High schools to get more money from athletic association

The N.C. High School Athletic Association plans to return more money to its member schools during the next year.

Charlie Adams, the executive director of the NCHSAA, said the organization's board of directors would look for ways to distribute interest revenue from the group's $11.5 million endowment and to find money in the NCHSAA operating budget to give to the schools.

"Many people and schools in North Carolina are hurting," Adams said Thursday during a regional meeting at N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium.

"People are unemployed and can't find work. Prices are escalating. These are tough times."

The NCHSAA's efforts to return more money to the schools comes after The News & Observer reported in June that the association is worth at least $18 million.

The endowment has earned $1.8 million in the seven years ending June 30, 2007, but less than $600,000 has been sent to the schools.

Adams' message to the 327 superintendents, principals and coaches at Thursday's meeting was the association wants to help where it can.

The NCHSAA board will meet in December with a new format, Adams said. Instead of breaking into committees on the first day of the meetings, the entire board will discuss ways to help member schools.

"If you have ideas let us know," Adams said.

The NCHSAA already has made plans to assist member schools in new ways.

The association has sped up a plan to make sure every member school has an automated external defibrillator.

An NCHSAA survey showed 131 of its schools lack an AED. The NCHSAA plans to have one in every school by December. The original plan to provide the AEDs would have taken three years.

The NCHSAA is providing more than $190,000 for the machines, which can help regulate a heart that is not beating normally. The total cost will be $200,000 and the remainder will be covered by a $10,000 grant.

The NCHSAA also is creating a grant program to distribute some of the interest the endowment is earning.

Schools may submit a grant proposal to a review committee and receive up to $5,000 per year. The grants are to be used for programs that address sportsmanship, character, leadership, health and wellness, coaches education and citizenship.

Adams said the board will examine ways to give higher allowances for travel, meals and accommodations for playoff teams.

But the NCHSAA is determined to continue to grow the endowment.

"Some have asked, 'When is enough enough?' My answer is 'Never,'" Adams said.

"We want this endowment to grow bigger and bigger and to benefit the children in North Carolina long after we are gone."

Adams said he expects the board to continue to build the endowment with a $1 surcharge on each playoff ticket, fines and a percentage of the revenue produced by endowment games -- extra games that schools are allowed to play if they give a portion of the gate receipts to the endowment.

The endowment's principal cannot be spent, but Karen DeHart, the NCHSAA director of development, said interest on the endowment would be used in three ways.

The board is expected to reinvest a percentage of the interest income in the endowment. Another portion will be returned to the schools and the third portion will be used for grants and programs.

The association has two years of reserves on hand, but Adams said that amount is needed because of the uncertainty of future income.

"I have to run the association as a business," Adams said. "We have to be fiscally conservative."

The NCHSAA board also is expected to consider allowing schools to keep all the revenue from first-round playoff games.

The association currently takes a 15 percentage of the gross receipts from all playoff games as part of the NCHSAA operating budget.