SC House agrees to keep High School League in place, with more oversight

COLUMBIA — The South Carolina High School League could stay intact, though with more oversight, under a bill the House passed Tuesday.

The unanimous vote came the day after the High School League’s executive board accepted the retirement of Jerome Singleton, director since 2005.

He will remain in charge until the board finds a replacement or July 1, 2027, whichever comes first, board members said during a Monday meeting.

Legislators walked back a proposal advanced last month to do away with the league entirely.

Instead, the bill would give elected officials — including legislators, the governor and the state superintendent — more control over who sits on the 13-member board.

That board and the league would be subject to many of the safeguards in place for state agencies, including investigations from the Legislative Audit Council and regular questioning from the Legislative Oversight Committee.

The league would also have to submit its annual budget and present its spending to legislators.

All schools participating in statewide athletics, including charter schools, pay dues to the league.

Keeping changes minimal, instead of abolishing the league, will make sure legislators “do not interrupt student play or eligibility or records that are currently in place,” House Education Chairwoman Shannon Erickson said Tuesday.

“I believe that it moves South Carolina forward with students at the forefront of what we do without growing government,” the Beaufort Republican said.

The bill would go into effect June 30, 2027 — the final day of Singleton’s tenure, unless the league finds a replacement sooner.

Legislators have raised Singleton’s leadership as a point of contention with the High School League, which has overseen sports in the state’s middle and high schools since 1913. But others contended the problems run deeper than a single person.

For years, legislators have fielded parent complaints about the High School League’s rules and appeals process, including claims that it selectively enforces eligibility requirements and fails to meet safety standards.

After the league failed to satisfy legislators’ requests for change after the 2025 session, a committee advanced a bill that would have gotten rid of the league and replaced it with a state agency.

House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, questioned whether the bill would truly ensure the High School League followed the rules, including enforcing its rules equally across the board, one of the problems legislators have heard repeatedly.

A requirement that the league adopt a universal system for all its members should take care of that, Erickson said.

She acknowledged legislators’ troubles with the league in the past but added she believed the bill would help.

“This is a new era for us and the High School League, hopefully,” Erickson said.