The LHSAA committee tasked with addressing issues associated with high school officials held its first meeting since being restructured in accordance with the recent agreement reached with the LHSAA Executive Committee and the LHSOA. The committee, comprised of twenty-six members, thirteen each as chosen by the LHSAA and the LHSOA, met for three hours on November 10th in Baton Rouge. Issues discussed and actions taken included:
- Ratification of the recently approved Officials Pay Structure clearing the way for this item to be presented to the LHSAA Executive Committee and moved to the January 2016 Principals Meeting for final approval
- Discussion of opportunities to modify travel pay for baseball tournaments in order to enhance the likelihood of final approval by principals
- Results of recent LHSAA survey sent to officials; consensus was that while the survey did not get the level of response to be indicative of what officials’ views were on the topics surveyed, valuable information was obtained that will lead to more focused communication through the LHSOA to its officials
- Questions on whether the LHSOA is looking to truly function as an entity completely separate from the LHSAA, and if so then all activities serviced by the LHSAA would move to the LHSOA. LHSOA representatives made it clear that the LHSOA believes its partnership with the LHSAA is in the best interests of its member officials and the schools we serve. However, it was reinforced that administrative management of the LHSOA is a responsible that rests with officials and we will continue to be an officials-focused organization that works to improve officiating in all sports we serve.
The meeting set a positive tone for the longer term working relationship that must be enhanced between LHSAA representatives and LHSOA officials. Kevin Mawae, former LSU and NFL football player, serves as an independent member on the committee and will be chairman of the group going forward. Kevin shared his views of the importance of there being a good working relationship between the LHSAA and officials and expressed his sentiment that his role as a parent on the committee positions him well to be truly objective in dealing with committee issues. Updates from this committee’s efforts will be provided through website communications similar to this posted information. LHSOA representatives serving on the committee are listed below and can be contacted should officials have any questions.
Paul LaRosa, Bryan Greenwood, Ruthie Dugal, John Fletcher, Daniel Gautreaux, Marlon Harrison, Chuck Horne, Jim Radcliffe, Shane Rigdon, Michael Silver, Clifford R. Strider III, James Traylor, Brian Wynne