SC High School League will stay in place, lawmakers decide, but with key changes
The future of the S.C. High School League looks a lot more certain.
The S.C. House of Representatives voted, 112-0, to pass an amended House Bill 4163 that will keep the SCHSL in place but includes a revamped structure for how the league is managed, including new rules that put it under legislative oversight — just like other state agencies.
The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate and then signed by Gov. Henry McMaster before it goes into effect, which wouldn’t be until July 1, 2027.
The High School League has been in place for more than 100 years and is a public entity, not a state agency.
“The will of the body wanted to end the high school league. My intent was that wasn’t a good idea,” state Rep. Jackie Hayes D-Dillon told The State. “I will give chairman Erickson credit. She reached out to me, and we worked it out to try and make the league better. It changes some appointments on the board and some structural things, but it won’t change the day-to-day operations.”
Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, one of the main proponents of the bill, also credited Hayes with working a compromise of an earlier bill. In its previous form, House Bill 4163 would have abolished the SCHSL and created the state-run S.C. High School Athletic Association. Instead, the SCHSL will live on but with different ways it must operate, lawmakers said.
“The actual high school league remains the name the high school league,” Erickson said Tuesday during debate on the statehouse floor. “Because of contracts and eligibilities for sports for all of our students who come first in my opinion. Changing that would have created the opportunity for students to potentially lose some of the eligibility and have play disrupted.
“I didn’t think we should do that and quite honestly I didn’t truly love the idea we would grow an agency in government. To have this piece worked out and use the agency as it is fit, ... I believe we could move forward very positively.“
Commissioner Jerome Singleton’s pending retirement
The amended bill moved forward Tuesday, a day after Jerome Singleton’s pending departure as SCHSL commissioner was confirmed. The league’s executive committee announced Monday that the longtime commissioner will retire no later than July 1, 2027, “pending the finding of an acceptable replacement.”
Singleton has been the league’s commissioner for 21 years, but he and the league have come under fire recently by lawmakers.
A lot of the criticism toward the High School League has centered around what lawmakers say is an outdated structure for dealing with modern-day issues facing athletics, such as competitive balance, athlete eligibility and player transfers. How the league has enforced sanctions against member schools for rules violations has also been called inconsistent and sometimes unfair.
“Jerome and I go way back. We have been in this ball game for over 30 years,” said Hayes, a former state championship-winning football coach at Dillon High School. “You have to give Jerome a lot of credit. He has been under an extreme amount of pressure. A lot of people don’t understand the working elements of the high school league. His job is to oversee the rules and regulations are followed by the membership.
“I think you will see with this bill, that you have will have people outside the membership that will be making decisions and rules and regulation. It is probably a good idea with a little more oversight and different eyes and ears.”
In its previous form, HB 4163 would have abolished the SCHSL and created the state-run S.C. High School Athletic Association.
This bill preserves the SCHSL name and along with records and accomplishments that are associated with teams and players for the past 100 years, which Hayes believed was important.
House Bill 4163 highlights
Some of the highlights of the bill include how the membership of the executive committee are assigned. It goes from 17 to 13 members and will be made up of:
-- One representing each classification, not to exceed a total of five
-- Two members appointed by the SC House and two by the SC Senate
-- One person appointed by the Athletic Coaches Association
-- Two current officials, one each appointed by the SC House and Senate
-- Two appointed by the governor, with one who is a principal recommended by SC Association of School Administrators and one recommended by SC Athletics Administrators Association
-- One appointed by the state superintendent of education upon recommendation of the SC Association of School Administrators and who shall chair the executive committee.
League will be subject to state audits
“We feel more comfortable with the board makeup with the accountability and appointees,” Erickson said. “... I like to give them the opportunity to turn the page and show us that they put students first.”
According to the bill, the league is subjected to audits by the SC Legislative Audit Council and subject to oversight the same manner as state agencies. Also, the commissioner’s contract may not exceed three years.
In the bill, some of the league’s current rules and structure in the proviso will remain including equal treatment for private and charter school and teams, no Name Image and Likeness, a multiplier system for competitive balance, one-time transfer for middle and high school students and the appellate panel stays in place.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 1:49 PM.
