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Minutes

KANSAS WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP (KWIP) COUNCIL
September 28, 2001
Golden Belt One-Stop Career Center
1025 Main, Great Bend, Kansas

Council Members in attendance: Ken Bell, Ed Berger, Rick Beyer, Gerald Cook, Eddie Estes, Dave Foster, Jerry Hiatt, Jim Kessler, Al Lane, David Moore, Lynn Peterson, Alicia Salisbury, Candy Shively, Jack Wempe and staff Barb Reavis

Guests: Pat Anderson, KBOR; Jennifer Ankerholz, Golden Belt One Stop; Dan Barber, Fleishman-Hillard; Kelvin Batten, TeleTech; Bob Dalke, WESTCO; Ron Donner, KDHR; Cindy Estes, Western KS Manufacturing; Randy Fisher, KDHR; Darylee Flynn, Adult Education-Great Bend; Sarah Gilbert, Local Area IV; Dianne Glass, KBOR; Nancy Guthrie, Local Area I; Robert Hull, CPRF; Steve Jack, KDHR; Susan Kavanagh, KDHR; Kathy Ketchum, KDHR; Kris Kitchen, Local Area II; Peggy Lane; Keith Lawing, Local Area IV; Dave McEachern, KDHR; John McLoughlin, KDHR; Cori Muth, Fleishman-Hillard; Jon Pettus, KDHR; Linda Ramirez-Gonzalez; Vicki Romig, KDHR; John Shipley, USDOL; Jim Stowell, KDHR; Jason Warren, TeleTech; Terry Young, KDHR

Chair Ken Bell called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.

Self-introductions were offered from the balance of the attendees. Bell led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. In view of the events of September 11, Bell read an explanation of the Pledge of Allegiance that was offered many years ago by Red Skelton.

Bell changed the order of the task force reports, moving the Leadership Team report first. Cook reported the Leadership Team had reviewed the allowable uses of WIA state set aside and heard presentations from individuals and agencies about needs. Based on the results of those discussions, the Leadership Team recommends $500,000 left from WIA Program Year 2000 be spent in the following fashion:

This recommendation was accepted following a Cook/Estes motion.

Cook also presented the proposed meeting dates for 2002. The January meeting is suggested to be held in Topeka on Thursday the week of Kansas Day celebration to avoid the conflict that has occurred in past years and reduce travel for members attending both. The following dates were approved following a Cook/Shively motion:

Full Board
Area I- Friday, September 27, 2002
Area II- Thursday, January 24, 2002
Area III-Friday, November 22, 2002
Area IV-Friday, March 22, 2002
Area V-Friday, June 28, 2002

Leadership Team
Area I-Friday, October 25, 2002
Area II-Friday, February 22, 2002
Area III-Friday, January 4, 2002
Area IV-Friday, May 10, 2002
Area V-Friday, August 9, 2002

Reavis reported for the Conference Task Force that 155 registrations had been received so far. The presenter from the US Chamber of Commerce had cancelled. Suggestions for replacement were requested from members.

Ketchum introduced Cori Muth and Dan Barber of Fleishman-Hillard, the communications firm selected by the Marketing Task Force. Barber gave a brief overview of what they had learned. He talked about wanting to represent a "statewide umbrella with local application" with a goal to unifying the network. He explained the marketing plan they are proposing. Ketchum reported the Task Force liked the plan but doesn't have $233,000 required to do everything. Task Force members felt it was important to have internal partners understand the concept of "system." They recommend KWIP consider changing its name to Workforce Network of Kansas Board, in keeping with the system name and approve $25,000 to have Fleishman-Hillard perform:
**Message point development $ 5,000
**How to guide 15,000
**Marketing workshop 5,000

After discussion and a Hiatt/Cook motion, members voted to request the name of the group be changed from Kansas Workforce Investment Partnership to Workforce Network of Kansas Board.

Members felt the upcoming conference would provide a good opportunity to inform a number of people about the marketing effort. Although Reavis felt it would be impossible to attract the appropriate participants with such a short time, it was agreed something would be incorporated into the schedule. The $25,000 expenditure was approved following an Estes/Shively motion.

Following a correction of Dale Barnum's name, minutes from June 22, 2001 were approved following a Kessler/Berger motion.

Reavis provided a brief background for the Quality Task Force on "substantially met performance." The state board is required to approve this standard; discussion at the June 22 meeting prompted a review and revision of what was suggested by KDHR staff. Donner explained the "substantially met performance" standard is a one-time review of how performance is at the end of the first two years of WIA implementation. It is different than the ongoing performance standard and reporting which McEachern will explain later in the meeting. Donner demonstrated how a weighted average would provide a more accurate picture of performance. Following a Kessler/Hiatt motion, the definition recommended by the Task Force was adopted:

A Local Area will have "substantially met performance" if, for each year of the temporary designation period, the Area attains a minimum of 80% weighted average for two or more of the performance groups.

Reavis offered a summary of "Kansas: The State with 2020 Vision," a white paper with several proposed recommendations for the Governor, state agencies and community based organizations. Suggestions made at previous meetings of the Leadership Team and KWIP had been incorporated. After considerable discussion, the paper was tabled and referred to an ad hoc task force. Members volunteering to serve on the Vision Task Force included Beyer, Salisbury, Berger, and Cook. Others to be invited to serve this task force would include S. Jack, other state partner agencies and local area representatives. Reavis will convene a meeting.

After a short break to pick up lunch, members heard from McEachern on WIA Annual Performance Standards. He reported that some of the information continues to be gathered; later some of this data may be able to be used to inform KWIP recommendations. Additional measure could be established. Next Spring would be appropriate time to add those measure. The current measures were not finalized until February 2001. Numbers are hard to track due to issues like access to people who have completed and access to date from other states.

Berger introduced Randy Myers and Pam Barnes of the Hutchinson Community College ACT Center. They explained the new testing center that is a collaboration between Hutchinson Community College and Wichita State University. They are opening this center in downtown Wichita and will offer just-in-time training with on line learning combined with mentors available, assessments including WorkKeys, ESL, Myers Briggs and interest inventories. Average cost for courses will be $50-100.

Ramirez-Gonzalez gave a brief summary of Welfare-to-Work philosophy and purpose. The intent is not only to help individuals off the public roles, but to provide continues services to assist them in obtaining and retaining a job and to assist with advancement. She provided printed materials and gave an update on the WTW State set aside dollars. The state is providing funding, $408,000 for a Statewide Initiative between the Local Areas and Mentoring Works, a retention program. Mentoring Works is working with employers to hire WTW participants and place a mentor on site to help with day-to-day issues to help workers stay on their jobs. This is expanding a pilot project that has been successful in the Kansas City area with GE and TeleTech. Participating Local Areas are working closely with the Mentoring Works Program to identify employers in their areas.

Local Areas reported on Welfare to Work status in their areas:

Local Area I: McLoughlin reported an increase in referrals in Area I and that funds are still available for services. Case Managers meet on a regular basis for the benefit of clients and communication. The materials distributed showed figures from the beginning of the program; referral and orientation was done to capture eligibility in the program. He reported that a pilot program is in the works in Dodge City with the Mentoring Works Program. A work site has been found; the Mentor is scheduled to start December 1 at Manor of the Plains, part of the Presbyterian Manors of America

Local Area II: Kitchen showed footage of two recent commercials. Brennan reported that due to the diminished funds in the WtW 30% category, Heartland Works has stopped all enrollments and referred individuals back to SRS. They are instead concentrating our efforts on the non-custodial (70% eligible) project in LA II. This project is a partnership between SRS, Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Dyncorp, Judge Bullock and Heartland Works. Individuals eligible under the WtW 70% criteria and who are in arrears in their child support payments are ordered by the court to go to the WtW program or go to jail. As of 8/2001 - 72% of the referrals are participating - 76% of those are paying child support, positively affecting the lives of over 60 children. The average starting wage is $8.16 per hour.

Local Area III: Submitted a written report

Local Area IV: Area IV reported that their Welfare to Work funds were budgeted for expenditures to last another two years. WTW services are not being reduced or stopped. They provided a demographic chart showing Area IV WTW customers by gender, race, disability, and age, as well as, a wage range chart, showing an average wage at placement of $7.96 per hour, with the highest wages over $13.00.

Local Area V is currently serving 368 WtW participants, 68 more participants than anticipated in their local WtW plan. 168 participants have been placed into unsubsidized employment; an additional 53
participants have been placed in subsidized employment, which means that a little over one third of our WtW participants have been placed in jobs. Local Area V has approximately $400,000 remaining in the budget for the WtW program and project that those funds for this program will run out by June
2002. The majority of these folks will then be transitioned from WtW activities into self-sufficiency and others will be served with WIA dollars.

Having no unfinished business or new business, Bell adjourned the meeting at approximately 2:30 p.m.