Perhaps you guys who are accustomed to contact with the schools find it difficult to understand how smoothly things can work without a bunch of phone calls.
The assignor communicates with the ADs and schools. Officials do not.
I'm assigned a game, I'm there an hour prior. The schools know we will be there. They get a copy of the assignment sheet just like I do. They have no reason to wonder whether we'll be there.
Times, location, teams, and officials are listed on the assignment sheet. If there's a change, they notify the assignor. That's one person. They have his number, they know who to call. They don't have to look up names for 3 JV officials and 3 Varsity officials and try to get up with 6 different people. They make one call if there's a change.
If it's last minute, and I've already left my house for the game when the assignor gets the call, I get paid 1/2 a game fee. If I get to the school and it's been cancelled but they haven't notified the assignor, I get a full game fee. If it's cancelled after I arrive for any reason, it's a half game fee. If we start the game, we could a full fee, come hell or high water. So there's a financial incentive to communicate.
Any information the school needs about me for tax purposes, they get from the assignor. However, unless I make $600 through a school/school district, it's a moot point anyway.
There are no contracts. The NCHSAA tells the schools which booking agency they will use. The assignor is compensated quite handsomely for his duties. He gets $100 for the first team's schedule and $50 for each additional. So a high school with a BV/GV, BJV/GJV, and BFr/GFr would pay a booking fee of $350 for a season. If the school wants the booking agent to write the check, then they send him all game fees and he writes the checks. Schools pay an additional $100 for this service. Each official pays a booking fee of $65. Booking agents do just fine.
In fact, we all do.