Is pay to play fair?

COLUMBUS

Stop and talk to state Sen. Cliff Hite sometime, and you likely are going to hear something about football.

The Republican from Findlay will tell you about throwing 250 passes a day for a year as an underclassman to earn a quarterback spot on the high school team.

He’ll probably show you his SEC championship ring from the University of Kentucky. He might mention that he coached Ben Roethlisberger at Findlay High School.

Listen to his floor speeches, and you are bound to hear some type of sports analogy.

But Hite isn’t all about athletics. He plays the cello, too, and talks about the importance of his musical studies.

(I’m still waiting for Hite to play in the quintet, outside the Senate chambers, with those Hudson middle schoolers, as he promised to do earlier this year. He has a good excuse for postponing further, however — his granddaughters recently broke the bridge on his instrument.)

Hite’s experience is similar to other high school students today, who add athletics and music and other extracurricular activities to their regular class load.

“This subject of co-curriculars is extremely dear to my heart in many, many, many ways,” Hite said.

That’s part of the reason Hite and Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted have been vocal in their calls for the state to address how to cover the costs of sports and music and other student activities.

Public forums

The two recently launched a series of public forums around the state to discuss the issue and determine if there’s a way to deal with pay-to-play policies.

“I do not personally favor pay to participate,” Hite said. “This is my personal opinion. I’ve seen some schools that got hurt by that athletically and music wise as well in my 30 years as a professional educator.”

He added, “I’m not for putting people in a position where they have to get rid of anything that would enhance a school’s education and co-curricular activity.”

On one hand, schools have to find ways to cover their costs. Sometimes, that means families coughing up extra money for their kids to play football or band instruments.

On the other, such policies hurt needy families, who can’t afford the extra expense. And their kids don’t experience the added benefits of involvement in extracurriculars.

Husted said sports and other school-related activities have already proven to have a positive impact on the lives of youngsters, providing “character-building values ... toughness, responsibility, resiliency. Those are success skills that if you don’t learn them, you’re less likely to experience success in life.”

“Many young people are becoming adults without the experience or skills that they need to succeed in life,” Husted said. “... They are not ready for a job or ready to assume the responsibilities of life. And when young people are not prepared to take advantage of life’s opportunities, too often they are ensnared in life’s pitfalls. Joblessness, drugs or alcohol addiction, unplanned pregnancies. I don’t need to go on ....”

Lawmakers appear poised to consider the issue and work out some type of solution.

You can send comments on the issue directly to Hite, over the phone at 614-466-8150 or via email at Hite@OhioSenate.gov.

Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.