd have a lot more good transfers show up.

[RamblinRazorWreck]

Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't Arkansas offer school choice?

School Choice IS the Law in Arkansas, unless a school CHOOSES to opt out.  In which case, it is best to direct frustration at the local administration, not at other kids and other schools.

[RamblinRazorWreck]

These so-called advantages for private schools have been debunked time and again to no avail. The opponents have their mind made up and the facts don't matter. If you shoot down one set of arguments, they come up another one which may be inconsistent with the first. The fact is that very few private schools recruit for sports. Far more public schools do.


It's interesting that nobody ever brings up the primary advantage that public schools have over many private schools. Public schools have more financial resources. Their funding comes from taxes. Private schools have to raise their funding athletics from donations. Maybe they should have to play up a class compared to private schools.

Additionally, Private school families directly fund their school of choice with full tuition AND indirectly fund the local public school (and many cases a RIVAL team).   

But it is unfair to the Public School teams!   

[beach bum]

Additionally, Private school families directly fund their school of choice with full tuition AND indirectly fund the local public school (and many cases a RIVAL team).   

But it is unfair to the Public Schools!   

This is exactly the reason why I don't mind private schools playing with public schools. As they should pay property taxes like the rest of us to pay for public schools. Heck, its no different than someone like me who has no kids and still pays property taxes. However, these people fund their own private school and still do their civic duty for the betterment of the community and help with their property taxes to fund the public schools. I would never want to be a part of a private school, but I have never understood the hate for them. It's called choice. If they have the means and want to then more power to them. But again you are spot on they fund their own private school and help us fund our public schools at the same time.

[OB11]

I'm trying to get a couple of charts to look right......here is one of them.

Disclosure: the labels are NOT entirely accurate because I have dropped the private schools from this graph.

Did you make this yourself 7?

[Jimbo Morphis]

You don't know anything about classifications do you or how they work? If you noticed Baptist Prep played 3A in football this year too which means even if the classifications would have stayed at 7 for basketball too they would have still been 3A in basketball this cycle. This means BP is by enrollment a 2A school and private plays up one class so that's how they landed in 3A. What else do you want? Do you want BP playing Fayetteville to make you happy? They just happen to have a once in a decade or even generation player. Quit whining and sit back and enjoy greatness you likely won't see in the small classifications for a while. People aren't owed anything when it comes to their team winning. Just compete the best you can and tip your hat to greatness if they beat you. I apologize for being harsh, but there seems to be two out of three things going on this site lately the are my pet peeves on fearless...


A) blaming refs for losing (seen this for days now on here)


B) my teams losing to better teams or private schools so lets find a way for my team to win more and I call this the "Pulaski Academy jealousy syndrome" (sorry but no one is "owed" winning)

C) luckily no one does this much if ever but bash kids by name (keep it up folks and don't do this ever)


.....However I am seeing A and B happen all day. Please stop people

Is your infectious attitude natural or do you have to work at it?

[RamblinRazorWreck]

I'm trying to get a couple of charts to look right......here is one of them.

Disclosure: the labels are NOT entirely accurate because I have dropped the private schools from this graph.

Very cool... I love well done data studies!  For the present discussion, I think showing the Private Schools under the bracketed Classification they play in would be MOST enlightening!  They will be little blips below the curve, and personally, I wish you would label them by name so folks can see them.  Especially since this thread (yet again) appears to be prompted by the CAC girls & BP boys winning their Regional. 

BTW, if it is so unfair, why did the CAC boys and BP girls not even make it to regionals?  And have the ones complaining here checked out CAC, BP and Episcopal football lately?

IMO, the complaints about Class realignments among Public Schools are just irrational emotional responses.  I do understand the complaints about Private Schools, I just disagree with almost every point of contention that tends towards banishment off the island, especially since we live (or used to live) in a free society.

[RamblinRazorWreck]

This is exactly the reason why I don't mind private schools playing with public schools. As they should pay property taxes like the rest of us to pay for public schools. Heck, its no different than someone like me who has no kids and still pays property taxes. However, these people fund their own private school and still do their civic duty for the betterment of the community and help with their property taxes to fund the public schools. I would never want to be a part of a private school, but I have never understood the hate for them. It's called choice. If they have the means and want to then more power to them. But again you are spot on they fund their own private school and help us fund our public schools at the same time.

And since some of the animosity stems from Private schools being "rich kids" (as we have seen them called in other threads), then doesn't it also stand to reason that they are paying higher property taxes as well?  Not always (I am not into stereotypes), but just a counterpoint to the unfair advantages angle.

[sevenof400]

Did you make this yourself 7?

Yes, I just grabbed the student counts from the AAA's website for the 2018-2020 classification cycle.  For that graph, I used all schools 4A and larger. 
Google sheets does not easily allow me to swap the axis plus I wanted to set the scale a bit differently.  I am going to chart this data in Excel (where I have a bit more control) and will post that chart in a bit. 

[Ladyfan]

Very cool... I love well done data studies!  For the present discussion, I think showing the Private Schools under the bracketed Classification they play in would be MOST enlightening!  They will be little blips below the curve, and personally, I wish you would label them by name so folks can see them.  Especially since this thread (yet again) appears to be prompted by the CAC girls & BP boys winning their Regional. 

BTW, if it is so unfair, why did the CAC boys and BP girls not even make it to regionals?  And have the ones complaining here checked out CAC, BP and Episcopal football lately?

IMO, the complaints about Class realignments among Public Schools are just irrational emotional responses.  I do understand the complaints about Private Schools, I just disagree with almost every point of contention that tends towards banishment off the island, especially since we live (or used to live) in a free society.

Well said! And let's not forgot, CAC girls and BP boys were both state champs last year. Why is this a surprise that they win their regional? It's not like either school recruited players to stack a team this year. These kids have been at these schools for many years.

[OB11]

Yes, I just grabbed the student counts from the AAA's website for the 2018-2020 classification cycle.  For that graph, I used all schools 4A and larger. 
Google sheets does not easily allow me to swap the axis plus I wanted to set the scale a bit differently.  I am going to chart this data in Excel (where I have a bit more control) and will post that chart in a bit.

Very cool. Google Sheets has it's merits but I prefer Excel if I am working on something that actually needs to look nice. Lol

[Hasbeen92]

I honestly think with school consolidation and teams dropping football or going 8 man... that moving to 6 classifications was a great decision. I may be totally wrong, but I personally think the "other sports' classifications dropping to 6A being the highest was a test in a way by the AAA to see if they will go this direction for football due to 8 man about to pop up. It was about time the AAA did this cause there are too many classifications still. There should be one less in my opinion. The way it was pre 2006 was the best

You realize that there are only 6 classifications in football class A does not play football-now basketball has 6 I agree with u that there are to many classifications

[RedWolf275]

Looks like a lot of teams that were moved down a class are in the state finals this coming week.