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K-State Today

December 7, 2012

Important information from the Alternative Service Committee about the classified employee pay plans

Submitted by Barbara Nagel

To Classified Employees and the K-State community from the Alternative Service Committee:

The state of Kansas has failed to fully implement the new pay plans, which included a five-year funding plan to increase classified wages that had fallen behind job market. On several recent occasions, President Schulz has mentioned in different venues across campus that his hands are tied in helping with classified staff compensation because of civil service restrictions.

In April 2005, the Kansas Legislature passed Senate Bill 74 that allows Kansas Board of Regents state institutions of higher education to convert classified positions to university support staff. Since the passage of that legislation, state legislators have refused to discuss employee compensation at Legislative Days because Senate Bill 74 gives classified university employees the power to leave civil service. All of these factors have influenced the resurgence of the university committee known as the Alternative Service Committee.

What is the Alternative Service Committee?

This is a university committee reporting to interim vice-president for administration and finance, Cindy Bontrager. It is comprised of 20 members of the university community whose charge is to research and develop a plan for a new system of administration for employment at Kansas State University for classified positions under the provisions of Senate Bill 74, now referred to as Statue 76-715a.

Upper administration at Kansas State University is supportive of our committee and charge. The committee members are Carol Marden, chair; Janel Harder, vice chair; John Wolf, Kerry Jennings, Hanna Manning, Terri Wyrick, Marlene Walker, Paula Conners, Carrie Fink, Parrish Quick, Lois Schreiner, Amy Schmitz, Cyreathia Reyer, Austin Daugherty and Douglas Kraemer. Non-voting members are Roger McBride, Jennyfer Owensby, Barbara Nagel, Lori Goetsch and Gary Leitnaker.

Our first task will be to visit the University of Kansas in Lawrence, which converted its classified positions to university support staff in July 2005. We will learn about the process, including the plan submitted to KU administration for approval. After a thorough discovery process for the committee, a plan will be developed to be followed by an educational process, and every classified employee will have a chance to vote on whether or not to leave the state of Kansas civil service system.

As the committee continues to work in the months ahead, we want to hear from you, classified employees, about all issues concerning classified employment. The committee’s website has been developed for you to follow the progress and/or to submit your input.

Your future at Kansas State University depends on you making an informed decision and realizing that the power for any change lies with you, the classified employees.

The committee looks forward to working with each of you as we move forward in this endeavor. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Alternative Service Committee