State House passes bill that could alter PIAA playoffs
The first step toward Pennsylvania having separate high school playoffs for public and private schools was taken Wednesday when the state House advanced legislation allowing the PIAA to split the two into different postseason systems.
The passage of House Bill 41 allows the PIAA, the governing body for high school sports in Pennsylvania, to separate boundary and non-boundary schools for postseason games.
The vote was 178-23.
The bill will be sent to the state Senate for a vote, which is not expected to happen before June.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre County. The bill amends the public school code of 1949 to add a section on playoffs and championships to include: “The association may establish separate playoffs and championships for athletics for boundary and nonboundary schools.”
The bill does not mandate that the PIAA hold separate postseason tournaments.
The PIAA is led by executive director Mark Byers, who replaced former director Dr. Bob Lombardi in January. Lombardi had stated that the PIAA would not hold separate postseason tournaments because it feared facing potential lawsuits.
House Bill 41 advanced out of committee to the full state House last year but had sat dormant until Tuesday, when it passed a second consideration. Also on Tuesday, an amendment sponsored by Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver, added key language to the bill that would protect the PIAA from lawsuits if it does create separate playoffs.
A 37-0 appropriations committee vote on Wednesday morning sent the bill to its final step in the full House.
“The PIAA’s existing playoff system forces athletes from public schools, which are limited to recruiting from within district boundaries, to compete against athletes from private schools, which can recruit from anywhere and amass larger, stronger teams,” Conklin said in a release. “The result is unfair, lopsided competitions that leave public school students on a dangerously uneven playing field, subjecting them to added physical risks and even depriving them of scholarship and recruitment opportunities. School sports are supposed to be about building confidence and teaching kids lessons in fair play, but the current system is teaching them all the wrong lessons.”
The issue of both public and private high school schools participating together in the same WPIAL and PIAA playoffs is one that has been hotly debated since 1972. That’s when Act 291 was passed by the Pennsylvania legislature, mandating that the PIAA allow Catholic and other private schools to become members, paving the way for their inclusion in state championships.
The debate reached a boiling point in recent years and has morphed into boundary schools (public schools) versus non-boundary schools (a charter school, parochial school or private school). The recent success of non-boundary schools in basketball and football has amplified the calls for separate postseason tournaments.
In the last three PIAA boys and girls basketball tournaments, 24 championships have been won by non-boundary schools and 12 by public schools. Over the same period, 10 public schools have won state football championships compared to eight by non-boundary schools. Public schools fare much better in baseball and softball. Over the last three years, 17 of the 18 championships in softball have been won by public schools. The lone non-boundary school to win a PIAA title was Dubois Central Catholic, who beat Carmichaels in 2024.
Before any changes to postseason tournaments can be made, the PIAA’s Executive Board and the Pennsylvania Athletic Oversight Committee must hold public meetings in each of its 12 districts to gather testimony and comments from individuals regarding the separation of playoffs.
Here is how local lawmakers voted on House Bill 41:
– Joshua Kail, R-15th District: No
– Andrew Kuzma, R-39th District: Yes
– Jason Ortitay, R-49th District: Yes
– Bud Cook, R-50th District – Yes
– Charity Krupka, R-51st District: Yes
– Ryan Warner, R-52nd District: Yes