[Hoot Gibson]

so what makes that different than a public school?

both scenarios the kid isn't paying the bill

I can see both sides of the argument, toussaints - but IMO, private schools thrive most when too many public schools fail to do their jobs. Your point is a good one. Even if a student athlete's tuition is covered at a private school, that would not be a big draw if he could attend a public school with a good football and academic program for the same cost - nothing. I don't like the fact that parents who choose to send kids to private schools still get stuck with the full tax bill for their kids' education, as if they were actually attending public schools.

Most of the top schools academically in the northern Virginia are public schools. I work with people who only live in this area because they can send their kids to great public schools like Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria. There are private schools in this area, but I don't think anybody sends kids to them for academic or athletic reasons - more for religious, political, or disciplinary reasons. If more Louisville public schools were stronger academically (Dupont Manual is an exceptional school), then Trinity and St. X would probably have much smaller enrollments.

More competition among all schools would benefit everybody. Creating separate classes for public and private schools reduces competition and would be an admission that public schools cannot compete on a level playing field, which has been proven in many places not to be true.

As for home schooled kids, they should be allowed to participate in whatever programs they want in a public school. Their parents are already paying for that privilege.