ALC-JBC Personnel

Alright members the squaring get this meeting started will call. Meeting of the. Personnel subcommittee to order. Like recognize the staff first the I can walk to over into this morning thank you Mr chairman committee members the way we're going to work this morning is a net fuller with the department higher education is going to give a brief presentation of all of the institutions he's there's to spread sheets in your packet the first use receipts for others spread sheet for the four years and spread sheet for the two years ago over each one of those of you have a question about any one of those institutions will stop and answer questions at that time but otherwise we'll take one vote for all the institutions following Nicks presentation once he's done with the positions then we've got a brief presentation about special language where we will we we have a packet behind of all special language for higher read most of which is just date changes sunset changes which will try to Baxter's four pieces though that are either being eliminated is new or has a significant change that that we need to present to you for voters what we can also take one vote for that so with that Mister chairman I'll let Nick give his presentation. Thank you Tony nuclear dish yourself for the record you're recognized. Good morning committee Eminem's Nick for on the assistant director for finance a division of higher ed. And we'll start with this one with the first two spreadsheet in that packet which are the requests and recommendations for positions for the two and four year institutions from the institution and the higher a coordinating board. As you look at the first page has all of the four year you universities including their. Set their non formula entities that are included with those the second page has all of the two year institutions. For a total the institutions have requested thirty one thousand five hundred and twenty. Sessions. This is an overall decrease of thirty eight from the prior year authorized positions. There are four of the four year institutions that are requesting recommended decreases in positions there are three that have small increases. On the to your side there are six institutions that have requested or recommended decreases in positions and eight with increases. eight institutions that are noted on the side with the two Asterix that have growth pole positions that are part of their increase request. Peter maybe two or three of those that that is the only increase they have or the pole positions already approved in there just requesting to continue those. This this should be a breakdown by that the different type of position as you'll see the institutions requested a total of two hundred and sixty five positions. New. And the coordinating board recommended two hundred and fifty five of those two hundred sixty five that were requested. And I'll pause there for questions on this chart before I go to the the second recommendation we're making. Any questions from the members. Representative would you're recognized. Thank you Mr chairman first floor appreciate to report that you put together that I requested you sent in a I feel like you we made the point yesterday of what what we're after what we're looking for and I'll just site these institutions not to pick on them or point is just to point out that the university. Positions are vacant or a thousand and eighty two. A bill check there's two hundred and thirty three in Henderson has twenty nine and the. And. The our our goal is just to be sure that these positions are being reviewed yes when we go back and look and see that we have positions that have been empty four back is twenty two and two thousand and two thousand and eight and thirteen fourteen twenty fourteen twenty thirteen it just raises the question or are we in and now only and the higher it education but it's to help state government that we we won't look at and just be sure that were using it wisely so a I hope that Joe will and courage and I've already had an indication of several or I hope that you will encourage each institution to evaluate their positions yes Sir of that's all I have Mister chairman. Thank you Representative any other questions from the members. The intention scene. Okay next year welcome to continue on the the third page of your attachment is the second recommendation. That the coordinating board is presenting to you this was a request from the institutions in regard to their the I. T. positions they're skilled trades and public safety positions. These are all the a very big concern for all of the institutions for the ability to give their salaries to recruit and retain qualified people at the different institutions across the state. The the issue we had when we transferred to the class and the class and compensation law that we currently have did you know the state agency's created a new act he greeted for their positions with a higher level of entry salaries when institutions look at that. Trying to implement that across the whole state institutions it was just a cost too much for everyone to do that at the classified level setting that entry so what we're trying to request here is instead shifting from the classified to non classified line item maximum salaries for these positions. Where there's a set cap on how much the Max salary can be paid but anywhere under that the institutions would be able to pay to recruit qualified candidates in their region. So if if an institution needs to pay more up to that Max they can be fiscal can't afford it they can pay lower and it's not requiring the mall to to increase the entry level. So this is the the crosswalk from those current classified titles to what the salary maximums would be for each of the positions. And what the courting board is recommending to to transition those positions to going forward. The question from senator Chesterfield you're recognized. What's the economic impact on the employee are they losing money by moving from one trip from transitioning from one title to another. No ma'am that there should not be a a reduction or anything in current salaries. This this is just a mechanism to be able to allow those institutions in certain areas where it's harder to recruit at the current entry salary to be able to offer at a different level in their area without having the other institutions in another area or that does does not have the funding to be able to to do that. Require them to raise the entry level for this position and one land the plane here real quickly yes Michelle me the difference for instance the information systems managers deal the information systems manager yes ma'am. What are we doing I'm not getting it. Senator if if I may um what the schools are asking for is they just want instead of having the floor or a minimum and a maximum of the grade they just want the maximum this allows university that's got more funding more students whatever to pay as they need to acquire this allows versatility read yes ma'am. Thank you. Thank you senator any other questions right now. Okay go ahead twenty I'm sorry Nicks. When we were just not with another question. Hello. Okay. Representative you're recognized for classic you appreciated technology hello good it. To the service center shown here is is with them that. No Sir this would just be the the maximum salary would not be the match those so it would be the twenty eight percent is nominated the. That's correct in in I would have to defer to Nick if twenty first twenty persons what we as a general rule used for agencies that don't know if that's what they use for institutions it may be a little more a little less measure okay this is the general average but it varies depending on institution but no that that number does not include that match okay this is just the salary yes service of Max yes Sir okay thank you. Thank you Representative Gutknecht. That concludes the presentation okay members with any other questions for. For this time. Yes I'll be recognized sent cochair here for motion. I make a motion to adopt the higher a coordinating board recommendation. I have a motion. The for this would be for all institutions so listed I have a motion and a second all those in favor say aye. Impose no. Motion passes thank you. Mister chairman that. Mr Carter will come down and do the special language and like I said before we've got a packet behind those two legal documents of special language and she'll tell you which page to go to for the for that actually need to be presented everything else we will batch if the committees okay with that. Thank you Tony if you recognize yourself you introduce yourself you're recognized. Angelica marcato bureau of legislative research so today I am presenting a for changes to some of the special language that we have we have Arkansas tech you've a U. A L. R. and you AM mass the first one is Arkansas tech which you can find on page nine. And it is a new language it would enable the institution to reimburse current faculty for tuition fees and other educational related costs incurred while seeking additional education that will benefit the university and meeting accreditation and professional standards reimbursement is only authorized when the request has been documented by a to you to meet critical shortage educational area this. The next one is on page twenty five for the year of a. And it is striking their special language and grant and program management is being addressed by the twelve month development out reach and finance staff members rather than decentralized among the faculty. On page twenty nine is going to be U. A L. R.. They are striking their special language because the campus has never used it and saw no need to keep. And then the last one is going to be on page sixty nine. It is added new language to existing special language. Mostly it was updated to mirror the language in acts seven sixty three the higher education uniformed class contact for the central pole positions and that is all I have. Senator Chesterfield you're recognized for a question yes thank you on the Arkansas tech Is there also in there a requirement that the individual who receives the funding to achieve a higher it position is going to make a commitment to the institution. Senator I don't believe that's in the language but Arkansas tech is your may be able to answer your question appreciate it. that is on page nine. Good morning if you introduce yourself for the record you recognize the answer the question. Good morning Ashley go ahead with Arkansas tech university in thank you for the question senator Chesterfield at this language is actually we need it for our restructuring process if there are areas where we find that we need for accreditation standards of where at restructuring of certain programs we need to give certain faculty members the ability to and at game whatever other credit hours they may need to reach those requirement levels I don't have a problem with the language I want to know though if you are allowing these people to utilize this the reimbursement are they making a concurrent commitment to you that they will let me stay there for a period of time after you've invested in them thank you that is my assumption but I would need to double check and see what is in the contracts and and then follow up with you if that's okay with that I'm not going to hold this up but I do think that we're investing in people they come in get the extra trying to get the extra education and walk off with all of that and go to another state is not advantageous for you yes ma'am and so I was just wondering if that kind of language is in there that would require them to commit to something in exchange for the moneys we're expanding I get that's my assumption but I will double check and just make sure I appreciate that alright thank you thank you Mr chair thank you. Thank you senator recognized cochair for question with with that be something you'd be willing to add in that special language so that have some sort of commitment to the university of I can check what we did honestly on this language is it me or several other institutions like special language and exactly so I can I can double check on that but I believe this is exactly and you have taken away we from several other universities and their special language okay good bill if you don't put in special language and you could just make it a policy at the university yes that way. Senator hammer you're recognized for a question thank. Thank you Mr chair are you currently out of compliance in any areas now no Sir not at this time but we are undergoing a restructuring process and within that there are. is under review where we're looking at various academic programs and ensuring that there at viable in the long term so it may it's something that we needed should the case around us or fall of Mr. Well thank you so what are the you you have the broad term critically short critical shortage instruction areas what specifically are those areas that the special language would apply to and would only be limited to areas that are identified in this current time or would you have the ability to adopted as other areas may come up in the future because I see this is only effective for one year. Yes Sir and so it it's limited to faculty only and it we would we would it would be for I guess in this current year and then if we needed to continue in the following years we would do so. We'll come back to this body and ask for that ability that but what are the currently identified critical shortage areas now that necessitates having this language at this current time that you've identified so at this point in time I couldn't tell you that there are any identified but because of our restructuring efforts that are gonna be on going three March of twenty twenty one and we are going to be reviewing does and wanted to have the ability to in case the shortage arises so at this time there's not to my knowledge so your prepping this languages in preparation for if you find yes Sir to the restriction critical shortage area. How are you going to defend critical shortage area. You get in the special language you don't have any current needs you're anticipating there will be what would you have led to to do if you don't identify any critical shortage areas in the restructuring. Or is this just cause sit on the sidelines in case. Definitely Justin in case at this point okay are thank you Mr thank you. Thank you senator. Senator Chesterfield you're recognized I would just like to go for Tony is someone to look at these look at these to see if any of our institutions have claw backs or are contingencies in case these people get the money and then walk off and I come back that would be my request thank you. Yes ma'am we will we will look into that with the department higher at Senator thank you. Thank you senator. Representative route you're recognized for a question thank you Mr chairman. The language. This is other educational related expenses what what would that be Elsa Anna tuition and fees and the. And this is and other educational related expenses that's pretty one open. I believe it would just probably be course materials but I would have to double check on that to see if there's anything that and I'm not aware of anything really major outside of the tuition and fees other than maybe a course material books things like that well it is this primarily just for your restructuring follow up Mr chair go ahead is this just a follow up is is is just a You your limit it to one year is this just for your restructuring that you feel critical Charlotte you might find or a a little understand. A stand limited again to one year it looks like you would go want to encourage them to seek further education. But this this specific Representative I think we have an answer possibly from staff on. We're represented in so the one year Special language is it goes into the appropriation bills since appropriation bills are generally only set for one year the special language is only set for one year as well so they have to come back the institutions come back every year for special language that the rest of this packet there are pieces of language that these institutions of had for years but they have to come back every year to get them re reviewed by the committee most of these what you see or just changes and dates and that's the sunset date for that one years they come back we review it look at it and then move it forward into the next year so that's why this institution is asking for just for one year it that's the process generally for the special for these pieces of special language now in this particular case they haven't had this they've new eighty years never use this language but other institutions have an already have it in there appropriation bills and so they continue to use it you know each year this is just happens to be new to them. Safety valve. Okay thank you Mr chairman thank you. Any other questions at this time. Thank you thank you. Okay we have a motion to approve can I get a second I have a second all those in favor say aye. Opposed no. Motion passes. All that the carry forward all the special language then. Do we have Tony and any other business at this time I believe so so thank you for being here this morning appreciate over to get here early in we are adjourned.