Talk of Separate Section Could Divide County Teams, Too

Fueled by coffee, cookies and feasibility studies, superintendents of Orange County public high schools convened Monday afternoon in Anaheim in a closed-door session to debate that ever-pressing question:

Orange County in the CIF-Southern Section . . . To flee, or not to flee?

You would have thought it was a meeting of the National Security Council, if not a meeting of the minds on the set of “Twin Peaks,” as the meeting’s atmosphere was oh-so-hushed.

The session was held to discuss whether it is reasonable or fiscally responsible to consider a separate CIF section for Orange County’s public high schools.

Note that it was only public schools that were being discussed. Parochial and private high schools were not figured into this equation.

In fact, no representatives from parochial schools were invited to this meeting.

Dr. Peter Hartman, superintendent of Saddleback Valley Unified School District, put it this way:

“No, they weren’t invited . . . (There is) the concern that parochial schools play by different rules in terms of recruiting students. Historically, they’ve always competed against other private schools in their own leagues. Now an effort has been made to change that long historical practice of keeping private and public schools separate . . . We don’t want that.”

In superintendentspeak , that means sorry, Mater Deis of the world, but you’re out of the pretty picture we’re trying to create.

Talk about an Orange County section has been going around for more than 10 years. Last year, a group of principals discussed the possibility, then voted on whether to undertake a formal study to pursue the issue. The measure was voted down by a slim margin.

Not surprisingly, money is the greatest concern. Currently, the Southern Section’s dues are a state-low 23 cents per student. Some say the upkeep of an Orange County section could cost schools three or four times that amount.

But there are others who say the cost could be deferred by the enormous potential in Orange County for corporate sponsorship. Imagine the lucrative opportunities lurking among all those mini-malls:

Welcome to the CIF-Orange County Section-Freddie’s Frozen Yogurt Football Playoffs!

The creation of such a section would undoubtedly save on the schools’ travel budgets.

Last year, Woodbridge had to travel five hours to Atascadero for a playoff game. Not only would play within the county save money, it would save on students’ time away from class.

By size alone, Orange County and its 76 high schools--57 of them public--would appear ready to break away from the Southern Section. The Southern Section, which stretches as far north as Mammoth and south to the Mexican border, is the largest of the CIF’s 10 sections with nearly 500 high schools.

The San Diego Section (72 schools) broke away from the Southern Section more than 30 years ago and never looked back. Parochial schools belong, but since none has more than 500 students, they pose no real threat to public school powers, assistant section commissioner Jan Jessop said.

It seems almost inevitable that Orange County will have its own section. Some estimate it will take between three to five years, once the process is started, to get the section fully implemented. So why wait any longer?

But the tricky question: What to do with the non-public schools?

It’s a complicated issue.

According to Esperanza Principal George Allen, who chaired the principals’ study last year, the state federation has hinted it wouldn’t be supportive of an Orange County section that refuses non-public schools.

But, like Hartman, there is a growing number of those opposed to admitting schools that can draw--many would say recruit--from anywhere inside or outside the county.

In any case, this topic is sure to stay hot for some time. At 9 a.m. Thursday, the Southern Section General Council will meet at the Sequoia Athletic Club in Buena Park. The agenda includes discussion of an Orange County section. The meeting is open to the public.

Grab a cookie and take a seat.

A meeting of all Angelus League principals was held Tuesday at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower.

The subject? How to improve the image of parochial schools in the eyes of public schools.

Basically, because of the recent Derek Sparks controversy at Mater Dei, Angelus League principals met to discuss how better to handle such problems.

“We wanted to let everyone know that because we’re trying to get into public leagues in two years, controversy is not what we need right now,” said one Angelus League official, who asked not to be identified.