State Takeover Of Georgia High School Sports Proposed

BUFORD, GA ‑ One of the icons in Georgia high school athletics thinks the state would be making a big mistake by doing away with the independent Georgia High School Association and assuming control of state high school competitions itself.

Veteran Buford Athletics Director Dexter Wood said he was “greatly concerned” with two bills currently under consideration in the Georgia Legislature that would do away with the GHSA and place the state’s popular high school sports, literary, band and other competitions under state auspices. House Bill 415 and Senate Bill 203 are identical pieces of legislation that, if passed, would replace the GHSA with a new statewide governing body that would operate under the state Board of Education.

The state legislator who introduced the bill that would abolish the GHSA says he's tired of hearing parents, referees and coaches complain about the incompetency of the organization.

House Bill 415 specifically aims to “provide for definitions; to provide for a governing structure; to provide requirements for a board of directors; to provide for a representative assembly; to provide for a public liaison advisory committee; to provide for due process and appeals; to provide for amendments to the bylaws; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.”

Wood, the Wolves’ former state championship-winning football coach who served on the GHSA Executive Committee for 10 years and on the organization’s board of trustees for four years, was very clear in his opposition to any such changes.

“I strongly believe that it should remain a totally independent organization and in no way should be governed and influenced by the state legislature or the state Dept. of Education,” Wood told Patch via e-mail. “Regretfully, it seems to be the trend across the country with many high school athletic associations.”

Hoping to ward off the potential state action, embattled GHSA Executive Director Gary Phillips agreed this week to retire at the end of the current school year if the GHSA agrees to honor his contract through 2018. The GHSA’s 66-member executive committee will consider the deal when it meets on Monday, March 6.

Yet even if accepted, it remains to be seen whether the pre-emptive move will be enough to satisfy the issues some lawmakers have about the GHSA’s finances and sometimes shaky public perception.

Rep. John Meadows, R-Calhoun, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week that he had received more complaints about the GHSA from schools, referees, coaches and parents than about everything else put together.

“… And I’m basically sick of it,” Meadows told the paper of his decision to push for ending the GHSA. “I don’t think they know what their job is.”

The GHSA has been embroiled in a number of controversies over the years. One of the most notable incidents came during last year’s boys’ basketball state tournament games at the Macon Coliseum, when it was discovered the baskets had been placed about a foot too close to the baseline. Phillips opted to play on rather than delay the tournament after its start to fix the problem.

Wood, however, cautioned against lawmakers making Phillips “the scapegoat of this political play.”

“Gary, in my mind, only enforces and applies the rules that the Executive Committee adopts and passes,” Wood said. “If folks are upset with GHSA rules and procedures, it seems to me that most of the ire should be directed at those who adopt the rules. I personally think Gary Phillips has served GHSA well for many years and I am saddened that a good man is being treated this way.”

Phillips became the GHSA’s executive director in July 2014 after succeeding Ralph Swearngin, who retired after serving at that post since 2001.

Located in Thomaston, the GHSA is composed of more than 450 public and private high schools.

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