The Chicago Public League canceled lower-level football games on Sept. 28 and 29 amid a pay dispute with officials, but Week 7 varsity games were played as scheduled.
A source confirmed the cancellations to the Southwest News-Herald on Sept. 30 and said lower-level games were still scheduled for that night.
Game Time Officials Association director Mike Outten said earlier this week that officials had not been paid for games worked in Weeks 4-6. Those payments were the responsibility of the Public League’s Office of Sports Administration, while payments for games involving Public League teams in Weeks 1-3 were handled by host schools.
The source said payments were being issued on Sept. 28, which Outten confirmed.
CPS released a statement on Sept. 30:
“Chicago Public Schools (CPS) worked with the vendor that manages payments to referees and expedited efforts this morning to ensure immediate compensation for a portion of sports officials who referee CPS games and were not paid in a timely manner. The District is working with all partners to strengthen the compensation process and ensure it is consistent going forward.”
Outten said officials don’t want varsity games to be canceled.
“We’ve always been hopeful (for a resolution),” he said. “That wasn’t our intent for kids to miss out on games.
“But we’re fighting for the livelihood of our officials. For some people, this is their livelihood.”
On Sept. 30, Illinois State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-26th), who played college football at Illinois, released an open letter to CPS superintendent/CEO Dr. Macquline King, CPS executive director of sports administration Devon Morales and Board of Education president Sean Harden calling for officials to be paid before any more events were canceled.
“Interscholastic athletics are not an extracurricular afterthought,” Buckner wrote. “They are an important part of the educational experience we promise our young people. … When we allow games to be (canceled) or jeopardized because the adults responsible for officiating them have not been paid, our students ultimately bear the consequences.
“A young person who has practiced all week should not arrive at game day and discover there is no contest because an official who worked weeks earlier is still waiting to be compensated.”
IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said on Sept. 30 that the association had been monitoring developments.
“We expect the situation will be remedied expeditiously so our officials are justly compensated for their work, and student-athletes do not have to miss out on any participation opportunities,” Anderson said in a statement that day.