A statewide petition could force a vote on splitting Ohio's public and private high school postseason tournaments. The principals at Indian Hill, Madeira, Mariemont and Sycamore each hold a ballot that will help decide the outcome.

Organizers from Northeast Ohio's Suburban League need 75 principal signatures by December to place the referendum on the May 2027 ballot, WCPO reported Tuesday, Sept. 15. Five signatures must come from each of the Ohio High School Athletic Association's (OHSAA) six athletic districts. Only principals can sign.

If the petition clears that threshold and the full membership approves the measure in May 2027, separate public and private state tournaments would take effect in the 2028-29 school year.

The issue surfaced at an OHSAA regional administrator meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Princeton High School in Sharonville. It was the last of six such meetings the OHSAA organized to open the school year.

Four local principals, four votes

Under OHSAA rules, each member high school gets one vote on referendum items, cast by the principal. That puts the decision partly in the hands of Andy Gruber at Indian Hill, David Kennedy at Madeira, Dr. James Renner at Mariemont and Greg Pottebaum at Sycamore.

Under OHSAA rules, every member school must submit a ballot during the referendum period. The OHSAA's voting window ran from May 1 through May 15 in 2026. The petition, if it qualifies, would go before principals during the May 2027 voting period.

Previous attempts

Ohio has been here before. Petitions to separate public and private tournaments failed in membership votes in 1978 and 1993. Renewed discussions in the late 2000s led to a competitive balance committee in January 2010.

In May 2014, member schools approved competitive balance, which adjusts how schools are placed into tournament divisions in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball based on actual roster composition. That system took effect in the 2017-18 school year.

The OHSAA counts 121 non-public high schools and 691 public schools among its member high schools, according to the association. Only four to five other states separate public and private state tournaments.

What's at stake

Ohio ranks third nationally in high school sports participation, with nearly 350,000 student-athletes during the 2025-26 school year, trailing only Texas and California in the annual National Federation of State High School Associations survey.

The petition's organizers are superintendents, principals and athletic directors from Suburban League schools in Northeast Ohio. None of the four east-side principals have commented publicly on the proposal.

The December signature deadline is the next milestone. If organizers collect the 75 signatures, area principals will cast ballots during the May 2027 voting period.