Skill games can stay in Wichita bars, stores, at least for now
9 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The new school year for Wichita Public Schools is right around the corner. The first official day for all students is Aug. 15.
A big issue for area athletes is the shortage of referees and officials.
USD 259 Athletic Director Chris Asmussen says he believes pay is not an issue, as USD 259 pays the same rate as Kansas City area schools.
He says one issue is the lack of sportsmanship towards referees, which has convinced some fresh that the job is not worth the hassle.
Asmussen says another issue is retirement.
“A lot of our officials are getting old and are aging out, and they’re just retiring, and that’s really where the shortage comes into like teaching and everything else like that. A lot of officials are educators, which a lot of people don’t realize, and so as that population gets older, we just need to fill that in with a young population,” said Asmussen.
He also says the school district is looking to partner with local colleges to start training courses for new referees. It is something Asmussen says he has seen other school districts start. He hopes it can quickly replace retiring refs.