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MINUTES

Workforce Network of Kansas
Leadership Team
November 13, 2002

Members present for the phone conference meeting were Ed Berger, Gerald Cook, Val DeFever, Steve Jack for Rick Beyer, Marie Mareda, and Chair Ken Bell. Staff members Barb Reavis and Konnie Leffler were also present.

Bell called the meeting to order at 2:40 p.m.

Bell reviewed the email he had sent November 12, 2002 to the Leadership Team with regard to the WIA performance measures of the five Local Areas. He also noted that the areas pursuing Kansas Awards for Excellence (Local Areas I, II, and IV) were generally the ones with the best WIA performance.

Bell then turned to the issue of what to do with State Set-Aside funds, emphasizing that the group needs to be making timely decisions about these monies. A discussion ensued with regard to the KDHR proposals that had been previously circulated. Members discussed concerns about staffing levels, about funds being available for Local Areas to use, about the amount of control KDHR exercises over the money, and about the authority of the Workforce Network of Kansas Board to set priorities on these funds. There was also a discussion about the possibility of the state becoming a single Service Delivery Area. Reavis believes that is only available for states under that configuration prior to WIA implementation.

A discussion followed with regard to what the One-Stops want and need in terms of support and funding. Reavis suggested that the Board solicit ideas and suggestions from the One-Stops themselves. The discussion then turned to how this funding could encourage accountability and/or reward particularly effective Local Areas. Questions were raised as to what leverage was available to the State Board or the Local Workforce Investment Boards to get under-performing areas moving forward and as to what plans KDHR had to help areas 3 and 5, specifically. Jack responded that KDHR has no plan for moving these areas forward, but has sent a letter out asking why they had not participated in KAE and requiring a response by the end of this week. Suggestions were made about rewarding high performing areas with incentive funds, but it was agreed that it must be made clear that this was a one-time reward and could only be continued in the future contingent on available funds.

The idea that the funds need to be awarded according to clear-cut criteria: that the funding mechanism needs to be well organized and the Local Areas need to know what they are attempting to qualify for was again brought up. All agreed that that was an excellent goal.

Bell then suggested that the Board retain $400,000.00 for Statewide Labor Market Research,
spend $110,000.00 under the Category Continuous Improvement Coordination to reward KAE Level I achievers, and spend the following amounts for other WIA-mandated activities:
· $150,000.00 for Technical Assistance Related to Performance Measures, $150,000.00 for Incentive Grant Funds, and
· $190,000.00 for Assistance in Development of One-Stop System.
KDHR was asked to bring specific criteria that they will use to distribute these funds to the January 10, 2003 Leadership Team meeting, and Reavis agreed to circulate the narrative of explanations for what these categories might cover that Steve Jack had originally formulated. After a brief discussion, Bell's recommendation was approved to take this plan to the WNK Board meeting on November 22, 2002 following a Cook/Mareda motion.

Bell adjourned the meeting at approximately 3:35 p.m.