CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors Spring Meeting concluded on Wednesday, May 1, at the NCHSAA Office in Chapel Hill.
The Board of Directors Meeting began on Tuesday, April 30, with a vote to approve the “Big 32” realignment model recommendation from the Bylaw Task Force Committee. This model would classify the largest 32 schools in the Association into the 8A Classification, and the remaining schools would be divided evenly among classes 1A through 7A.
The Task Force Committee had other recommendations, such as a 24-32 team brackets for the 8A Classification; a 32-team bracket for the 2A through 7A Classifications; and a 16-team bracket in the 1A Classification. Additionally, the Committee recommended realigning classifications every two years. However, this is action that must be addressed in an amendment vote by the membership.
On Wednesday, the Board of Directors took the following action:
REVIEW AND OFFICIATING
- Approved rate increases for referees and officials in swimming and diving; junior varsity football playoff contests, first and second rounds.
- Ejection report for the current year was reviewed and discussed. Ejections by type and by sport can be viewed here.
- Increased registration fees to $40, plus $31 for insurance and background checks for all sports exception: swimming and diving which will be $30, plus 31 for insurance and background checks.
- Increased scrimmage fees paid to the assigning officials association for all sports from $28 to $50 per hour.
- Capped local association and booking fees at $80 for all sports, except football and basketball which were capped at $100.
- Registration for swimming and diving teams to the NCPrepsSwimming platform will increase from $20 to $30 effective for 2025-2026 school year.
- Increased the number of umpires in the third round of the baseball and softball playoffs to match the regional and state championship rounds.
SPORTS
- Men’s and women’s basketball regional and state championships for the 2024-2025 season will follow the 2024 format at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
- Calendar Changes:
- Late entry deadlines for the individual wrestling tournaments were adjusted to 3 p.m. Monday for the women in the week of the dual team tournament.
- Dual Team Tennis bracketing will now take place on Friday of Week 9 of the season instead of Monday of Week 10.
- Indoor Track and Field Championships will be moved to February 14-15, 2025
- The first contest date for basketball programs at non-football-playing schools is now November 4; however, the six games played before football-playing schools’ first contest date will not be included in RPI rankings as it relates to playoff seeding.
FINANCES
- Funding for the 2023-2024 Education-based grants in the areas of coach’s education and health and safety initiatives, as well as the 50% reimbursement for schools achieving Level 1-3 Honor Roll and individuals achieving CAA or CMAA certifications between March 30, 2023, and March 31, 2024, was approved to be dispersed from the Endowment Fund.
- The remaining Endowment Fund monies will be transferred to the NCHSAA Foundation, Inc.
- Changed the playoff ticket revenue share for participating schools and the NCHSAA to comply with the upcoming changes dictated by North Carolina state law.
- 15% of the first two rounds
- 20% of the third round,
- 25% of the fourth round
- 33% of the regional
- 33% of the state championships
Other actions and details will be shared in the coming weeks and in the minutes.
New Board Members approved at Annual Meeting
CHAPEL HILL – The membership of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association approved the recommendations of the Nominating Committee on Thursday May 2, at the Annual Meeting.
Effective July 1, 2024, Dr. Chris Blanton, the Assistant Superintendent for Watauga County Schools, will become the Past President, replacing Dr. Rob Jackson, the Superintendent of Buncombe County Schools. Dr. Stephen Gainey, Superintendent of Randolph County Schools will become the new President of the NCHSAA. Mark Garrett, Superintendent of Henderson County Public Schools, will become the new Vice President.
Additionally, the membership approved two new members to the Board of Directors Sampson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jamie King and Jackson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Dana Ayers will begin their four-year terms on July 1, 2024. Dr. King will represent Class 1A, Region 2 and Dr. Ayers will represent Class 3A, Region 8.
Dr. Ayers has worked in education since 1999 and has been superintendent of Jackson Public County Schools since 2021. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Belmont Abbey, her Master’s in School Administration from Western Carolina and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UNC Charlotte.
Dr. King has worked in education since 2002 and was named superintendent of Sampson County Schools in 2023. He graduated from Appalachian State University with a double degree in Biology and Athletic Training. He earned his Master of School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and his Doctorate in Education from High Point University.
Below are the full recordings for both days, as well as the recording of the 2024 Annual Meeting.
