Raleigh, N.C. — State lawmakers on Tuesday discussed a plan to drastically change the landscape of high school athletics in North Carolina.
A revised House Bill 91 would remove the authority to administer high school athletics in North Carolina from the N.C. High School Athletic Association and place it under the state Department of Administration, where a 17-member commission would be housed.
The NCHSAA has administered high school sports in North Carolina since its founding in 1913.
HighSchoolOT has reached out to the NCHSAA for comment.
"This bill essentially renders the death penalty on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association," said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake.
The commission, which would operate independently, would be charged with enforcing eligibility and game rules for all North Carolina public schools, including charter schools. However, the commission would not be authorized to oversee non-public schools.
In addition to enforcing rules, the commission would set conferences and divisions, schedules and requirements for coaching, officiating and sportsmanship. But it would be prohibited from fining schools for rules violations, and instead would be charged with creating a demerit system.
If there are appeals made about eligibility or game play, they would be heard by appeals boards. The State Board of Education would be tasked with appointing an eligibility appeals board, while the commission would appoint a game play appeals board.
The legislation comes after a months-long investigation by the state legislature into the NCHSAA, its authority over public schools and its finances.
Lawmakers have raised concerns about the amount of wealth the NCHSAA has accumulated, with a total net worth of over $40 million. However, the NCHSAA says that it has been fiscally responsible, provides a number of services for its schools and has given back millions of dollars to its members.
Sen. Michael Lazzara, R-Onslow, was incredulous when he heard the NCHSAA has twice the assets of any other school sports body in the country.
"I can't imagine any organization sitting with $40 million while parents are purchasing bus fares for championship games. I know I've done plenty of it myself," Lazzara said. "[We're] purchasing jerseys, purchasing uniforms while there's this kind of money sitting into an account and kids not able to play because they don't have any money."
Nine of the proposed commission members would be appointed by the governor and four each by the House and the Senate. All members would be superintendents, principals, athletic directors or full-time employees who are coaches. Each commission member would serve a four-year term.
The bill would restrict the commission from doing a number of things. If the bill becomes law, the following would be prohibited:
- Soliciting grant funding and sponsorships for purposes other than state tournaments
- Providing grants to schools
- Providing scholarships to players
- Retaining gate receipts other than from the state tournament
- Controlling the intellectual property of schools, such as logos and mascots, and audio and visual rights to games
- Delegating its statutory duties to a director
According to the bill, the commission would be solely supported by fees and a percentage of gate receipts from state tournament games. Participating schools would be responsible for annual fees, including fees for student catastrophic insurance coverage. If commission funds reach 250% of the commission's total expenses for the previous year, it would be reduced by 20%.
The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and the State Board of Education would receive annual reports from the commission, including financial statements.
Under the proposed legislation, the NCHSAA would continue to oversee high school athletics for the 2021-22 school year, but the commission rules must be adopted by Feb. 15, 2022.
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Senate proposes legislation that would overhaul high school sports in NC, dissolve NCHSAA - HighSchoolOT
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