Sarah L. Shipman: State respects its workers

A former Kansas budget director recently lobbed unfounded platitudes about the poor condition of state workers (“Respect state workers,” Aug. 30 Opinion). The facts are that the Brownback administration has supported Kansas state employees by increasing pay and flexibility and ensuring a stable retirement system.

In 2014, Gov. Sam Brownback proposed a 1.5 percent base pay increase for all classified employees under his leadership. Since 2011, 12,942 classified non-regents employees and 11,015 unclassified non-regents employees have received increases – hardly the stagnant wage climate portrayed by those with political vendettas.

Some of these well-deserved increases for state employees were made possible by a recent law granting state agencies the ability to convert positions from classified to unclassified. In turn, this change affords employees the opportunity to choose between remaining classified or voluntarily shifting to unclassified. This change gives agencies flexibility to best manage their human capital, while also giving employees a powerful voice in the process.

The state of Kansas also has taken dramatic steps to improve the health and longevity of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. In the past, pension contributions were kicked down the road, creating an unstable pension fund and a serious financial problem for the state, ultimately incurring a ranking in 2010 of second-worst-funded pension system in the nation. The governor believes that promises made to state employees should be kept, and recent actions have placed KPERS on track to be fully funded by 2033.

Buttressing KPERS helps secure the future of state employees, as well as hardworking Kansas teachers. Education funding represents a partnership between state and local governments. State funding for education is at an all-time high. Teacher pay, determined at the local level, is also on the rise. According to the National Education Association, our teacher pay growth percentage is tied for 16th best in the nation over the past year and 17th best over the past decade – both beating the national average.

Each day, state employees get up, go to work and do the business of the state. They serve fellow residents and assist businesses and units of government, all the while trying to make Kansas the best place in the nation to raise a family and grow a small business. And for those efforts, the governor is eternally grateful.

This story was originally published September 9, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Sarah L. Shipman: State respects its workers."