Agreement reached on referee pay

Officials, school district agree on raises before Kickoff Classic games

Palm Beach County referees and the Palm Beach County School District have come to an agreement on a pay raise in time for the referees to officiate this week’s Kickoff Classic.

The district and the East Coast Football Officials Association agreed on an increase in travel rates that will amount to a $10 raise, according to ECFOA president Travelle Northern.

“I’m just breathing a sigh of relief that we were able to come to something and that no games were canceled or the season wasn’t canceled,” Northern said Wednesday.

The school district confirmed the details of the agreement in a press release.

“Football season in Palm Beach County is a time of great pride and a source of inspiration and involvement for players, students, parents and the community at large; I’m thrilled that the season will not be delayed,” Palm Beach County Superintendent Donald Fennoy said in the release.

The ECFOA announced Tuesday its plan for a work stoppage, but Wednesday’s agreement put an end to that.

The officials are ready to referee Kickoff Classic games, which are scheduled for Thursday.

“Our guys had already drafted games last week, so they already knew [what games to officiate],” Northern said. “So once [the ECFOA] accepted what the district had, they were already contacting their crews. And we’re going to be good to go for tomorrow.”

The Florida High School Athletic Association sets a cap on per-game fees for officials, and the cap is currently $65 per game. But local officials associations negotiate with individual districts for administrative and travel fees.

The FHSAA is planning an increase in pay for all officials in 2020-21, and an FHSAA committee made up of administrators, athletic directors and officials is scheduled to meet Aug. 26.

The agreement in place ensures higher pay for referees for this school year.

“Our guys have something here in the short term,” Northern said. ‘We’re still expecting the FHSAA to do something in the long term with their plans for next year.”

The South Gulf Football Officials Association, which officiates games in Lee County, could not come to an agreement with the Lee County School District, and those games were canceled, according to the Naples Daily News.

Broward County officials also considered a work stoppage before coming to agreement with the Broward County Athletic Association on Aug. 5.