High school football season is about eight weeks away and a new question has arisen.

When the games begin, will anyone be available to officiate them?

Talks between the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and the Louisiana High School Officials Association appear to have reached an impasse and the LHSOA has drawn a line in the sand.

Give us a raise.  Put it in writing.  Do it now.  Or we won't be available this fall.  Or this winter.  Or next spring.  The LHSOA wants across the board increases in seven different sports.

Now, let's make one thing clear.  The LHSOA is not a union.  Officials don't pay union dues and no official is under obligation to follow the lead or the edict of the association.

Let's make another thing clear.  The majority of the officials are going to stand tall on this one.

Just a couple of years ago, the Lafayette Association was asking each school in their region to play a Thursday night home game.  Why?  Because there weren't enough officials to staff all of the Friday night games.  While that situation has been alleviated, it does illustrate the fact no one's really knocking the door down to become part of that fraternity.

The reason?  A lot of abuse for not enough money.

The LHSOA has been trying to get pay raises for their officials for awhile now.  And, they've been repeatedly told it will happen, only to have another year go by with no increase.  It's not like they're asking for a lot; about five or ten bucks per official per game.

The LHSAA, meanwhile, is saying, work with us one more year and we'll get something done next year.  There's only one problem with that.  The LHSOA says they've heard that song and dance before.

The LHSOA wants the raises AND they want it in a contract signed by the principals.  They say in the past, principals have found a way to take money away, and they're using a recent principals' decision concerning baseball and softball as their ammunition.  Umpires had been getting mileage plus half pay in the event of a rainout.  Principals just took away the half pay.  The LHSOA doesn't want to see raises passed by the principals only to have it rescinded if budgets get tight.  They want the assurance the pay will remain guaranteed.

There's new blood in the LHSAA.  And, their message has been, yeah we know the organization has failed you in the past, but we're different  Trust us.  Besides, they say, what you're wanting is at least, in part, a violation of LHSAA by laws.

It's kind of like the baggage someone takes from a failed relationship into a new relationship.  It may not be fair, but it's the way it is.

Now, it may seem reasonable to ask the officials to wait until the principals meet in January, get the proposal approved and get contracts signed.

But the lack of trust is what it is.

You can make a case for both sides in this argument.  But here's something that's going to be hard to argue.

THE LHSAA can go ahead and start signing up replacement officials.  And, they may succeed in getting the games covered.  But there's no way the replacement officials will be as well trained or of the same quality.

And, in the end, the game gets hurt.

When that happens, we all lose.

 

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