Lawmakers: Meeting with NCHSAA was a positive first step
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State lawmakers told the media a meeting with NCHSAA representatives was positive and left both sides with a better understanding of the issues.
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Alright thoughts about today. How did it go? Well, I had to leave for part of it, so, but I thought we had a great discussion. Uh I thought it was it was very eye opening for the executive board members to understand our concerns and for us to listen to what they had to say. And I was also um happy that some of our concerns have already been met, even though that we did not not communicate that back to us, but but overall I thought was it was it was a good step and it was about two years, uh two years too late. But I'm glad that we made the step tonight. You say too late. You sent Did you hear anything here to change your mind about the hospital 91 from the beginning? House Bill 91 was really a path of last resort because we weren't getting feedback as we and the expressions of concern that we had to the board today, we simply we're saying we're not getting any feedback. And I think Leader Bill made a good point that there's been, I think three or four communications that he's reached out and not gotten returned responses on. So today was kind of what I see is the first step in some potential teamwork and working together to continue to work on the legislation. I do think legislation will still move forward, but maybe having them at the table with us is a good step and their willingness that they expressed us to work with us was a positive step. Okay. And laura, I'll correct my statement. Um, as far as being too late, it's not july, I'm just sorry. It took this long. It should have taken this long. I understand that you're just saying it over there laughing. Yeah. I just love these guys and we're going to battle with them at any point and so grateful that they're on my team. So, uh, today was a great first step. You know, these types of meetings happen every day and legislators office. This is nothing new or unusual other than the fact that we actually had openly asked them to come in to see us generally when this type of legislation is moving forward on a company or an agency, they're clamoring to get to our, to our in front of us. So this was very unique for us of seeing this good faith gesture for them to move forward and actually have a meeting with this was a big step. Let me ask this though. I mean, people have asked me this question too. I mean it's like they're not clamouring to come in here because they're not a government agency. I mean they're not a government organization. I mean, why do y'all folks have, you have the right to call them on the carpet as a private nonprofit? Remember they are an actor of the state and when they deal with our public schools and what funds them is public money. And so we see that they absolutely are an arm of the state when it comes to certain, um, duties that have been delegated to them by the Board of Education. So we see that we have to clarify that relationship. We have to strengthen that relationship and moving forward. I think that's what legislation will look like. But you don't anticipate at this point, I need to get rid of them next year, which is what the legislation was looking at. Well, depends on their actions and we'll see how it does moving forward. What are you looking for them to do? To be an honest broker, to hear our concerns, to work with us as we move forward and to be open and transparent about the process that they are doing for internal change? Just to clarify, can you talk about the future specifically about house for 91 and you expect that we'll move forward in the immediate term or will that be on pause? So the legislation is continuing to move forward? I want to thank leader bill for giving us a bill of his to make sure that we can do it. Legislation is needed. I think that's what you heard from both sides of the aisle aisle that we need to fix the organization. But there needs to be some framework and legislative, Um, around what that looks like. Do I or do I wake up in the morning and say I want the North Carolina Athletic Association to die? No, I never at any point did that. But unfortunately it took the House Bill 90 wanted to get them to finally to the table. Uh, well I know one of your big issues has been the parochial schools and the charter schools and advantages that they may have over some of the more traditional public schools. Was that address today? Uh, it was, we had conversations on fair play. We had conversations on what that could look like moving forward whether whether the open enrollment type schools or the, you know, uh, charter schools would be playing up in divisions. Uh, We also talked about conference realignment and what goes into doing that. And you know, if some of the questions were asked is traditionally has been used as a. T. M. Why are we using socioeconomic class? Where are we using winning percentages? Why is that being put into the conference realignment And frankly unfairly moving some schools up and then making some fool some schools on travel further than others. And so we had a good conversation around that and the way the bills written right now it would kick the four catholic schools out of the N. H. S. A. Is that still the, do you want to see the Nchs do that on their own? No. Uh you know, I'm going to Cardinal give us next week to have a discussion with them. I've been talking back and forth with them. Uh We want a very productive and and uh and frankly equitable environment for high school athletics and in our state. And I think we can get there, uh, you know, whoever wants him to this one. Uh Well I've had heartburn about the financial penalties uh since I saw that and learned about that in their uh in their publications. And there are different ways to do that. But they basically took 100 and $16,000 out of the public schools in north Carolina in the last five years. And they did that while they had sufficient money to run their operations. So he was just piling on. But we talked about the money, we didn't get down into the, to the nitty gritty and the dirty weeds about where it's going and what they've got to do with it or anything like that. Other than to say, you know, if you've got sufficient money to run the operation, why continue to charge additional money, tipping the fees off of the schools for the championship games, the regional games, the, the games at the end of the season. Why I keep doing that And, and everybody came away in a very positive like this is a very positive meeting. Uh, I'm so thankful that we had all the players at the table. We had their president, we had their past president, everybody participated in the meeting, nothing was held back and we really had a fabulous meeting that is going to be very productive. And at the end of the day, the first thing we talked about, and the last thing we talked about was the student athlete, and that's who we're here about today is the student athlete in north Carolina. Great. So is there is there a consensus on the framework moving forward? You know, we just set the stage today, you know, and and we've been working on setting that stage and we just set that stage today. So we're we'll be working closely quickly hand in hand, uh, for the, for the right outcome. And I feel that it's it's inevitable that will happen. Okay, Thank you very much. Thank you guys