MINUTES OF THE LINCOLN TRAIL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD

September 18, 2018

The Lincoln Trail Workforce Development Board (LTWDB) met on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at 11:30 am EDT, at the Lincoln Trail Area Development District (LTADD) office in Elizabethtown.

The meeting began with the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Vice-Chairman, Mo Miller, serving in the absence of Chairman, Dean Schamore, called the meeting to order after determining quorum requirements had been met.

Mr. Miller introduced new Board member Anna Larson, with Skills U. Ms. Larson provided a brief overview of her background. Mr. Miller also introduced the following guests: Ray Leathers, Commissioner for the Department of Workforce Investment, Darlene Bussell, WIOA Liaison for the Office of Employment and Training, Megan Stith, with Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC) and Mike Burress, Executive Director of the Lincoln Trail Area Development District (LTADD).

ACTION ITEMS

Minutes

Vice-Chairman Miller presented minutes from the June 19, 2018 LTWDB meeting for consideration. Al Ryder made a motion to approve the minutes as presented, Tom Renfrow seconded; motion carried.

Proxy for Dr. Juston Pate 

Vice-Chairman Miller presented a request from Dr. Juston Pate, with ECTC, for Megan Stith to serve as his proxy when he is unable to attend Board meetings. Mr. Miller referred members to the proxy nomination form in the board packet for additional information. Laura LaRue made a motion to accept Megan Stith as the proxy for Dr. Juston Pate, Joe Ashley seconded; motion carried.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) 

Sherry Johnson provided an overview of the status of the SNAP contract. Ms. Johnson informed the Board that she had not received another draft of the contract since the first version that was sent out to the Board on September 7^th. She stated the current contract was in place until September 30, 2018 and the State indicated three drafts would be sent out with the final contract to be implemented by October 1, 2018. Ms. Johnson indicated there were positive changes made to the draft such as it followed the format of the current WIOA and Trade contracts and the Local Elected Officials were now listed as a party to the contract. Ms. Johnson stated that one major concern regarding the Trade format was the fact that funding for Trade was issued on an as-needed basis for participant training costs and the SNAP E & T program primarily consisted of ongoing staff costs. Ms. Johnson indicated there were no provisions for administrative costs to cover required administrative functions. Ms. Johnson expressed concern that Board liability was still an issue and the majority of the agreement was between the Board and the State. Ms. Johnson referenced the letter sent by Chairman Schamore, on behalf of the Board, to the Commissioner Ray Leathers expressing their concerns as well as inquiring about the modification that was supposed to be sent for the KY Health program. Commissioner Leathers confirmed that the letter had been received and was being reviewed by Secretary Ramsey. Ms. Johnson stated she wanted the Board to have the opportunity to review the final draft and asked how they wanted to proceed. After some discussion, Board members decided to allow the Executive Committee to review the contract and make a determination. Ms. Johnson agreed to send out the second draft to all of the members for comments. Al Rider made a motion to authorize the Executive Committee to consider the SNAP E & T contract on behalf of the Board, Tom Renfrow seconded; motion carried.

Project Review Policy

Vice-Chairman Miller referred Board members to the packet for a copy of the draft policy. Mr. Miller provided an overview of the policy indicating that a similar process was used under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program but needed to be formalized for the WIOA program. The policy outlined several steps that must be followed by entities making funding requests including establishing metrics to determine return on investment as well as an in-person presentation. Laura LaRue made a motion to approve the policy as presented, Dr. Juston Pate seconded; motion carried.

Performance Metrics for 2018-2019

Jackie Masterson referred Board members to a document outlining the Program Year 2018 and 2019 State performance measures and the proposed measures for Lincoln Trail. Ms. Masterson provided an overview of the measures and the negotiation process.   Ms. Masterson indicated that, after careful review of the data, staff recommends that the Board accept the State measures for the following reasons: There are no consequences for non-performance until 2020; good data is not currently available to determine if measures should be negotiated; the economy is good in the Lincoln Trail region with only one major layoff and the State rates for Program year 2016 and 2017 were previously accepted to demonstrate willingness to be a team player. Myra Covault made a motion to accept the State performance measures for Program Year 2018 and 2019, Julie Brown seconded; motion carried.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Workforce Crisis Taskforce Update

Sherry Johnson provided an overview of activities of the taskforce and referred Board members to a report outlining progress to date. Three subcommittees were created which include Business Investment, Unlocking Local Potential and Removing Obstacles. The committees participate in monthly calls and have a workplan with objectives and deliverables. Dr. Juston Pate provided an update on the Unlocking Local Potential committee, which has been focused on work-based learning opportunities. Megan Stith shared that the Removing Obstacles committee was working on providing expungement opportunities as well as revisiting the Ride to Independence program. Ms. Johnson also referred Board members to a dashboard and scorecard in the taskforce report that will be measured every three months to determine if the workforce participation rate is being increased.

Ms. Johnson also informed the Board that the Lincoln Trail Workforce Development area had three individuals participating in the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s Talent Pipeline Management Academy – Carter Dyson, Daniel Carney and Samantha Brady. This initiative will provide data about current hiring and skill needs of employers and will be a valuable tool and resource as it relates to providing workforce activities.

Heartland Communications Update

Beth Avey, with Heartland Communications Consultants (HCC), provided an overview of outreach activities as well as presented information on goals and metrics. Ms. Avey indicated that the Workforce Crisis Taskforce had given HCC a great opportunity to promote workforce activities. Ms. Avey indicated that a webpage was created for the task force, along with newspaper articles, an e-newsletter and collateral pieces for the committees. Ms. Avey also presented a Career Center services video created as a result of the American Greetings closure. Ms. Avey informed the Board of a new video series being launched called “Your Career is Here” featuring in-demand occupations in high priority sectors throughout the region. Ms. Avey shared a video that was completed highlighting Orbis Corporation.

American Greetings Closure

Jackie Masterson provided an update on Rapid Response activities that have occurred for American Greetings. Ms. Masterson indicated that a total of nine Rapid Response sessions had been conducted since March of 2018 impacting a total of 218 employees. Ms. Masterson also shared that Kentucky Career Center-Lincoln Trail staff returned to the company the week following each session to provide one-on-one assistance with programs and services. The next layoff is scheduled to occur on December 7, 2018 and the final closure will be on February 29, 2019.

KY Health Update

Sherry Johnson provided an update on the status of the KY Health program and the lawsuit that put the program on hold. She stated that the decision on the lawsuit was handed down in June and indicated that the process the State and the Federal Medicaid program followed was inappropriate and they had to start from the beginning. The State resubmitted their plan in July, which went through a thirty-day review and comment period. Sherry indicated the State thought it would be January before they got approval from Department of Labor and referred the Board to a map demonstrating a phased rollout of the program in 2019. Darlene Bussell indicated that, from a State perspective, they were moving forward and continued to plan for the implementation of the program.

Darlene Bussell asked Vice-Chairman Miller if she could make a couple of comments. Ms. Bussell shared that KEE-Suite, the new WIOA case management system, would be going live on October 1, 2018 and thanked local Workforce staff for participating in sessions to help create the system. Ms. Bussell also indicated that Angela Crenshaw and Carter Dyson participated in State Sharepoint/Access training regarding the One Stop MOU and Infrastructure Funding Agreement and felt confident in the documents they would be submitting for the Lincoln Trail region.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

None

NEW BUSINESS

None

ADJOURNMENT

With no further items to discuss Al Rider made a motion to adjourn, Tom Renfrow seconded; the meeting was adjourned.

LINCOLN TRAIL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD

ATTENDANCE SHEET

September 18, 2018