"The Case for Separate Divisions: Why Charter Schools Don’t Belong in the Same Playing Field
High school sports are supposed to be fair. Not perfect — but fair. They’re built on community, development, and opportunity. The kid from a small town should have the same chance to compete for a championship as anyone else wearing a school logo. That principle is the foundation of the NCHSAA."
I am always a proponent on focusing what you can control. I would suggest if school systems, ADs, and coaches focused on the "community, development, and opportunity" there would be less kids wanting to transfer. Instead of focusing on limiting or controlling the transfers, what if the same schools/school systems focused on making their product worth being a part of? Sure, you will have a few kids every year looking to team up, but for every kid that transfers it gives another kid an opportunity.
Unfortunately for us Gaston County residents, I believe the biggest driver of good programs and "retention" is community pride in your schools. Either by design or lack there of, Gaston County has created a hodgepodge of school districts where you only have a community based school if you happen to be at an extreme corner of the county and got lucky.
The vast majority of the "community" for Stuart Cramer never drives by the school unless taking a student to campus(Brown area below, black dots are estimation of the high school in that zone). For example a kid on the north end of the Stuart Cramer attendance zone could get to Mt. Island Charter, East Lincoln, East Gaston and potentially North Gaston quicker than they can drive to their zoned high school.
If public schools and communities would focus on making their option better, charter schools wouldn't have such an appeal for academics or athletics. This would take coordination and effort from the school systems to create a more community centered school through policies and attendance zones.
www.on3.com
