A statewide petition now circulating among Ohio high school principals seeks to split the postseason into separate public and private tournaments, a change that would affect playoff brackets for east-side programs including Withrow, Purcell Marian and Cincinnati Country Day.
Organizers need 75 principal signatures by December to place the question on the May 2027 ballot, WCPO's Mike Dyer reported Tuesday, Sept. 15. If the measure passes, separate tournaments would take effect in the 2028-29 school year.
The petition was discussed at an Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) regional administrator meeting at Princeton High School in Sharonville on Tuesday. The session was the last of six the OHSAA organized to start the school year.
Who is behind it
The petitioners are superintendents, principals and athletic directors from Northeast Ohio schools in the Suburban League. Only principals can sign. The OHSAA requires five signatures from each of its six athletic districts to reach the 75-signature threshold.
The OHSAA, led by Executive Director Doug Ute, has 812 member high schools. Of those, 121 are non-public and 691 are public.
What it means locally
If the referendum passes, public schools like Withrow University High School would compete for state titles only against other public programs. Private and parochial schools such as Purcell Marian and Cincinnati Country Day would have their own brackets.
Under the current system, public and private schools share tournament divisions. The OHSAA's Competitive Balance Plan, approved by member schools in May 2014 and implemented in 2017-18, adjusts division placement in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball based on actual roster composition.
Non-public schools make up about 16 percent of the membership but won about 44 percent of state championships in the 18 years before Competitive Balance, according to an OHSAA summary. In the plan's first two years, public schools' share of titles rose to 68 percent from 56 percent.
Previous attempts failed
Separation reached the OHSAA ballot in 1978 and 1993. Members voted both down. Discussions in the late 2000s led to the formation of a competitive balance committee in January 2010 rather than a split. Only four to five other states currently run separate public and private postseason tournaments, according to the OHSAA.
What happens next
Each member school's principal casts one vote during the OHSAA's annual referendum period. In 2026, that window ran from May 1 through May 15. OHSAA rules require every member high school to submit a ballot.
The December signature deadline is the first hurdle. If organizers clear it, east-side principals will have their say in May 2027.
