Some basketball officials threaten to strike if NCHSAA doesn't approve pay increase
Some high school basketball officials in North Carolina are threatening to strike in January if the N.C. High School Athletic Association Board of Directors does not approve a pay increase at its meeting this week.
HighSchoolOT has obtained communications between officials indicating that some basketball officials are planning to refuse to work between the dates of Jan. 1 and Jan. 14, 2023, if a pay raise is not passed by the board. Officials organizing the protest have scheduled virtual meeting in December to discuss.
Requests made to the NCHSAA for comment were not immediately returned on Monday afternoon.
Under current policy, NCHSAA basketball officials are paid $69.50 for a single varsity game, $105 for a varsity double-header, or $59 for a single junior varsity game. Officials organizing the protest are asking for $85 for a single varsity game, $170 for a varsity double-header, and $80 for a single junior varsity game.
An invitation to a virtual meeting sent to officials urged them to block out the Jan. 1-14 dates in their scheduling system now. Some officials have already taken that step.
It is not clear how many officials are planning to take part in a potential protest, but the communication between officials extends to multiple regions of the state.
With a shortage of officials already creating scheduling challenges in some areas, refusals to work could create additional scheduling challenges for schools as conference play gets into full swing in January. Jan. 14 is also a busy day in high school basketball as schools host Martin Luther King Jr. Day showcase events.
The NCHSAA Board of Directors is meeting this week for its regular winter meeting. A review of a report from the Ad-Hoc Committee on Officiating is scheduled to take place.
The committee conducted a survey of officials in all sports this past summer and found more than half considered quitting over the last two years. Officials listed sportsmanship concerns and compensation as the top reasons they considered quitting.
This is a developing story and it will be updated.
