LARNED — Terri Williams, acting commissioner, Juvenile Justice Authority, said the the proposed consolidation of the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority with the Kansas Department of Corrections will not automatically make juvenile correctional officers (JCO) staff covered under Corrections KPERS.
Governor Sam Brownback has proposed the executive reorganation order that would merge the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority with the Kansas Department of Corrections as a safety and security measure. A lesgislative post audit report in July indicated safety and security issues at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex in Topeka.
“In our continued work towards achieving parity with our adult counterparts, we have been successful in increasing the starting salaries of JCOI’s,” Williams said. “We have increased the shift differential and were included in the under-market pay increase.  The last piece of the puzzle is the Corrections KPERS and I have submitted that as a budget enhancement request for the FY14 budget and remain extremely supportive of the inclusion of JCO staff in that plan.”
Williams said as far as organizational structure, the plan for Juvenile Services is to become a separate unit under the KDOC with the facilities and operational staff continuing to operate in the same capacity and under the same leadership.  
“As we progress through this process, it is my intention to provide periodic updates as more decisions are made and information becomes available,” she said.