IHSA Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - 2005-06
Athletic Officials Advisory Committee
April 6, 2006
The IHSA Officials Advisory Committee met at the IHSA Office, Bloomington, Illinois, on Thursday, April 6, 2006, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Committee members present were: Clifford Bailey, Country Club Hills (BK); Joe Elder, Cary (FB); Rhonda Haffner, Morton (VB); Kirk Haring, Princeton (Principal); Michael Hutton, Lake in the Hills (SW); Chris Long, Sigel (SB); David Weglarz, Lombard (BA) and Mike Wilkey, Oak Park (WR). IHSA Assistant Executive Director Dave Gannaway and Rick Karhliker, Sherman (NFOA Liaison) were also in attendance. Committee members Brian Knutson, Downs (Tri-Valley) (Athletic Director) and IESA Associate Executive Director Nicole Schaefbauer were unable to attend.
1. Recommendation: In the Officials Handbook under probation, the letter (f) which states:
“Reports of an official displaying a lack of professionalism or misconduct on more than three occasions”, be changed to “Reports of an official displaying a lack of professionalism or misconduct”.
Rationale: There are times when an official should be put on probation for lack of
professionalism on the first offense. By deleting the statement “on more than three occasions” it allows the IHSA to act on the first offense if necessary, but still leave the option to let it go to two or three if minor offenses.
Item 1 Approved
2. Recommendation: A policy is developed by the IHSA that addresses game fees and mileage
for state final contests that officials show up for and get cancelled prior to the start of the contest or suspended during the contest.
Rationale: Payment for contests that have been started and not completed and postponed to
the next day needs to be addressed in a consistent manner for all sports. It is a problem when one official starts a contest, the contest is postponed and the same official(s) cannot come back the next day to finish the contest. How are the officials paid and what is the fee that should be paid to the officials that have to come back to finish the contest that they did not start? This needs to be handled the same in all sports.
Item 2 Approved
3. Recommendation: Each official’s power rating to be available to them on their own personal site.
Rationale: Officials are all figuring their own rating and would like to have the power rating on their own site.
Item 3 Approved
4. Recommendation: The IHSA provide a link on the Officials Center for Recognized
Associations to promote events sponsored by their association. This could be done like the open date link for member schools.
Rationale: This will allow Recognized Associations the ability to keep all other associations and officials informed about special events.
Item 4 Died for Lack of Motion
5. Recommendation: The IHSA set up a site for assigners and schools to go to post contests
that they need officials for. This would allow for all officials to follow the site and call the school or assigner if they are available.
Rationale: This would be a method of allowing schools and assigners to post dates that they
are having trouble finding an official for. The officials would have one place to go to check if they are looking for games or contests.
Item 5 Died for Lack of Motion
6. Recommendation: The IHSA raise the mileage fee to 32 cents per mile after the first 100 miles for all IHSA state series contests.
Rationale: This will help the officials with the increase of cost of gas that has occurred over the last few years. The cost to do this would be approximately $12,405.00
Item 6 Tabled
7. Recommendation: The IHSA increase the percent of the base for the regional contests to 45%. It is now at 40% of the base.
Rationale: The regional fees do not equal what most officials are getting for regular season
varsity contests across the state. The sectional and state final fees seem to be adequate, but there needs to be an increase made for regional contest fees. This would be an increase of approximately $58,000.00 over all sports.
Item 7 Tabled
ITEMS OF GENERAL DISCUSSION:
- Reviewed an Observers Program proto-type that will be shared with all Recognized Associations at the summer Officials Conference delegate meeting. The Observers Program will be mandated to be part of the Recognized Associations Constitution by 2007-08. The associations will have 2006-07 to get the program established in their association.
- Discussion occurred on certified clinicians providing individual clinics for officials and the Committee agreed that this should not be allowed.
- Reviewed the Grants that were approved this year.
- Reviewed the program for the summer Officials Conference.
- Reviewed the Officials Education Program and tabled any more discussion until the fall meeting.
- Discussed the Level 1 and Level 2 addition to the power rating of officials. Each official that attends a Level 2 clinic within the last three years will get 5 points for their power rating and if the only clinic that an official haswithin the last three years is a Level 1 clinic, then that official will only get 2 points towards their power rating.
- Reviewed the benefits of becoming a Recognized Officials Association and talked about the NASO online program that the IHSA will provide for each Recognized Association next year.