Charter schools impact on high school basketball getting a closer look by NJSIAA

Small public schools will be able to remain in their group and section for the state playoffs and not get bumped to a different classification by a charter school, under a change approved by the NJSIAA Wednesday.

Now, the organization will first set up groups and sections for public schools, then add in the lower-enrollment charters and cooperative programs.

State Sen Paul Sarlo, D-Bergen, who is a member of the NJSIAA executive committee, supported the change and said the advent of charters and their potential impact on competition deserves a closer look.

“I think (the change in classification process) is a great step in the right direction,’’ Sarlo said. “It’s something we should explore further. I’m going to explore it further on the legislative side. I want to make it clear: I support charter schools. I think charter schools are a terrific alternative in some of our urban school districts. Some of our charter schools are doing a terrific educating our students.’’

However, Sarlo said he is concerned more charter schools may surface as “small, little sports enterprises.’’

‘I think that’s something we do need to take a look at it,’’ Sarlo said. “I did a little research. In most states charter school students have to go back and participate at the public school. Here in New Jersey, we allow charter schools to have sports, which I support. ‘’

One of the sports where charter school programs has become an issue is boys basketball.

The new team at College Achieve Asbury Park - that has a roster loaded with potential Division 1 college talent assembled by former Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff - is classified in Group 1, based on its enrollment, and is grouped with public school teams that observers say are unable to match up talent-wise.

“When it comes to the state playoffs, folks could come outside the geographic region to charter schools, it really is not fair to some of those small public schools," Sarlo said. "Primarily, it’s a Group 1, Group 2 situation (Group 1 and Group 2 are the groups that contain the smallest NJSIAA public schools).

“They (the charter schools) should really be considered Non-Public B (the smallest of the NJSIAA’s two non public group classifications). It’s something I think we should explore. It’s something I’m going to explore.’’

How the NJSIAA will classify charters

“We would put a charter school to the side and then run our public school classification with enrollment and then northing (northing number) and then I’m going to look at those charter schools,’’ NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire said during the virtual meeting. "Then, they will be inserted into the section and group they belong based on their own yearly enrollment and northing number.

“We’re not going to be reshifting everything. Then, the next year, if they don’t have a varsity, they just come out, so there’s no impact to everyone else. It’s the same with Co-ops.''

Girls ice hockey becomes official NJSIAA sport

The executive committee unanimously approved sanctioning girls hockey as an NJSIAA sponsored sport beginning with the 2024-25 school year.

Girls ice hockey had been operating as a pilot program the last two seasons and has been growing since the executive committee approved it as a pilot program in October, 2021, Dave Frazier, the chairman of the NJSIAA’s Advisory Committee, said.

Frazier said last season, there were 16 girls ice hockey program. He said 13 of those programs competed in the NJSIAA Tournament.

“Girls ice hockey has been very successful in our state,’’ Frazier said

Duties for executive director and head coaches

A proposal to the NJSIAA bylaws expanding the duties of the executive director when it comes to rules violations by member schools - clarifying the duties of the head coach when it comes to assistant coaches and giving the executive committee increased power to suspend member schools from state tournaments - was approved 36-0.

The proposal gives the executive director the “authority to investigate any alleged violation of the rules,’’ Maguire said.

“We don’t have to wait for a complaint by a school,’’ Maguire said. “If we feel there’s any validation or any creditability to a potential violation of our rules, we have the authority to initiate an investigation.’’

The new bylaw states “the head coach is responsible for the actions of their assistant coaches’’ Maguire said.

The executive committee now has the power to temporarily suspend any member school from any state tournament if it does cooperate with an investigation or appear for a hearing in front of the Controversies Committee, Maguire said.

Failure to report scores will result in fines

Tony Maselli, the NJSIAA's Chief Operating Officer, said the association will begin enforcing a fine of $150 for schools that fail to officially consistently report their scores for any sport to nj.com.

Maselli said a team and school will first receive a warning and then will be fined should the violation occur again.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ high school basketball charter schools get closer look by NJSIAA