June 1, 2009

Dear Principals and Athletic Directors:

Please review our Basketball Operations and Finance Policy revised for the 2009-2010 School Year.

We preface again our policy with two reminders:

a) First, the CFOA wants to provide excellent officiating for the student athletes.    Please remember that officiating is an enjoyable avocation experience for our officials, not their vocation.  

b) Second, the average age of Florida High School Athletics Association (FHSAA) sports officials has grown older for approximately the past fifteen years, per communications by the FHSAA to officials.

1.    The Basketball Assignment Officer and his Secretarial Personnel are the primary communication contact before, during and after the season regarding scheduled games requiring FHSAA officials to referee them.    The Basketball Assignment Officer will mail preseason letters plus send emails to the schools and officials with relevant information and response due dates for the upcoming season.    The Basketball Assignment Officer and his Secretarial Personnel will be directly accessible by telephone, fax machine, Arbiter Internet Scheduler, email and mail.    

2.    Athletic Directors will be the primary communication contact for our 70+ CFOA-member schools with the Athletic Secretary as the backup.    Coaches must work through their Athletic Directors for streamline purposes.  

3.    School game schedules are due to the Basketball Assignment Officer by September 15th for each upcoming season.    The FHSAA basketball exam is the first Monday night in November, which dictates that the CFOA preseason officials meeting and training clinic be about two weeks before.     The November’s game assignment schedules will be distributed to the officials at this meeting, and to the Athletic Directors via Arbiter.    Late schedules received will be assigned with left over availability of CFOA officials.      For each subsequent month, game assignment schedules will be distributed via Arbiter to the officials and Athletic Directors during the third week of the preceding month. 

4.    Basketball officials must be registered with the CFOA and FHSAA, including dues paid, by appropriate dates, unless new or transfer officials; in order to be a member of good standing and receive game assignments.   

5.    Internet “read-only” access of game schedules by officials and Athletic Directors will be available via the Arbiter software.     In order for the Arbiter software to automatically prepare a draft association-wide schedule of game assignments, the Basketball Assignment Officer must rank all officials starting with # 1 through 200+ for the best to the last official; plus for each day of the season, every game from the # 1 most challenging to the least.      Then, manual revisions are made as determined appropriate by the Assignment Officer.       This is why multiple game crews are affected, to be able to add one new game for any given day.

6.    Each school will have one Arbiter sign-on user ID and password, which can handle multiple sports.     Athletic Directors and officials can utilize this tool to verify in advance that all games are on the schedule and assigned.      Automatic emails will occur to schools and officials when changes are recorded on the Arbiter software by the Assignment Officer only.      Automatic accumulation of each school’s game fees will occur.

7.    Each school has the option to pay for CFOA basketball officials to referee its home games either at halftime of the game, or make an estimated season “lump-sum” payment to the CFOA which will utilize Don Thomas CPA to pay its officials.      Athletic Directors will inform the CFOA by July 31^st which option their school will utilize by fax to Don Thomas CPA at 407-599-4413.

8.    By July 1st, the CFOA Treasurer will mail each Athletic Director an estimated amount “lump-sum” invoice, based upon the previous season.     If your school chooses the “lump-sum” method of payment, it is the responsibility of the Athletic Director to insure that their school pays 50% of only the CFOA Treasurer’s  estimated amount “lump-sum” invoice by November 1^st.    The school’s remaining 50% will be due by January 1^st.          The CFOA will reconcile with each school after the season is over for the actual games officiated.  

9.    Schools will agree not to schedule 4 games on the same school day, when the school has at least both Boys and Girls varsity and junior varsity teams.     Schools will agree to start games no earlier than 4:30 pm. 

10.   Three-official crews for varsity boys and girls games in excess of the FHSAA “3 games minimum” will be utilized by the Basketball Assignment Officer at his sole discretion; in light of this policy’s preface.

11.  Schools, again for the 2009-2010 season, may cancel a game at any time with no monetary fine.    However, schools may only add or transfer a game to a prior or later date with at least 48 hours notice to the Assignment Officer by fax or email only.        Example:    If a school wanted to add game(s) for Friday, the Athletic Director needs to fax or email by Wednesday 4:00 pm.      Please do not even bother to fax or email, if you can not provide at least 48 hours notice to add a game.  

12.  The CFOA will pay, at its expense, one varsity game fee and mileage to evaluators who will deliver written evaluations for each official of the Varsity game crew.   The evaluators will be trained by the CFOA.

13.  The CFOA will pay one and one-half game fees to an official, who referees a non-varsity game alone.    The additional one-half game fee will be an expense to the official who did not show, and not the school.

14.  If an official has a “game day” cancellation caused by a school, the CFOA will pay one game fee and mileage to the official, whose game is cancelled; provided a reciprocal game cannot be found elsewhere by the CFOA Assignment Officer.     This will be an expense to the school which cancelled the game on its post-season reconciliation. 

15. The Treasurer is the only contact regarding finances; his phone numbers are work office 321-441-2511 and cell 407-312-4372.      The post-season reconciliation Arbiter listing of games refereed for each school will include all pre-season classic, regular season, Christmas/New Years holiday tournaments, and district tournament games played at that school plus non-school gymnasiums such as city arenas, Disney Wide World of Sports and churches.     

If you have any questions, please call the Treasurer at the numbers above or the Basketball Assignment Officer Kim Fessler at his office phone 407-657-4037 and cell 407-252-3992.