Submitted by: Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District Director & Agent

One of K-State Research & Extension’s signature methods to disseminate information and to evoke learning is through “having a meeting.” We’ve all put on, or attended, lots and lots of meetings. And, if I’m being honest, those meetings haven’t all necessarily been successful, great meetings. Over the years, I have attended my share of meetings, and today I am going to share what I believe makes for a “good meeting.”
Having the right topics would seem rather obvious, and for that reason, I am not going to go down that track. I will assume that you have the appropriate topics and the right people to make presentations. So, given that, what else can one do to make for a great meeting?

– Publicize. Make certain the right people know about the meeting. Tell those people who come in contact with your target audience about the meeting. Even if you don’t expect a professional within your community to attend, you still want them to know about it so that they can pass it on to their clientele. Good examples might be the banker, implement dealer, clergy, social worker or anyone who tends to come in contact with those you hope to see at your meeting. Make sure those individuals have all the info they need to promote your upcoming meeting to their clientele. Make a list of persons you believe the meeting will be most beneficial to, and then stick your neck out and make a personal contact with those individuals to let them know that you want them there. Putting an article in the paper or an announcement on the radio may not be enough. Personal contact is so much more powerful. And, to do these things, you have to believe in your work, and be enthusiastic about your bringing this information or learning opportunity to your intended audience.

– Meeting place. Make sure you have chosen the best place for the meeting. Can the room be set up for the best possible learning environment? Does your intended audience find the meeting place to be inviting and comfortable?

– Setting the stage. Is the emcee fully prepared to welcome the audience and to introduce the speakers? Giving strong introductions for a speaker and the topic can set the stage for that speaker to have an even better learning experience. Letting the audience know why they made the right decision to be there on that day, and that they will be learning about topics of importance to them also sets the stage for a great meeting. Make certain you know how to pronounce the speaker’s name. It is less embarrassing to ask the speaker before the meeting, than to mispronounce a name in the introduction. And know something about the speaker in introducing them. Again, helping the audience to become familiar and excited about the speaker is the most important job of the person making the introduction.

– Be positive. Above all other things, as a speaker or as the emcee, you should be totally positive. No matter if the visual equipment breaks down, or the PA system acts up, great speakers find some way to remain positive and enthusiastic for why they are there. They do not lay blame on others, but rather search for solutions. No matter what happens, people expect positive.

– And, if you are the emcee or organizer, you have to be as interested as anyone with the content of the program. As courtesy to the speaker and to those you invited, you too must exhibit an interest in the information being presented. When it is time for questions, you should be prepared with a couple questions if no one in the audience is willing to speak up.

This column is intended to get you thinking about the things you can do to set the stage and create great meetings. As much as some would like to believe technology could replace the need for a meeting, humans will always have that social need for learning together. As professional educators, we have the obligation to make those learning experiences the best they can be. For more information, find Southwind Extension on the web, www.southwind.ksu.edu

National Foster Care Month

May is National Foster Care month, and here in Kansas, we’re working hard to ensure we have plenty of caring and quality foster care parents for our Kansas children.

The Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) has launched a major marketing campaign that encourages Kansas parents to consider fostering, or to support those in their community who choose to be foster parents. Many of our Senators have teamed up with DCF to create public service announcements around the state to spread this awareness.

We’re encouraged by this campaign as a first step to improve the state’s foster care system and to ensure every Kansas child – no matter what circumstances they were born into – has a warm bed, clean clothes and a loving family unit to call theirs.

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS:

WORKING AFTER RETIREMENT (House Substitute for Senate Bill 21): House Sub. for SB 21 makes changes to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System pertaining to working after retirement.

Under current law, KPERS retirees may return to work for employers who participate in the Retirement System if there has been a bona fide separation in employment of a minimum of 60 days with no preexisting arrangement to return to work. For most newly retired individuals, the law caps annual earnings at $25,000. When a retiree earns that amount, the person must decide either to stop working or stop receiving KPERS benefits for the remainder of the calendar year. Several groups of retirees—such as nurses at certain state institutions, individuals covered by the Kansas Police and Firemen’s Retirement System or the Retirement System for Judges, local government officials, and individuals employed with a participating employer prior to May 1, 2015 —are exempt from the cap. Certain licensed school district employees are also exempt. Participating employers who hire retirees are required to contribute to KPERS at varying rates, which can be as great as 30 percent of the retirees’ compensation, depending on the circumstances

The bill establishes a new working-after-retirement rule, which would take effect on January 1, 2018. For retirees under the age of 62, there would be a 180-day waiting period before returning to work. If the retiree is 62 or older, the current 60-day waiting period would apply. The current prohibition placed upon prearrangement for employment would continue to apply. For covered positions, the employer would pay the statutory contribution rate on the first $25,000 of compensation and, for that portion of compensation greater than $25,000, the contribution rate would be equal to 30 percent of the compensation. Covered positions for non-school employees are those that are not seasonal or temporary and whose employment requires at least 1,000 hours of work per year; covered positions for school employees are those that are not seasonal or temporary and whose employment requires at least 630 hours of work per year or at least 3.5 hours a day for at least 180 days. For non-covered positions, the employer would not make contributions.

The Senate adopted the Conference Committee Report Tuesday May 23, by a vote of 38-1 *I voted in favor of this bill: It clears up an IRS requirement, and it also gives more uniformity to retirees that qualify for KPERS.*

KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

(House Substitute for Senate Bill 60): House Sub. for SB 60 extends the sunset for certain fees assessed by the Kansas Department of Agriculture on pesticides, fertilizer, and milk, cream, and dairy products. The bill also reinstates certain dam inspections fees and allow the KDA to assess a fee for processing certain paper documents when an electronic alternative for submission exists. Finally, the bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to lower certain fees and potentially raise certain fees through rules and regulations, if certain criteria are met.

The Senate adopted the Conference Committee Report Tuesday May 23, by a vote of 32-7

*I voted against this bill: It gives the Secretary of Agriculture the ability to adjust fees with no legislative oversight.*

BILL SIGNINGS:

Senate Bill 89 – This bill amends the law relating to the collection of certain vehicle title and registration fees. *I voted for this bill*

House Substitute for Senate Bill 40 – Establishes new criminal charges aimed at reducing human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children and requires holders of Commercial Drivers Licenses be trained to recognize possible human trafficking. *I voted for this bill*

House Substitute for Senate Bill 120– Updates the code for civil procedure. *I voted for this bill*

Senate Bill 149 – Amends statutes regarding briefing in the Kansas Supreme Court and representation of state agencies by the Attorney General’s office. *I voted for this bill*

House Bill 2054 – Allows certain state agencies to share information with one another for the purpose of carrying out their official duties, allows for the Kansas Department of Corrections to request assistance from other jurisdictions if needed, and amends the law related to fee funds.*I voted against this bill: This bill allows for personal information to be shared more openly between agencies, public officials and private contractors.*

The Governor has now signed 79 bills into law this session and vetoed two. By law, the Kansas governor has 10 calendar days to sign the bill into law, veto the bill or allow the bill to become law without his or her signature.

NEXT WEEK:

Next week is the fifth week of Veto Session. We will continue working on our three big ticket items: taxes, budget and school finance. I hope you’ll reach out with any comments, questions, or concerns regarding these issues or others. If you are on Twitter or Facebook, I encourage you to follow along with the #ksleg hashtag for real-time updates on legislative happenings in Topeka as we work to wrap this legislative session up.

FLOOR ACTION:

PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION (Substitute for HB 2230): Sub. for HB 2230, authorizes a property tax exemption and make a change to property tax exemption procedure for certain types of property.

This bill passed the Senate Thursday May 25, by a vote of 38-0.

*I voted for this bill: This bill allows the old army ammunition plant, the ability to attract new business to our region.*

Members of the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department approached the county commission Tuesday morning to discuss their need for more deputies as well as higher wages, as the department continues to lose deputies because of the non-competitive pay.

Sheriff Bill Martin said their staff is down to just four deputies after two gave their two week’s notice within 24 hours of each other, one of them a K9 handler, and a third is on medical leave after an accident while off work. Those deputies will be forced to work even further overtime as they cover the 12-hour shifts left open.

To compensate for the decreased manpower, Martin said they had to pull the courthouse security temporarily and said they may have to consider allowing deputies to respond to dispatch calls from home in order to prevent them from working such long hours that they become exhausted or burnt out.

“It’s impossible to do with four deputies,” county attorney Justin Meeks said of the amount of overtime that will need to be covered.

Not only would the employees be forced to work extensively, the county’s budget would also be hurt as they pay a time and a half for overtime, possibly adding up to more than $7,000 a month extra with the understaffed department. The correctional center is also using overtime as they are trying to replace three of their normal 16 employees.

“I want to take care of the employees,” Martin said, saying most exit interviews reveal that the pay is the chief reason the deputies leave to take other jobs, some leaving the county and even the state.

Currently working on preparing their budget for the 2018 fiscal year, Martin said they will ask for a wage increase in order to be more competitive while also asking for as many as five further staff, including deputies, detectives and an individual to help with clerical work such as handling evidence.

The commissioners agreed with Meeks and Martin that the need is becoming more serious as it has become harder to retain the staff needed to patrol the county. Commissioner Lynne Oharah said they will look closely at what funding is available during the upcoming month as they continue to accept budget requests from other departments.

Click here for an article with more details on a January report on the Sheriff’s Department wages.