CPS football referees had reached their breaking point after going unpaid for several weeks. The fallout was quick, with multiple freshman and JV football games canceled and 10 varsity Public League matchups left hanging in the balance. But now, CPS has finally stepped in, and the district has assured officials that payday is here.
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In a statement to USA Today Sports, Chicago Public Schools said it worked with the vendor responsible for processing officials’ payments and that they have expedited compensation for those who had not been paid on time.
“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 said, as reported by USA Today Sports. “The District is working with all partners to strengthen the compensation process and ensure it is consistent going forward.”
The dispute had been building for several weeks. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, more than 250 referees who regularly work Chicago Public Schools games had stopped officiating after going weeks without receiving payment for games they had already worked.
The question, though, is how the situation reached this point. The trouble seems to have stemmed from the payment process getting changed.
Sources told the Sun-Times that individual schools paid officials directly during Weeks 1–3, covering the non-conference portion of the schedule. However, the payment process shifted to Chicago Public Schools in Week 4, and officials have reportedly received nothing since.
The problem was not limited to football, as officials working football, girls’ flag football, volleyball, and soccer said they were owed between $1,500 and $2,000 for games they had worked on evenings and weekends.
As the unpaid weeks piled up, the situation began affecting the schedule. Several freshman and JV football games were canceled because officials were unavailable, while 10 varsity Public League matchups were left in jeopardy.
“Varsity games are in jeopardy,” official Breyion Hutchinson told the Sun-Times. “If the officials are not paid today, they will not work tomorrow.”
The frustration increased by the fold, when the officials were told over and over again that their funds were being released, only for it not to.
“Two weeks ago when we met with the [CPS Sports Administration] they told us funds would be released Friday through Monday,” Hutchinson said. “Then we received an email from [CPS Sports Director] Devon Morales on Monday which said funds were being released that day. That wasn’t true.”
Hutchinson also outlined how the payment delays affect the lives of CPS officials, who can work two football games on Thursday, followed by two on Friday and three on Saturday. Along with that, they can also work volleyball and flag football games. “We depend on this money for livelihood,” Hutchinson said.
Now, CPS attributed the payment delays to a glitch involving an external school management software provider. Some officials had begun receiving partial payments, but the delays had already prompted football referees to stop working.
For Michael Outten, director of Game Time Officials, the issue went beyond the missed checks. He said officials were also looking for accountability from CPS.
“There’s been no accountability to say that, you know, ‘we messed up.’ And I think that’s part of what the guys are looking for,” Outten said.
The Illinois High School Association had also weighed in on the dispute, confirming that it is monitoring the situation closely. In a statement, Executive Director Craig Anderson stressed the importance of respecting officials, particularly as recruiting and retaining them becomes increasingly challenging. He also expressed hope that the payment issue would be resolved promptly.
On Wednesday, State Rep. Kam Buckner weighed in on the controversy, acknowledging that human errors are inevitable but insisting they should never come at the expense of young athletes’ hard work and dedication.
“Administrative problems happen,” Buckner said in the statement. “Payment systems fail. Invoices get delayed. But none of those explanations can become an expectation that individual officials finance Chicago Public Schools by continuing to work week after week without being paid.
“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.”
Last month, a third-party payroll error disrupted Reynoldsburg teachers’ salaries, leaving some unpaid while others saw deposited funds withdrawn from their accounts. Frustrated educators confronted district officials at a tense school board meeting, demanding answers.
In 2022, San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) rollout of its $14 million EMPowerSF payroll system spiraled into chaos, leaving thousands of educators and staff unpaid, underpaid, or without health benefits. The ensuing backlash saw teachers stage a sleep-in protest at district headquarters and organize a mass sickout that disrupted classes.
Although software glitches have disrupted payroll systems before, CPS must ensure that officials are never left waiting for their payments because of technical errors.