Until now, the dispute between public and private schools over competitive balance played out in press conferences and postgame interviews. Mount Carmel football coach Jordan Lynch and Batavia football coach Dennis Piron both regularly offered juicy quotes that presented their sides of the issue.
The time for empty talk has passed. Over the next six weeks, schools across the state will discuss several possible rule changes and state tournament format tweaks that could change the landscape of high school sports in Illinois.
The ongoing battle between public and private schools over an alleged “private school competitive advantage” is at the center of the two most significant bylaw proposals the Illinois High School Association released on Tuesday. The West Suburban Conference submitted both, and it includes Downers Grove North and South, Proviso East and West, Hinsdale Central and South, Leyden, Morton, Addison Trail, Willowbrook, York, Lyons, Glenbard West and Oak Park.
Proposal 8, submitted by the West Suburban, creates separate classes for boundary (public) and non-boundary (private and magnet) schools in the state tournaments. Under this format, public and private schools would no longer compete for the same state championships.
In four-class sports, there would be three classes for boundary schools and one class for non-boundary schools. In football, there would be six boundary classes and two non-boundary classes.
Under this proposed system, a basketball state championship game between Young and Glenbard West could not happen. A football state championship game between Maine South and Loyola would be impossible. Each of the schools mentioned would face similar schools and win separate state championships.
Proposal 15, also submitted by the West Suburban, creates separate paths to the state finals for boundary and non-boundary schools. Boundary and non-boundary schools would have separate sectionals and supersectionals, and one non-boundary team would advance to the state semifinals.
So basically, only one private/non-boundary public school would be allowed in the state semifinals in each class every year.
Under this proposed system, schools like Brother Rice, Mount Carmel and Lane would be placed in a separate supersectional, and the winning team would advance directly to the state semifinals in football and basketball. State championships between traditional public schools and non-boundary schools would be possible. Still, only one non-boundary school would be in the state finals in every class and sport.
Downers Grove North AD Dave Rose, who wrote Proposal 8 and 15, declined to comment specifically on the bylaws, telling the Sun-Times that, “the proposal is still very early in the process, and I'd like to give a chance to be discussed at the town hall meetings in November before talking through it.”
Athletic directors at Lyons, Hinsdale Central, Downers Grove South and York did not respond to a request for comment.
According to a source, the West Suburban is expected to listen to feedback at IHSA town hall meetings across the state and then pull back the less popular proposal.
“St. Laurence and most private schools are in favor of keeping it the way it is,” St. Laurence AD and Catholic League vice president Tim Chandler said. “There are sports where private schools do pretty well and sports where we don’t do well. The focus always seems to be on the sports that the private schools have a good season in.”
Chandler said that Proposal 8, which separates the private and public schools into different state tournaments, is a non-starter.
“Private schools would have a decision to make in that situation,” Chandler said. “If we are going to be on our own anyway, would we do it under the IHSA or under our own terms with our own transfer bylaws?”
“I believe the four best schools should be at state, whether that is private schools or public schools. Restricting access for private schools and guaranteeing one spot doesn’t make sense. There might be sports where four public schools should be at state, and you are taking an opportunity away from a public school by guaranteeing a private school spot.
“There are a ton of small, non-boundary schools that have no business competing with Mount Carmel and Loyola in sports. That’s not right.”
Several sources have confirmed to the Sun-Times that the IHSA could push through Proposal 15 without a vote from the schools. Chandler has heard the same, and says the Catholic League would prefer that scenario. The IHSA is believed to prefer keeping private and public schools competing for the same state titles.
“There has been some talk about the [IHSA board] doing this under board policy instead of it being a bylaw,” Chandler said. “So then the board would have the ability to tweak it a little bit easier. Like what they have done with the current classification stuff. It would be better to see something come through that way.”
What is the best setup for Illinois high school sports state tournaments?
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) November 3, 2026
Other notable bylaw proposals:
Proposal 0 (already on the ballot): Modifies the multiplier from 1.65 to 2.5. Non-boundary school enrollment will be multiplied by 2.5; this would send private schools and magnet schools into larger classes.
Proposal 2: Increases the percentage of votes needed to pass a bylaw amendment from a simple majority to a 2/3 supermajority. This would make it more difficult to pass new bylaws.
Proposal 12: Modifies transfer eligibility to allow students full eligibility for their first transfer before the start of their sophomore school year. This would basically allow one free transfer with no sitting out during a student’s first year of high school.
Proposal 16: Restores the football setup the state used in 2025-26, rolling back the playoff expansion.
