The North Dakota Council on the Arts

For Immediate Release

September 29, 2009

For more information, contact Amy Schmidt, ND Council on the Arts, (701) 328-7594



Fieldwork of the North Dakota Council on the Arts Results in Televised Documentary



A Lyrical Life: The Struggle and Hope of South Sudan



Premiers Sunday, October 4, 2009, at 3:30PM on Prairie Public Television



Ongoing fieldwork with and documentation of Ma’di musicians and singers by the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) resulted in the production of a 30 minute documentary titled A Lyrical Life: The Struggle and Hope of South Sudan. A partnership forged between the Ma’di community, the NDCA, Amid Productions, Prairie Public Television (PPTV), and charitable organizations in Kenya, South Sudan, Switzerland, and the Netherlands brought this documentary to fruition. It features traditional music, video footage from South Sudan and North Dakota, interviews with Ma’di musicians as well as with the renowned African Bishop Taban Paride who escaped multiple attempts on his life. The documentary premiers on Prairie Public Television: Sunday, October 4, 2009, at 3:30PM. A special screening also is planned for the national Ma’di Community Association in the United States’ (MACAUS) annual convention held November 27-28, 2009, in Fargo/Moorhead.



In the early 1990s Ma’di and other groups from South Sudan and northern Uganda began arriving in states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and Tennessee. Fleeing war-torn South Sudan, they sought safety and freedom in a new country as refugees. Sudan has been at war almost continuously since 1955. One of the world’s longest, ongoing conflicts claiming millions of lives and leaving millions of others displaced.



The history and cultural context of the conflict is explained through three traditional Ma’di songs. As one of the featured musicians, now living in Fargo, ND, explains, “African culture, especially in southern Sudan, our education is more based on music, because we didn’t have a written culture; like the Egyptians have the hieroglyphics. We didn’t have that. So all of our history is kept in songs… All of our education is in songs… It’s like a library of everything.”



Through the songs Ojja, Kalendo, and Oriku the war and its causes are described from 1955, when the British handed control of the country to a militant Islamist government in the north, in Khartoum, to renewed hostilities in 1983 to the present as many people try to make a new life in both South Sudan and as refugees in America. Issues involved in the conflict include forced Islamization of Christians and indigenous believers, historical and modern-day slavery, “crimes against humanity” by the Murahaleen and Lord’s Resistance Army, and starvation. Yet through it all the people of South Sudan hope and strive for a better life.



# # #



The North Dakota Council on the Arts is the state agency responsible for the support and development of the arts throughout North Dakota, and is funded by the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.





If you wish to unsubscribe from the North Dakota Council on the Arts email list, please click here.




Amy Schmidt

Public Information Officer

North Dakota Council on the Arts

1600 E. Century Ave., Suite 6

Bismarck, ND 58503-0649

amschmid@nd.gov

Phone: (701) 328-7594

Fax: (701) 328-7595

News from Minot State University in North Dakota

Sept. 29, 2009 Campus Announcements



Events

Finalists for Native American counselor position named

Three finalists have been selected for the Native American counselor position at Minot State University. The finalists are Efthalia Esser, Annette Mennem and Dennis Parisien.



The interviews will follow the same format, including presentations by each of the candidates on “What Can I Do to Help Native American Students be Successful at MSU?” followed by questions. All open forums will be in the Conference Center (Student Center, third floor). Mennem’s session is Thursday (Oct. 1), 10 a.m. Esser’s open forum is Oct. 5, 2 p.m., and Parisien’s session is Oct. 6, 1 p.m. The public is invited to all three open forums.



Since 2003, Mennem has been employed by Quentin Burdick Job Corps. She is currently the manager of student training. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in management. Both degrees were earned at Minot State University.



Esser is a research associate at the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities. From 2002 to 2008, she was the vice president for academic affairs at Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Fort Totten. She possesses a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Center of Studies for Journalism Publicity, Athens, Greece and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Minot State. She also has a master’s degree in early childhood education and special education from MSU.



Since 2006, Parisien has been employed as a veteran’s employment specialist with Job Service of North Dakota. Prior to that, he was an enrollment services representative for Minot State. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from MSU.



The search committee is chaired by Dick Jenkins, vice president for student affairs.



MSU Ambassadors and SGA holding blood drive to ‘Save Someone’s Life’
A Minot State University blood drive, sponsored by the MSU Ambassadors and Student Government Association, is slated for today and tomorrow (Sept. 29-30) in the Conference Center (Student Center, third floor), 10 a.m.-2 p.m. They encourage everyone to make the time to “Save Someone’s Life” by donating blood.

In North Dakota, it takes 300 blood donations every day to meet hospital patients’ needs. Currently, less than 4 percent of the United States population donates blood to supply the 20 million units needed each year. Meanwhile, the demand is rapidly increasing due to modern surgical techniques and new therapeutic uses for blood.


Free T-shirts, movie passes, blood-pressure checks and cholesterol testing available with every donation.



Although the MSU Ambassadors and SGA would appreciate reservations by donors, walk-ins are welcome. To secure an appointment, call 858-3987 or e-mail ann.rivera@minotstateu.edu.

--Ann Rivera, student activities coordinator



Multicultural activities continue

· Oct. 1 — Hispanic Awareness Month: Students presentations (heritage or personal visit experiences) about Honduras with food tasting, Multicultural Center, noon.

· Oct. 8 — Featured Faiths: Pastor Jesse Starr from the Apostolic Faith Church (UPCI), Multicultural Center, 12:30 p.m.

· Oct.15 — Hispanic Awareness Month: Students presentations (heritage or personal visit experiences) about Brazil with food tasting, Multicultural Center, noon.

· Oct. 22 — Hispanic Awareness Month: Students presentations (heritage or personal visit experiences) about Mexico with food tasting, Multicultural Center, noon.

For questions, contact 858-3365 or wylie.hammond@minotstateu.edu

-Wylie Hammond, director of multicultural support services and the Native American Cultural Center



Business etiquette luncheon

The Office of Career Services and the College of Business are sponsoring a business etiquette luncheon on Oct. 8 in the Conference Center (Student Center, third floor). Appetizers will be served at 12:15 p.m. followed by lunch. Professional dress is required.

The cost is $5 for students and $10 for faculty and staff. The deadline to register is Oct. 2.

Tickets can be purchased at the College of Business (Main 304), criminal justice/Rural Crime and Justice Center (Memorial 402), Division of Humanities (Hartnett Hall 148W), the Department of Teacher Education and Human Performance (Main 202) or career services (Student Center, second floor).

For questions, contact 858-3362 or tammy.wolf@minotstateu.edu.

Tammy Wolf, administrative secretary for career services



MSU in the News

(To inform the MSU community of Minot State items in the media, the Office of Public Information will provide links to items.)



The revival of Greek life at Minot State was discussed at the Mu Sigma Tau reunion. http://www.kxmc.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=444553


Absence Confirmation

Confirmation of anticipated student absence from class for hockey
The following students will be unable to attend classes after 2 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 2) until Sunday (Oct. 4) at midnight in order to travel to and from and participate in a men’s hockey games in Fargo:

Arnold, Scott
Cardinal Schultz, Joel
Cornwall, Sean
Cronin, Patrick
Delisle, Jacob
Dube’, Nigel
Friesen, Isaac (Al)
Gordon, Trevor
Harvey, Craig
Krechel, Taylor
Lamb, Daniel
Lillejord, Kent
Maillet, Mike
Norris, Mike
Norris, Stephen
Pinkerton, Brody
Richmond, Steven
Smith, Nigel
Strueby, Luke
Stuart-Dant, Thomas
Wilson, Colin
Wood, Tyler



If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 858-3690 or msu.hockey@hotmail.com. Thank you for your cooperation.
--Sheldon Schneider, head coach for MSU Men’s Club Hockey
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notifying the Office of Student Life or faculty members through the Office of Public Information (using this format or by any other means) does not constitute an excused absence. Whenever a student anticipates an absence, he/she should contact the appropriate faculty member prior to missing class.

It is up to the discretion of the faculty member whether students will be excused from class or allowed to make up any missed work. Each faculty member establishes his/her own guidelines regarding class absence, and whether or not a student will be allowed to make up missed work.*
*Based upon “Class Absence Policy,” 2000 - 2002 Student Handbook - Minot State University.



Reminder: Check the campus calendar on the MSU home page for additional events at http://www.minotstateu.edu/.

































































-------------------------------


Public Information Campus Announcements Archives:

http://www.minotstateu.edu/newsletter/archive.php


-------------------------------








7e469985dddf63f41336d9510a252cbf

Hostfest Begins in Minot, North Dakota Today

The calendar may say that it's still?September today, but nonetheless, it's Norsk Hstfest time.

Activities begin tonight with a concert by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, then the festival kicks off in earnest on Wednesday. Other headlining entertainment this year includes Reba McEntire, Clint Black, George Jones and Ray Stevens.

This year marks the 32nd anniversary of Hstfest. It has grown from a small festival dedicated to the heritage of Scandinavian countries to a huge annual event, drawing thousands of visitors from around the country and around the world.

In addition the the top-notch entertainers that perform on the main stage every year, the festival is full of cultural exhibits, food booths and crafts.

Perhaps most importantly, it's full of people with a sincere interest in keeping alive the Scandinavian culture, and that includes hundreds of volunteers who come year after year simply to volunteer their time at the festival. Without volunteers, the Hstfest could not, and would not, survive.

But survive and thrive it has, for the past 32 years.

For those visiting the Magic City, we say welcome to Norsk Hstfest.

North Dakota Legislative Energy Development Committee

NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATIVE MANAGEMENT
Minutes of the
ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSMISSION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Roughrider Room, State Capitol
Bismarck, North Dakota
Senator Rich Wardner, Chairman, called the
meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Members present: Senators Rich Wardner, Jim
Dotzenrod, Robert M. Horne, Joe Miller, George
Nodland; Representatives Tracy Boe, Mike
Brandenburg, Matthew M. Klein, Todd Porter, Dave
Weiler
Members absent: Senator John M. Andrist;
Representative Lee Kaldor
Others present: Representative Shirley Meyer,
member of the Legislative Management, was in
attendance.
See Appendix A for additional persons present.
At the request of Chairman Wardner, committee
counsel reviewed the Supplementary Rules of
Operation and Procedure of the North Dakota
Legislative Management.
ENERGY STUDY
Mr. Shane C. Goettle, Commissioner of
Commerce, provided testimony (Appendix B) on
Empower North Dakota. He said the major policies
are to grow all of North Dakota energy, base decisions
on science and economics, support research and
development, choose incentives over mandates,
regulate fairly, and be environmentally responsible.
In response to a question from Senator Horne,
Mr. Goettle said the coal gasification plant is the first
in the nation and is worthy of recognition.
In response to a question from Senator Miller,
Mr. Goettle said the water resource study will be of
existing projects and planned projects and the water
needs for those projects. He said the availability of
water is more important than the quality of water for
the energy industry. He said the study of water will
result in a number of maps of the resources available
in this state and the limitations on those resources.
Mr. Tony Clark, Commissioner, Public Service
Commission, presented written testimony
(Appendix C) on the Public Service Commission's
activities in regard to energy development in this
state. He provided information on active North Dakota
wind projects, the siting of transmission projects,
pipeline siting cases, and work with regional groups
for transmission planning.
In response to a question from Representative
Klein, Mr. Clark said the Western Area Power
Association and Basin Electric Power Cooperative are
not part of the Midwest ISO. In North Dakota, he said,
wind developers are wanting to sell into the markets
east of this state and are driven to use Montana
Dakota Utilities Company's and Otter Tail Power
Company's transmission because of free access. He
said there would be a rate pancake if the developers
used Basin Electric Power Cooperative's or the
Western Area Power Association's transmission.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Mr. Clark said there is movement within
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and
Congress for cost allocation for new transmission to
be spread out and socialized. He said this would
make pricing more of a postage stamp price. He said
if there is a federal renewable energy standard, there
is a good argument that the cost of transmission for
the renewable energy should be more spread out.
In response to a question from Senator Nodland,
Mr. Clark said present wind projects generate
electricity for local utilities and are not shipping to faroff
load centers.
In response to a question from Representative
Klein, Mr. Clark said wind displaces natural gas and
pairs well with hydroelectric generation.
In response to a question from Senator Horne,
Mr. Clark said the Public Service Commission has
received a letter of intent for the Heartland Wind
Project. He said a letter of intent is a cursory glance
at future plans. He said the next step is for an
application that will contain details. He said the letter
of intent was sent a little over a year ago and the
intent was to phase in the wind project over time.
In response to a question from Senator Miller,
Mr. Clark said the Midwest ISO cost allocation does
not relate to the cost of generation, which is a state
public utilities commission decision.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Mr. Clark said there has been
significant progress in achieving consensus that
transmission is needed, especially through Minnesota.
He said the CapX 2020 project is building
transmission and one line will go from Fargo to the
Minneapolis area.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Mr. Clark said CapX 2020 is a regional
reliability project and not meant to move power to
eastern load centers.
In response to a question from Representative
Klein, Mr. Clark said the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission has not implemented backstop siting
authority. He said there is a potential for the use of
Energy Development and Transmission 2 August 19, 2009
this authority for siting a line from Arizona into
California. He said there is interest in Congress to
give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission more
backstop siting authority.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Mr. Clark said the Midwest ISO has
proposed and implemented reforms so that the queue
is less first come, first served and more based on
viable projects.
Ms. Sandi Tabor, Director, North Dakota
Transmission Authority, provided written testimony
(Appendix D) to the committee on recent activities of
the North Dakota Transmission Authority. She said
the North Dakota Transmission Authority has been
working with local-, regional-, and national-level
transmission planning. She said last session a bill
allowed the North Dakota Transmission Authority to
obligate up to 30 percent of a project, not to exceed
$240 million, as a moral obligation of the state. She
said the North Dakota Transmission Authority is
developing a screening process to determine the
financial soundness and to create due diligence
protocols to determine whether to issue bonds backed
by the moral obligation of the state for a particular
project. She said because the North Dakota
Transmission Authority lacks expertise, the authority
issued a request for proposals for bonding counsel
and a senior underwriter. She said the North Dakota
Transmission Authority should have protocols by the
end of the year. She said a resolution adopted last
session directed a cap and trade study and the
Industrial Commission will secure the services of an
economics firm. She said the North Dakota
Transmission Authority is looking for an economics
firm and is doing the project development for this
study.
In response to a question from Representative
Klein, Ms. Tabor said any new power purchase
agreements must meet the Minnesota Next
Generation Act, but not existing projects.
In response to a question from Senator Wardner,
Ms. Tabor said the CapX 2020 project is moving along
as planned.
In response to a question from Representative
Klein, Ms. Tabor said the CapX 2020 line from Fargo
to the Minneapolis area will be a 345-kilovolt line.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Ms. Tabor said the Green Power
Express and other groups are looking at large highvoltage
overlays to move energy to the east. She said
these groups are waiting for federal action on
transmission and if there is a renewable energy
standard at the federal level.
Mr. Loren Laugtug, Manager, Legislative Affairs,
Otter Tail Power Company, presented information to
the committee. He said there are different methods
for paying for transmission in the Midwest ISO. He
said for a generator outlet, the generator pays for all
of the transmission. He said renewable energy can
use the excess capacity. He said the CapX 2020 line
from Fargo to Monticello is a reliability line that
provides regional benefits. He said the cost of the line
is divided between local utilities that benefit from the
line. He said local utilities should not have to pay for a
line to Chicago. He said if the local utilities were
required to pay under cost allocation by the Midwest
ISO, the utilities would pull out of the Midwest ISO.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Mr. Laugtug said no utility can
designate extra capacity and it is used on a firstcome,
first-served basis. He said when the capacity is
full then the user would have to pay for network
upgrades.
In response to a question from Representative
Boe, Mr. Laugtug said membership in the Midwest
ISO is voluntary.
Mr. Justin Kringstad, North Dakota Pipeline
Authority, provided a presentation (Appendix E) on
recent activities of the North Dakota Pipeline
Authority. He said it is anticipated that North Dakota
will need additional capacity for transporting crude oil
to market after 2010. He said several options are
being actively pursued, including Enbridge's proposed
portal reversal--Kinder Morgan's Bakken crude
project, new interconnecting pipelines, and other
options.
In response to a question from Senator Wardner,
Mr. Kringstad said the EOG Stanley rail station will
transport oil using EOG's rails and trains. He said the
economics for the project have the project going
forward even though, traditionally, rail transport is
more expensive than pipeline transport.
In response to a question from Senator Nodland,
Mr. Kringstad said to reduce truck traffic from Stanley
to Rhame, there needs to be a smaller gathering
pipeline.
In response to a question from Senator Nodland,
Mr. Kringstad said potential projects will have the
capacity to transport about 370,000 barrels of oil per
day; however, not every project will be completed by
the oil industry.
In response to a question from Representative
Klein, Mr. Kringstad said the Butte pipeline is
operational and transporting 120,000 barrels per day
to Guernsey, Wyoming, where it terminates. He said
the oil at that point is put in the Platte pipeline.
In response to a question from Senator Wardner,
Mr. Kringstad said the price differential should be at
the normal level of 5 percent to 10 percent if there is
adequate pipeline capacity.
In response to a question from Representative
Klein, Mr. Kringstad said there is a $9 per barrel
discount for transportation.
In response to a question from Senator Miller,
Mr. Kringstad said the Keystone interconnect is the
most expensive and furthest out timewise as to
completion.
In response to a question from Senator Miller,
Mr. Kringstad said the Keystone interconnect is
attractive because it would allow the transportation of
oil to Oklahoma, which is a good place to transport oil
because of refining capacity.
Energy Development and Transmission 3 August 19, 2009
In response to a question from Senator Dotzenrod,
Mr. Kringstad said the Kinder Morgan and Alliance
pipelines are right next to each other. He said the
Kinder Morgan line is a smaller line than the Alliance
line.
In response to a question from Senator Horne,
Mr. Kringstad said with the development of the
Enbridge or Kinder Morgan lines, there could be
available the pipeline transport of 370,000 barrels per
day by 2011. He said pipelines should be able to
provide transport for all oil with current projects based
on current assumptions.
In response to a question from Representative
Klein, Mr. Kringstad said the Enbridge line has been
hydrostatically tested and the increased pressure
should not affect the pipeline.
Mr. Lynn Helms, Director, Department of Mineral
Resources, provided a presentation (Appendix F) on
shallow gas and a presentation (Appendix G) on
carbon dioxide storage. As to shallow gas, he said,
the price for gas is down from $12 per million cubic
feet (MCF) a year ago to $2.66 per MCF. He said
natural gas is at a high in storage. He said it will be
years before the natural gas market recovers. He
said the shale gas development is creating more gas
than can be consumed. He said this has removed
any need to produce shallow gas. He said the
following list ranks the hits for shallow gas in the
counties studied:
1. Ward.
2. Bottineau.
3. Richland.
4. Renville.
5. Bowman.
Mr. Helms said drilling activity for shallow gas has
increased from three before the tax incentives to nine
after the tax incentives. He said glacial beds produce
natural gas which is pressured, and lignite and shale
produce natural gas which is under pressure.
In response to a question from Senator Wardner,
Mr. Helms said lignite beds are encapsulated in clay
and are at low pressure.
In response to a question from Senator Horne,
Mr. Helms said there are two types of gas: biogenic
and thermal. He said biogenic is created by bacteria
that produce methane and thermal is created in the
same way that oil is created. He said there is more
gas at a higher pressure in the Bakken Formation
than in shallow gas formations.
In response to a question from Representative
Weiler, Mr. Helms said a unit that will change gas that
would otherwise be flared into electricity will go in by
the Stanley and Parshall area.
In response to a question from Senator Wardner,
Mr. Helms said the funding for a person to conduct
seismic activity has not been used because of
difficulty in finding an individual with the proper
geophysical experience.
As to carbon dioxide, Mr. Helms said there were
two bills last session relating to carbon dioxide. He
said one bill determined who owned the pore space
and the other delegated to the Industrial Commission
and State Department of Health authority over the
storage of carbon dioxide. He said there are three
types of storage: enhanced oil recovery, when
enhanced oil recovery is converted to carbon dioxide
storage, and saline aquifer storage. He said
enhanced oil recovery is not done in North Dakota.
He said there is a gap between what will be paid for
carbon dioxide and the cost to make carbon dioxide.
He expects the gap to be closed by carbon credits.
He said the Broom Creek saline aquifer can store
500 to 600 years of carbon dioxide that is created in
this state. He said the Industrial Commission is
creating rules and the rules will contain a fee of
one cent per ton of carbon dioxide stored for
administration and a fee of seven cents per ton for the
trust fund. He said these fees may be adjusted on an
annual basis and that the relatively low charge is to
avoid pricing carbon dioxide storage out of business.
He said over a period of 90 years, natural gas storage
has resulted in five accidents and 10 deaths. He said
the 10 deaths resulted from explosions. He said
carbon dioxide is not explosive. He said carbon
dioxide has been used for 40 years for enhanced oil
recovery and there have been no deaths resulting
from carbon dioxide in that time. He said the public
perception as to carbon dioxide storage is that it is as
risky as coal mining and the actual risks are low to
moderate.
In response to a question from Senator Horne,
Mr. Helms said oil companies are willing to pay $15 to
$20 per ton for carbon dioxide for enhanced oil
recovery. He said the $40 to $60 per ton cost is for
carbon dioxide from power plant emissions. He said
Dakota Gasification Company probably creates
carbon dioxide at a cost below the cost from power
plant emissions and in the range of $20 to $30 per
ton. He said Canada is using carbon dioxide from the
gasification plant because of carbon credits and
99 percent of the minerals in Canada are owned by
the Crown.
In response to a question from Representative
Boe, Mr. Helms said the company that stores carbon
dioxide will have liability for the 40-year active life of
the storage and a 10-year closure. He said the state
will then issue a certificate of closure and absorb
liability. He said the risk drops dramatically at that
point. He said by the time the state becomes liable, it
will have experience with carbon dioxide storage. He
said the first closure would be around 2060 and there
would be $50 million in the trust fund.
Mr. Curtis Jabs, Basin Electric Power Cooperative,
presented information on the carbon dioxide capture
project at the Antelope Valley Station. He said in
June 2007 Basin sent a request for proposals for
technology to use for carbon capture. He said in
December 2007 Basin made a selection and the
feasibility study showed that capture would be
between $45 and $50 per ton. He said Basin
conditioned the feed study on one month's successful
data from a pay pilot project. He said the pilot project
Energy Development and Transmission 4 August 19, 2009
showed the carbon capture would cost significantly
more. He said in June Basin made a second request
for proposals. He said in late July the proposals were
received and are being evaluated. He said the project
is behind schedule and the feed study should begin in
October, at which time Basin should have a better
idea as to costs. He said construction will begin in
late 2013 at the earliest.
At the request of Chairman Wardner, committee
counsel presented a background memorandum
entitled Comprehensive Energy Policy Study.
Mr. William Schuh, State Water Commission,
presented written testimony (Appendix H) on the study
of water use by each energy sector. He said the
timeline for the project is to have a written draft report
by February 2010 so that review and modification can
be done before the report is published and presented
to the committee in August. He said the study will
result in a number of maps showing water resources.
In response to a question from Senator Wardner,
Mr. Schuh said the Southwest Water Pipeline should
take pressure for use off of aquifers. He said the
study will look at using the Southwest Water Pipeline
for energy use. He said a treatment plant by Lake
Sakakawea for water used in the oil industry will
depend on cost and access through Army Corps of
Engineers' lands.
In response to a question from Senator Horne,
Mr. Schuh said this study will look at the Northwest
Pipeline as well as the Southwest Water Pipeline and
aquifers.
In response to a question from Senator Miller,
Mr. Schuh said the study will look at the siting of plant
facilities.
Mr. Bob Shaver, State Water Commission,
answered questions for the committee. In response to
a question from Senator Nodland, Mr. Shaver said the
water depot in the Forman Butte Field is for brine
dilution and uses 1 acre to 1.5 acre feed per year. He
said this is a small amount of water usage that will
end as the field develops. He said cities were given
water permits that allowed for future growth. He said
some cities want to sell extra capacity to industry for
profit. He said when a municipality uses water for the
energy industry it is not for municipal use, but for
industrial use, and an industrial permit is needed.
Senator Nodland said Killdeer refused the
Southwest Water Authority because it had an aquifer
and sells water to the energy industry.
In response to a question from Representative
Porter, Mr. Shaver said there are two types of
aquifers--glacial, which are local, and bedrock, which
are regional. He said glacial aquifers are affected by
weather and have little storage. He said the law
requires the protection of senior appropriators, and
junior appropriators may be curtailed until the weather
changes, i.e., it rains. He said regional aquifers have
a lot in storage but the recharge is small in
comparison to the amount in storage. He said when a
senior appropriator cannot efficiently acquire water
under a change in circumstances, the senior
appropriator must make a reasonable effort to capture
and then the rights of the junior appropriator are cut.
He said the term "reasonable" is debatable and may
be litigated in instances in which pressure drops so
that a pump is needed in a remote area.
Mr. Joseph R. Dudak, Vice President, ITC
Holdings Corp., provided a presentation (Appendix I)
on the Green Power Express. He said his company is
an independent transmission company developing a
high-voltage overlay to take wind energy from the
Dakotas to eastern loads.
In response to a question from Senator Wardner,
Mr. Dudak said he has a good reception with
landowner groups and there has not been one
negative comment on siting in the Dakotas. He said
his company intends to use the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission's backstop authority with
problem areas.
Senator Wardner said Minnesota has placed
regulatory barriers to siting and should allow the siting
of transmission that is created to transport green
energy.
In response to a question from Senator Miller,
Mr. Dudak said his company does not plan on using
eminent domain and hopes to negotiate fair and
equitable compensation with landowners.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Mr. Dudak said the wind developer and
the ultimate customer decide on the price of the
electricity. He said his company does not own the
energy, but is the highway for the energy.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Mr. Dudak said his company is a New
York Stock Exchange company and has banking
partners and investors that will provide the money for
the Green Power Express. He said the main issue is
cost allocation, not investment.
In response to a question from Representative
Brandenburg, Mr. Dudak said the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission could stretch its authority to
site the Green Power Express; however, the hope is
that Congress will provide the explicit authority. He
said a cost allocation on a project this size has never
been done and it will have to be dealt with differently
from previous projects.
In response to a question from Senator Horne,
Mr. Dudak said the regulatory issues of cost allocation
are the largest issues. He said construction could
begin within two years if there was the proper
regulation and siting. He said the project could be
completed within five years.
No further business appearing, Chairman Wardner
adjourned the meeting at 2:45 p.m.
___________________________________________
Timothy J. Dawson
Committee Counsel
ATTACH:9

North Dakota Employee Benefits -- Legislative Committee Review

NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATIVE MANAGEMENT
Minutes of the
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PROGRAMS COMMITTEE
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Harvest Room, State Capitol
Bismarck, North Dakota
Representative Bette B. Grande, Chairman, called
the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Members present: Representatives Bette B.
Grande, David Drovdal, Ralph Metcalf, Francis J.
Wald, Lisa Wolf; Senators Ray Holmberg, Ralph L.
Kilzer, Karen K. Krebsbach, Carolyn Nelson
Others present: See Appendix A
At the request of Chairman Grande, committee
counsel reviewed the Supplementary Rules of
Operation and Procedure of the North Dakota
Legislative Management.
At the request of Chairman Grande, committee
counsel distributed a copy of the July 2009 issue of
Retirement Today published by the Teachers' Fund
for Retirement and a copy of the July 2009
REPORTCard published by the Teachers' Fund for
Retirement. Copies of these newsletters are on file in
the Legislative Council office.
At the request of Chairman Grande, committee
counsel reviewed a memorandum entitled Employee
Benefits Programs Committee - Statutory
Responsibilities and Assigned Studies - Background
Memorandum describing the statutory responsibilities,
past procedures, and assigned studies of the
Employee Benefits Programs Committee. He said the
committee was established in response to difficulties
experienced in past legislative sessions resulting from
inadequate prior study of the actuarial impacts of
proposed legislative changes in retirement programs.
He reviewed the statutory authority of the committee,
procedures for solicitation and review of retirement
proposals, actuarial services, and additional
committee responsibilities. He said the committee
has the authority to establish rules for its operation,
including rules relating to the submission and review
of proposals and the establishment of standards for
actuarial review. In prior years, he said, including the
2007-08 interim, the committee has limited the
persons and entities permitted to submit to the
committee legislative proposals affecting retirement
programs to legislators and state agencies with the bill
introduction privilege and required that the proposals
be in bill draft form and submitted to the committee
before April 1 of even-numbered years to allow
enough time for actuarial evaluation. He said the
committee has the authority to waive its self-imposed
deadline for proposals received after any deadline
established by the committee.
Committee counsel said the Legislative
Management has also assigned two studies to the
committee. The first study, he said, is a study of the
feasibility and desirability of an appropriation to the
Office of Management and Budget for a state
employee tuition reimbursement pool program. The
second study, he said, is a study of the feasibility and
desirability of establishing an administrative leave
program for use by executive branch agencies to
allow employees to attend legislative hearings or
meetings, grievance meetings, disciplinary hearings,
labor and management meetings, negotiating
sessions, or other meetings or activities jointly agreed
upon by the chief administrative officer of the
employing agency. In addition to the statutory
responsibilities and assigned studies, he said, the
Legislative Management has also directed that the
committee receive a number of reports throughout the
interim.
It was moved by Representative Wald,
seconded by Senator Nelson, and carried on a
voice vote that the committee only accept
legislative proposals affecting retirement
programs that are submitted to the committee by
legislators and state agencies with the bill
introduction privilege, that the proposals be in bill
draft form, and that the proposals must be
submitted to the committee before April 1, 2010.
OVERVIEW OF RETIREMENT,
INSURANCE, AND RETIREE HEALTH
INSURANCE PROGRAMS
Mr. Steve Cochrane, Executive Director,
Retirement and Investment Office, presented an
overview (Appendix B) of the state's investment
program and the current investment climate. He said
the State Investment Board manages the pension
trust fund, the two largest components of which are
the Teachers' Fund for Retirement and the Public
Employees Retirement System fund, and the
insurance trust fund, the largest component of which
is the Workforce Safety and Insurance fund. He said
the preliminary market value of the pension trust fund
as of June 30, 2009, is $2.8 billion and the preliminary
market value of the insurance trust fund as of
June 30, 2009, is $1.3 billion. Thus, he said, the State
Investment Board has approximately $4.2 billion
under management as of June 30, 2009. He said the
asset allocation of the Teachers' Fund for Retirement
is slightly different from that of the Public Employees
Retirement System fund. He said the Teachers' Fund
for Retirement is composed of 61 percent stocks while
Employee Benefits Programs 2 August 6, 2009
the Public Employees Retirement System fund is
composed of 55 percent stocks, and thus, the
Teachers' Fund for Retirement is slightly more volatile
but would be expected to have a slightly higher return
over time.
Concerning fiscal year 2009 investment losses,
Mr. Cochrane said the Teachers' Fund for Retirement
is down approximately $475.5 million, or
25.76 percent, and the Public Employees Retirement
System fund is down approximately $424.5 million, or
23.52 percent. He said the pension trust, combined,
is down an estimated 24.37 percent. However, he
said, the Workforce Safety and Insurance fund is only
down 9.76 percent due to its much more conservative
asset allocation policy. Also, he said, the fact that
82 percent of the total pension fund loss is unrealized
is good news.
Mr. Cochrane said the State Investment Board was
also impacted by the Bernard Madoff financial
scandal. He said the State Investment Board has
written down $40 million and recovered $23 million to
date.
Ms. Fay Kopp, Deputy Executive Director,
Retirement and Investment Office, presented an
overview (Appendix C) of the Teachers' Fund for
Retirement. She discussed the history and structure
of the Teachers' Fund for Retirement and a summary
of the Teachers' Fund for Retirement plan.
Ms. Kopp said the mission of the Teachers' Fund
for Retirement--a trust fund--is to advocate for,
develop, and administer a comprehensive retirement
program for all trust fund members within the
resources available. She said Tier 1 members are
eligible for normal or unreduced benefits at age 85
with three years of service or the Rule of 85--age plus
years of service equals 85. She said Tier 2 members
are eligible for normal or unreduced benefits at age 65
with five years of service or upon reaching the Rule
of 90--age plus years of service equals 90.
Ms. Kopp said for retiree reemployment, the
general rule is that retirees may return to covered
employment after a 30-day waiting period. She said
employment is limited to a maximum number of hours
in a fiscal year based on the length of the applicable
contract. She said retirees continue receiving monthly
retirement benefits and employer contributions are
paid on the retiree's salary. She said the exceptions
to the general rule are for returning to teach in critical
shortage areas or if the member selects a benefit
suspension and benefit recalculation option.
In response to a question from Senator Holmberg,
Ms. Kopp said the list or schedule of critical shortage
areas is determined by the Education Standards and
Practices Board. She said the board reviews the list
each year and has just determined that all areas are
deemed to be critical except elementary education
and physical education. In response to a further
question from Senator Holmberg, Ms. Kopp said only
employer contributions are paid for members who
return to teach under the critical shortage areas
exemption.
In response to a question from Representative
Drovdal, Ms. Kopp said the Attorney General's office
has informally advised the Teachers' Fund for
Retirement that benefits for existing members and
retirees may not be reduced and that contribution
requirements for existing members may not be
increased without a corresponding increase in
benefits as this may violate the contract clause of the
North Dakota Constitution.
Representative Drovdal requested that the
Legislative Council staff contact the Attorney General
and invite him or a member of his staff to address the
contract clause implications of reducing benefits or
increasing contributions for existing members of public
employees retirement systems.
Ms. Kopp said there are 9,702 active teachers and
6,463 retired members of the Teachers' Fund for
Retirement. She said the number of active members
is declining due to student population declines; school
closings, consolidations, and budget reductions; and
teachers retiring earlier and returning to teach part
time. She said the number of retired members is
increasing due to people living longer and teachers
retiring earlier and returning to teach part time. She
said there are 231 participating employers, of which
184 are school districts.
In response to a question from Senator Nelson,
Ms. Kopp estimated that there are approximately
10 school districts that do not participate in the federal
Social Security program. She said she would supply
additional information on this topic at a future
committee meeting.
As a result of market declines in the past one to
two years, Ms. Kopp said most public pension plans
around the country are expected to experience higher
required contribution rates to offset investment losses.
She said predicting the magnitude of increased costs
is difficult and depends on factors unique to the plan
as well as performance of investment markets over
the next several years. She said the Teachers' Fund
for Retirement Board of Trustees is studying funding
improvement options and anticipates proposing
legislation in 2011.
In response to a question from Representative
Wald, Ms. Kopp said the Teachers' Fund for
Retirement Board of Trustees has not commissioned
a specific study concerning the impact of establishing
a defined contribution retirement plan for new
members while retaining the defined benefit plan for
existing members. However, she said, studies done
in other states do not show a cost-savings within a
reasonable period of time of establishing a new
defined contribution plan for new hires. She said this
is especially true for plans that have a large unfunded
liability.
Representative Grande requested that the
Teachers' Fund for Retirement provide a history of the
1977 funding provided to the Teachers' Fund for
Retirement by the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Sparb Collins, Executive Director, Public
Employees Retirement System, presented an
Employee Benefits Programs 3 August 6, 2009
overview (Appendix D) of the Public Employees
Retirement System. He reviewed the structure of the
Public Employees Retirement System Board;
structure of the Public Employees Retirement System
office; retirement programs, including the Public
Employees Retirement System main system, Highway
Patrolmen's retirement system, judges' retirement
system, National Guard security police and
firefighters' retirement system, law enforcement
retirement systems, prior service retiree system,
higher education system, defined contribution plan,
Job Service North Dakota retirement plan, and the
Old-Age and Survivor Insurance System; retiree
health insurance program; health insurance program;
life insurance program; employee assistance program;
deferred compensation program; dental, vision, and
long-term care insurance programs; and the Flexcomp
program.
Mr. Collins said the Public Employees Retirement
System administers five defined benefit plans, two
defined contribution plans, and the retiree health
credit program and provides administrative services
for the prior judges' plan and the Job Service North
Dakota retiree health credit.
In response to a question from Representative
Wald, Mr. Collins said those employees of Workforce
Safety and Insurance who elected to participate in the
defined contribution retirement plan will remain in the
defined contribution plan even if their position
becomes classified under the Workforce Safety and
Insurance reorganization.
Mr. Collins said the employer contribution for the
public employees retirement main plan is 4.12 percent
and the employee contribution is 4 percent for a total
retirement contribution of 8.12 percent. He noted that
the 8.12 percent contribution rate is one of the lowest
in the country. Also, he said, for many employees, the
employer picks up the employee contribution and
pays the entire amount. He said this employer pickup
was in lieu of a salary increase. He said there are
19,042 active members of the Public Employees
Retirement System main system, 6,103 retired
members, and 682 beneficiaries.
TUITION REIMBURSEMENT
POOL PROGRAM STUDY
Chairman Grande called on Ms. Laurie Sterioti
Hammeren, Director, Human Resource Management
Services, Office of Management and Budget. She
distributed a schedule (Appendix E) of agencies with
fewer than 30 employees. She said the study was a
result of concerns raised relating to smaller agencies
that may not have sufficient funds or flexibility to
provide tuition reimbursement programs for their
employees.
ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE
PROGRAM STUDY
Chairman Grande recognized Ms. Sterioti
Hammeren. She said the administrative leave
program study was a result of 2009 House Bill
No. 1562. She said this bill, as introduced, would
have required the Office of Management and Budget
to provide up to 800 hours per year for administrative
leave for use by executive branch agencies to allow
employees who are members of a public employees'
organization to attend legislative hearings or
meetings, grievance meetings, disciplinary hearings,
labor and management meetings, negotiating
sessions, or other meetings or activities jointly agreed
upon by the chief administrative officer of the
employing agency. She noted that the Governor's
office has approved administrative leave for officers of
the North Dakota Public Employee Association to
attend that organization's annual meeting. She said
Human Resource Management Services is neutral
concerning the study.
In response to a question from Representative
Grande, Ms. Sterioti Hammeren said the North Dakota
Public Employee Association officials are only
authorized time away from work and the state does
not cover their dues or other expenses.
Chairman Grande recognized Mr. Stuart Savelkoul,
Executive Director, North Dakota Public Employee
Association. He said employers in the private sector
may authorize their employees to testify before the
Legislative Assembly or attend meetings that are
beneficial to the organization or the employee. He
said there is no similar mechanism for public
employees.
In response to a question from Representative
Wald, Mr. Ken Purdy, Classification and
Compensation Manager, Human Resource
Management Services, Office of Management and
Budget, said the classification process at Workforce
Safety and Insurance is progressing and going very
well. However, he said, as with any classification
there are several individuals who are unhappy with
their new classification. He said the remedy for the
employees is to appeal the classification to the State
Personnel Board. He said the unhappiness may be
that as a result of the classification the employee may
be at or near the top compensation for that class.
In response to a further question from
Representative Wald, Ms. Sterioti Hammeren noted
the Workforce Safety and Insurance classification did
not result in any employee being subject to a salary
reduction. Also, she said, salaries were not frozen in
that employees are eligible for the minimum salary
increase provided by the Legislative Assembly.
No further business appearing, Chairman Grande
adjourned the meeting at 2:15 p.m.
___________________________________________
Jeffrey N. Nelson
Committee Counsel
ATTACH:5

North Dakota Petroleum News

North Dakota Petroleum Council E-News

September 2009









New Members – Thanks to the new Petroleum Council members: Crude Processing, Inc.; Lafarge Dakota, Inc.; Minot State University College of Business; Wenck Associates, Inc.; and Kodiak Oil & Gas.

Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) Releases Proposed Rules – The DMR is accepting comments on their proposed Administrative Rules through October 25. A public hearing will be held October 15 in the DMR conference room. The rules cover a variety of areas and mostly clarify existing practices by the agency. The rules include provisions relating to geophysical, risk penalty, plugging wells, surface owner notification, cementing of well bores, geological CO2 sequestration, and other items. We encourage you to review the rules and provide input to the Petroleum Council so that we may develop our comments. https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/

Culliton Moves On – Blaze Culliton, Membership/Communications Coordinator for the Petroleum Council, worked for the Petroleum Council for the past four months has accepted a new position at a local communications firm. Blaze was instrumental in assisting with the CookFest, Energy Citizens’ Rally, Annual Meeting and other Oil Can! and website outreach efforts. We wish him the best and thank him for his hard work.



Communications Manager Position Open – The Petroleum Council is seeking applicants for a Communications Manager. The successful applicant will need excellent writing and verbal communications skills and will be responsible for developing the Petroleum Council’s outreach efforts including Oil Can!, E-News, Oil & Gas Tidbits, and manage the association’s website and marketing efforts. Applications are available by contacting the Petroleum Council.



Land Department Develops New Method to Monitor Right-of-Way Applications – At the request of industry, the State Land Department has developed an enhanced mechanism that allows companies to check the status of their applications either by the Right-of-Way tracking number or by company name. You can go to the following website and choose “Track application by name” and then type in a minimum of three letters from the company name. The result will be a display of all of the applications and their status for that company. This process should be helpful for companies during busy times when there are many permits pending. http://www.land.nd.gov/surface/row/ If you have questions, contact Mike Brand, Director Surface Management Division at ND State Land Department at 701-328-1918 or email mbrand@nd.gov.



Dorgan, CO-OP Officials Kick-off Study of Refinery Potential in North Dakota – Senator Byron Dorgan, as chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, secured funding for a study to analyze how to expand oil refining capacities in North Dakota. With that funding, an industry-led advisory board and steering committee will examine the costs and benefits associated with the expansion of refining capacity in the region, and what are the most promising alternatives to get a new refinery built. The steering committee’s primary job is to issue a request for proposals, select a consulting firm to conduct the study, and issue a final report to the U.S. Department of Energy. Dorgan says, “We expect a comprehensive look at the question of whether it makes sense to increase refining capacity, with no pre-determined outcome as to feasibility, plant location or ownership.” The members of the steering committee include Senator Rich Wardner; Representative Kenton Onstad; Dennis Hill, NDAREC; Ron Day, Tesoro; John Traeger, Cenex; Mel Falcon, Northwest Oil/Dakota Processors; Brad Aman, Continental Resources; John Paganis, Murex Petroleum Corp.; Dennis Krueger, Farstad Oil Inc.; Michael McCann, Tesoro Pipelines; Terry Kovacevich, Marathon Oil; and Rick Ross, Whiting Petroleum Corp.



Big Crowd for Petroleum Council’s Annual Meeting – More than 275 attendees enjoyed the great Medora weather at this year’s ND Petroleum Council Annual Meeting. Attendees packed the facility for the presentations, meals, and entertainment. 150 golfers played in the Oil PAC Golf Scramble and more than 100 people attended the Navigation Oil Development on Trust Lands Meeting. Thank you to the 61 sponsors who made the event possible. We appreciate their support. The list of sponsors and the presentations from the meeting are available at http://www.ndoil.org/?id=87. The 2010 Annual Meeting will be held September 21–23 in Minot, North Dakota.



Biberdorf Joins Petroleum Council Hall of Fame – Wayne Biberdorf, Hess, became the 7th inductee into the Petroleum Council Hall of Fame. He received BS degrees in Math and Physics from Minot State University and an engineering degree from the University of North Dakota. After teaching in the Minot Public School System, he began his employment with Hess Corporation in 1980. He has held various positions with Hess, including Operations Manager, District Engineer, Business Unit Manager and Manager of Strategic Projects. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and has been on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the North Dakota Petroleum Council since 1997, serving as Chairman from 1999-2002 and has been instrumental in the changes at the Petroleum Council over the past 10 years. He is also on the Northwest Workforce Advisory Board and the North Dakota Training Advisory Board and was appointed by Governor Hoeven as one of the first members of the Oil and Gas Research Council, and served as its first chairman. http://www.ndoil.org/?id=163



Senator O’Connell Receives Outstanding Public Service Award – Senator David O’Connell from Lansford, North Dakota, represents District 6, which includes Bottineau, Kenmare, Westhope, and a large portion of the oil patch in the northern part of the state. He works in the oil patch and has a great understanding of the value of our industry to his district and the state. As the Senate Minority Leader, he has sponsored many of our key bills, including the tax incentive bills and last year he was our primary sponsor of a resolution opposing the proposed federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing, which would be a killer for our industry. Senator O’Connell has been a champion in helping the industry defeat an onerous stripper well tax increase during the past two legislative sessions. He knows the importance of stripper wells to our industry and has testified in opposition to bills at hearings for us, which rarely happens in the Legislature. http://www.ndoil.org/?id=159



Representative Berg Receives Outstanding Public Service Award - Representative Rick Berg from Fargo, ND, represents District 45. Representative Berg has served in the North Dakota House of Representatives since 1985. In his 25 year tenure in the Legislature, he has served as the Speaker of the House, Chairman of the Industry Business and Labor Committee, Appropriations Committee, and served two terms as the House Majority Leader in 2005 and 2007. He has been an advocate and a leader in helping improve the North Dakota business climate throughout his legislative career. As a business owner, he understands the value of a predictable and stable tax and regulatory structure and the value it brings to the state to be able to attract business investment. Berg was instrumental in Workforce Safety reforms in the mid-1980s when the agency and premiums were running out of control without taking care of injured workers. He, along with others, made the necessary changes to help North Dakota workers and businesses. He worked hard to implement a better tax structure and business climate for our industry and developed the idea for the tax incentive triggers of 75,000 barrels, or 18 months, which has helped encourage oil activity. In addition, he was a leader on the tribal lands issue in 2007 as it struggled to pass through the House. http://www.ndoil.org/?id=160



Plans are underway for the 2010 WBPC – We have begun working on the agenda, expo, and registration plans for the 2010 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference and Expo in Bismarck on May 2–4. We are looking for input on technical presentations, specifically for talks relating to drilling, completion, facility automation, Bakken/Three Forks, pipelines/transportation and other ideas on how to improve the conference. Please provide your input to us at ndpc@ndoil.org. Exhibit reservations and sponsorships will be available January 13, 2010.



The Oil & Gas Research Council Seeks Projects – The next grant round deadline for the Oil & Gas Research Council is November 1, 2009. The Council has $4,000,000 for research and education this biennium and will be giving priority to projects that:



Evaluate fracture treatment of Middle Bakken and Three Forks/Sanish laterals to determine the effect the location of the lateral has on creation of vertical fractures.


Projects that generate pressure isolation data that will assist in the determination of whether or not the Bakken and Three Forks/Sanish are separate reservoirs. The Council is specifically interested in testing Bakken or Three Forks/Sanish wellbores that have not previously been hydraulically fractured.


Projects that test the performance of fracture fluid proppants under Bakken and Three Forks/Sanish reservoir conditions.


The development of new or improved completion techniques in the Bakken and Three Forks Formations.


At the last meeting, the Council approved changes to their policies. These changes and applications for projects can be found at http://www.nd.gov/ndic/ogrp-infopage.htm.



2009 NDMCA Safety & Compliance Programming Offered for FREE - The 2009 North Dakota Motor Carriers Association Safety & Compliance Seminars will be offered for FREE! That’s right! The 2009 NDMCA Safety & Compliance Seminars in Bismarck (October 22-23) and Fargo (October 19-20) will be FREE thanks to a grant from Workforce Safety & Insurance. Four different classes will be offered during the two- day sessions. On day one, there will be a half-day session on DOT Compliance rules and regulations and building on the morning session, there will be a half-day session in the afternoon on Advanced DOT Compliance. On the second day, there will be concurrent sessions in the morning: Annual Vehicle Inspection and a session on CSA 2010, the FMCSA’s new safety auditing program. This session will also include an hour on dealing with sleep apnea. If you have questions, contact Tom Balzer, North Dakota Motor Carriers Association, 701-223-2700. For more information, or to register, go to http://www.ndmca.org/PDF/webbrochure.pdf.



Huge State Land Sale in November - The ND State Land Department’s quarterly oil and gas lease auction is scheduled for November 3 at the State Capitol in Bismarck. It’s shaping up to be one of the largest sales in recent history. Approximately 70,000 acres have been nominated, including 28,000 acres in McKenzie County and nearly 13,000 in Mountrail County. Only three other sales in the 21st century have contained more acres. The Department expects to have a complete sale list established by the first week in October. The sale list will be made available on the agency’s website at www.land.nd.gov.









For more information on any of these issues or to be removed from the mailing list, contact the North Dakota Petroleum Council at

(701) 223-6380, ndpc@ndoil.org, or see www.ndoil.org.







Marsha Reimnitz

North Dakota Petroleum Council

PO Box 1395

Bismarck ND 58502

701.223.6380

701.222.0006 fax

www.ndoil.org

ndpc@ndoil.org



What is a home without children? Too quiet.

Medicare Update

Hello Everyone,

Please enjoy the information contained in this edition of Frontier Focus. Please be sure to share it with your members, colleagues, providers and office billing staff. Thank you for your continued efforts to broadcast Medicare information to the providers in Region VIII.





Table of Contents



1. Special Open Door Forum: Medicare Imaging Demonstration Project



2. FIFTH in a Series of Eight Special Open Door Forums on DMEPOS Competitive Bidding



3. Important Medicare Information About DMEPOS Supplier Accreditation and the Round 1 Rebid of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program



4. New from the Medicare Learning Network®



5. September 27th is World Heart Day!



6. Extra Help for Beneficiaries Paying for Prescription Drugs









~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



1. Special Open Door Forum: Medicare Imaging Demonstration Project



Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Special Open Door Forum:

Medicare Imaging Demonstration Project

Thursday, October 1, 2009

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET



The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is holding a Special Open Door Forum (ODF) to share the proposed key elements of the Medicare Imaging Demonstration design. This demonstration was authorized by Section 135(b) of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) for the purpose of collecting data regarding physician use of advanced diagnostic imaging services. For purposes of this demonstration, advanced diagnostic imaging services are defined as diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and nuclear medicine.



Tentative Agenda:



1. Demonstration overview



2. Advanced imaging procedures



3. Decision Support Systems and guidelines



4. Quality



For a copy of the presentation slides and more general information about the demonstration, please see the demonstration website: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/DemoProjectsEvalRpts/MD/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByDID=-99&sortByDID=3&sortOrder=descending&itemID=CMS1222075&intNumPerPage=10



Telephone participants will be given an opportunity to speak and will be asked to limit comments to 2 minutes.



Interested parties may submit comments or input in written form to ImagingDemo135b@cms.hhs.gov by noon ET on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.

We look forward to your participation.



To participate by phone:

Dial: 1-800-837-1935 & Reference Conference ID: 29805623



Persons participating by phone are not required to RSVP.



Note: TTY Communications Relay Services are available for the Hearing Impaired. For TTY services dial 7-1-1 or 1-800-855-2880. A Relay Communications Assistant will help.

An audio recording of this Special Forum will be posted to the Special Open Door Forum website at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/OpenDoorForums/05_ODF_SpecialODF.asp and will be accessible for downloading beginning Tuesday, October 13, 2009



For automatic emails of Open Door Forum schedule updates, E-Mailing list subscriptions and to view Frequently Asked Questions please visit our website at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/opendoorforums/ .

Thank you for your interest in CMS Open Door Forums.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



2. FIFTH in a Series of Eight Special Open Door Forums on DMEPOS Competitive Bidding



Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Special Open Door Forum:

Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program Bidders’ Conference-

How a Bid is Evaluated



Tuesday, September 29, 2009

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern Time

Conference Call Only



Please join us for the fifth in a series of eight Special Open Door Forum (ODF) bidders’ conferences for the Round 1 Rebid of the Medicare durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) competitive bidding program. At this Special ODF, we will walk through the bid evaluation process. This will include discussions about the components of bid evaluation and calculations of the single payment amounts.



Reminder: Registration for user IDs and passwords is open. We recommend that Backup Authorized Officials register no later than October 9, 2009. The target deadline for Authorized Officials (AO) interested in participating in the Round 1 Rebid to register was September 14, 2009. If you are an AO who has not yet registered – do it TODAY! To register, go to the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) web site: www.dmecompetitivebid.com.



Background:



On August 3, 2009, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) issued the bidding timeline for the Round 1 Rebid of the DMEPOS competitive bidding program and initiated a comprehensive bidder education campaign. CMS’ Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) is the focal point for bidder education. Please visit the CBIC's dedicated website, www.dmecompetitivebid.com, for important information, including bidding rules, user guides, frequently asked questions, policy fact sheets, checklists, and bidding information charts. The CBIC toll-free help desk, 1‑877‑577‑5331, is open to help bidders with all of their questions and concerns. All suppliers interested in bidding are urged to sign up for e-mail updates on the home page of the CBIC website.



We look forward to your participation.

Special Open Door Participation Instructions:

Dial: 1-800-837-1935 & Reference Conference ID: 23045547

Note: TTY Communications Relay Services are available for the Hearing Impaired. For TTY services dial 7-1-1 or 1-800-855-2880. A Relay Communications Assistant will help.



An audio recording of this Special Forum will be posted to the Special Open Door Forum website at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/OpenDoorForums/05_ODF_SpecialODF.asp and will be accessible for downloading beginning Wednesday, October 7, 2009.



For Open Door Forum schedule updates, E-Mailing list subscriptions, and to view Frequently Asked Questions please visit our website at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/opendoorforums/ .



Thank you for your interest in CMS Open Door Forums.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



3. Important Medicare Information About DMEPOS Supplier Accreditation and the Round 1 Rebid of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program



New MLN Matters Article Now Available!



SE0925 - Important Medicare Information about DMEPOS Supplier Accreditation and the Round 1 Rebid of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program

Critical changes are coming that will affect the way Medicare pays for DMEPOS and how Medicare determines who can bill for DMEPOS. This new Special Edition article provides important reminders about some of these changes that will be occurring in the very near future. Suppliers are urged to review this article and be sure they are prepared for these changes in order to continue providing DMEPOS to Medicare patients. For more information, please see the article located at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0925.pdf on the CMS website.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



4. New from the Medicare Learning Network®



Recent MLN Matters articles of particular interest:



· MLN Matters Special Edition Article #SE0926 -- 2009 - 2010 Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Resources for Health Care Professionals

CMS reminds health care professionals that Medicare Part B reimburses health care providers for seasonal flu vaccines and their administration. (Medicare provides coverage of the seasonal flu vaccine without any out-of-pocket costs to the Medicare patient. No deductible or copayment/coinsurance applies.) All adults 65 and older should get seasonal flu and pneumococcal immunizations. People with Medicare who are under 65 but have chronic illness, including heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or end-stage renal disease should get a seasonal flu shot. For more information, please see the article located at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0926.pdf on the CMS website.



· MLN Matters Special Edition Article #SE0923 - Reminder about Correct Billing Changes for Certain Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Residents

This special edition article is being provided because CMS has identified an issue related to the planned implementation of new CMI sets for Fiscal Year 2010. For FY 2010, the payment rate ordering will change for a limited number of residents in rural facilities. For more information, please see the article located at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0923.pdf on the CMS website.

· MLN Matters Special Edition Article #SE0924 – Announcing the Release of the Revised CMS-855 Medicare Enrollment Applications

CMS issued revised Medicare enrollment applications for physicians, non-physician practitioners and other suppliers (except DMEPOS suppliers) using the CMS-855B and/or the CMS-855I to enroll or make a change in their enrollment information. This Special Edition outlines the significant revisions to the Medicare CMS-855B and CMS-855I enrollment applications. For more information, please see the article located at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0924.pdf on the CMS website.

# # # # #

A revised Section 1011: Federal Reimbursement of Emergency Health Services Furnished to Undocumented Aliens Fact Sheet that describes available funding, eligibility and enrollment services to undocumented aliens as detailed in Section 1011 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) is now available in downloadable format from the Medicare Learning Network at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/Section_1011_Fact_Sheet.pdf



# # # # #



The Expanded Benefits Brochure, which provides information about the initial preventive physical examination (IPPE), ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), and cardiovascular screening blood test benefits covered under Medicare, has been newly revised and updated! It is now available on the Medicare Learning Network in a downloadable, printable format at the following address:

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/expanded_benefits.pdf

A printed hardcopy version will be available at a later date. For more products related to Medicare-covered preventive services, please visit our preventive services educational products website at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp .



# # # # #



The Medical Privacy of Protected Health Information Fact Sheet has been updated and is now available through the Medicare Learning Network. This fact sheet contains resources and information regarding the privacy rules provided in the Health Insurance Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). To download this fact sheet, please visit:

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNproducts/downloads/SE0726FactSheet.pdf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



5. September 27th is World Heart Day!



The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is asking the provider community to keep their patients with Medicare healthy by encouraging them to take advantage of Medicare-covered preventive services.



Medicare provides coverage for cardiovascular screening blood tests, ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), and smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling for qualified beneficiaries.

What Can You Do?

As a health care professional who provides care to seniors and others with Medicare, you can help protect the health of your Medicare patients by educating them about their risk factors and reminding them of the importance of Medicare-covered preventive services that are appropriate for them.

For More Information

CMS has developed several educational products related to Medicare-covered preventive services:



o The Guide to Medicare Preventive Services for Physicians, Providers, Suppliers, and Other Health Care Professionals ~ this newly revised comprehensive resource provides coverage and coding information on the array of preventive services and screenings that Medicare covers, including cardiovascular screening blood tests, AAA screenings, and smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/mps_guide_web-061305.pdf

o The MLN Preventive Services Educational Products Web Page ~ provides descriptions and ordering information for Medicare Learning Network (MLN) preventive services educational products and resources for health care professionals and their staff. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp

o Quick Reference Information: Medicare Preventive Services ~ this double-sided chart provides coverage and coding information on Medicare-covered preventive services, including smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling, and AAA and cardiovascular screenings. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/MPS_QuickReferenceChart_1.pdf

o Expanded Benefits brochure ~ this brochure provides information on coverage for Medicare-covered cardiovascular blood test and AAA screenings. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/expanded_benefits.pdf

o Smoking and Tobacco-Use Cessation Counseling brochure ~ this brochure provides information on coverage for Medicare-covered smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling.



Please visit the Medicare Learning Network for more information on these and other Medicare fee-for-service educational products.



Thank you for helping CMS improve the health of patients with Medicare by joining in the effort to educate beneficiaries about the importance of taking advantage of preventive services covered by Medicare.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



6. Extra Help for Beneficiaries Paying for Prescription Drugs



Do You Know Someone Who Is Having Trouble Paying For Prescription Drugs?

Medicare Can Help!



If an individual has limited income and resources, they may qualify for extra help from Medicare. It could be worth over $3,300 in savings on prescription drug costs per year.
Encourage people with Medicare to file for Extra Help online: https://s044a90.ssa.gov/apps6z/i1020/main.html or by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to apply over the phone.
State Health Insurance Information Program (SHIP) offices can assist with the application. Find contact information for a local SHIP Counselor at http://www.medicare.gov/contacts/static/allStateContacts.asp or by calling
1-800-MEDICARE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Lucretia James

Division of Medicare Health Plans Operations
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Region VIII
1600 Broadway, Suite 700
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 844-1568
lucretia.james@cms.hhs.gov

Minot State University Announcements

Sept. 24, 2009 Campus Announcements



Events

MSU Ambassadors and SGA urge MSU and community to ‘Save Someone’s Life’
A Minot State University blood drive, sponsored by the MSU Ambassadors and Student Government Association, is slated for Sept. 29-30 in the Conference Center (Student Center, third floor), 10 a.m.-2 p.m. They encourage everyone to make the time to “Save Someone’s Life” by donating blood.

In North Dakota, it takes 300 blood donations every day to meet hospital patients’ needs. Currently, less than 4 percent of the United States population donates blood to supply the 20 million units needed each year. Meanwhile, the demand is rapidly increasing due to modern surgical techniques and new therapeutic uses for blood.



Free T-shirts, movie passes, blood-pressure checks and cholesterol testing available with every donation.



Although the MSU Ambassadors and SGA would appreciate reservations by donors, walk-ins are welcome. To secure an appointment, call 858-3987 or e-mail ann.rivera@minotstateu.edu.

--Ann Rivera, student activities coordinator



General Information

Advanced Study Grant Program applications due Oct. 30
Minot State University’s support for advanced study is available through the Advanced Study Grant Program. This program provides financial assistance to full-time faculty or staff pursuing course work for degree programs or in skill areas deemed critical to the university. Funding can assist with book expenses, travel expenses or tuition. The deadline for applications is Oct.30.To learn more, go to www.minotstateu.edu/instplan/res03.shtml.Direct questions to 858-3323 or cari.olson@minotstateu.edu.

2009_Adv_Study_Grant_Proposals.pdf


--Cari Olson, academic and institutional projects coordinator



Office of Public Information



The following text is from an Office of Public Information newsletter:



Haaland Paddock, Wilson and Cresap honor Gary Stenehjem

Gary Stenehjem, a Minot State University alumnus and retired music teacher who died May 2, left a legacy of music excellence on Minot and the surrounding region. To honor Stenehjem, three of his former students, along with the Brass Band of Minot, will perform the Brass and Organ Høstfest Festival Concert on Monday (Sept. 28) in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall, 7 p.m.

The three students, Joan Haaland Paddock, Nathan Wilson and Andy Cresap, who have established themselves as music professionals, are all living testaments of Stenehjem’s teaching prowess. Paddock, who previously served as an MSU faculty member, is currently a professor of music at Linfield University in McMinnville, Ore. Wilson will graduate in May 2010 in high brass performance from the University of Oregon, Eugene, with plans to continue his master’s and doctoral work in high brass performance. Cresap will also graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from Bemidji State University; he plans to pursue a master’s degree in trumpet performance.

The concert will also feature several organ compositions, including three that will have the organ performing with the Brass Band of Minot in brass and organ extravaganzas. Wilson and MSU faculty members Kari Files and Selmer Moen are slated to perform as organists.

From his renowned organ skills, to his brass performance and to his conducting skills, Stenehjem touched many lives in his 44 years as a music performer and teacher. Of those lives, thousands were music students. He taught in Ryder, Westhope and Minot. Of his students, several have continued their pursuit of a career in music teaching or performance because of Stenehjem’s instruction and encouragement.

Admission is $10, with the concert’s proceeds being donated to the Gary Stenehjem Organ Scholarship Fund at Minot State University.



MSU in the News

(To inform the MSU community of Minot State items in the media, the Office of Public Information will provide links to items.)



The tradition of having a marching band at Minot State University is being revived. http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/532453.html?nav=5010



In an editorial, the Minot Daily News applauds MSU’s recruiting efforts.

http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/category.detail/nav/5004/Editorials.html



Reminder: Check the campus calendar on the MSU home page for additional events at http://www.minotstateu.edu/.



























































-------------------------------


Public Information Campus Announcements Archives:

http://www.minotstateu.edu/newsletter/archive.php


-------------------------------








7e469985dddf63f41336d9510a252cbf

North Dakota Human Services

NEWS from the North Dakota Department of Human Services



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 23, 2009



Contacts: Carol Cartledge, Public Assistance Program Director, 701-328-4008, or Heather Steffl, Public Information Officer, 701-328-4933



ND Among States that Met Required Federal Work Participation Rate



BISMARCK, N.D. – According to a recent federal Administration for Children and Families report, North Dakota was among 39 states and territories that met federal work participation requirements for its welfare program.



Parents participating in the N.D. Department of Human Services’ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program achieved an overall work participation rate of 58.7 percent in the recent report on federal fiscal year 2007 outcomes. This is an increase of 13.4 percent from the 2006 rate, and means that over half of the 1,525 work-eligible parents in the program were working or participating in approved work activities for at least 20 hours per week.



Twelve states and three territories failed to meet work participation rates and could be subject to a potential penalty.



The TANF program provides temporary financial help to qualifying low-income families with children who are deprived of the support of at least one parent. This may be due to a parent’s absence from the home or a disability. Childless adults do not qualify for the TANF program.



Federal welfare reform in 1998 created the TANF program. It requires many adult TANF clients to work; and placed a 60-month lifetime limit on benefits. The North Dakota Department of Human Services contracts with Career Options, Job Service North Dakota, and Tribal Employment and Training in Belcourt, N.D., to provide the services that help TANF clients overcome barriers to employment, and find and keep jobs.



In July 2009, a total of 5,461 North Dakotans received TANF public assistance; 4,225 of them were children. Qualifying households tend to have household incomes of about 29 percent of the federal poverty level.



The average monthly TANF payment per family was $313 in July 2009. Participating families may qualify for other economic assistance programs.



The report is online at:

www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/policy/im-ofa/2009/200901/IM200901.htm



# # #





Heather Steffl, Public Information Officer

N.D. Department of Human Services

701-328-4933 / hsteffl@nd.gov

www.nd.gov/dhs

Information for US Teachers

AACTE Weekly News Briefs | September 22, 2009
. . . delivered to your inbox so you can enjoy up-to-date news on colleges of education, teaching and the classroom, legislation, STEM teacher issues, grants, and upcoming events. Please click on linked headlines for full story.

AACTE ANNOUNCEMENTS

2010 AACTE Awards Entry Deadline: October 2
Don't miss the chance to gain national recognition for your program! Submit your application for the 2010 AACTE Best Practice Awards by October 2.

Early Bird Registration Open for 62nd Annual Meeting & Exhibits
Come to Atlanta for AACTE's 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibits! Register by October 30 and save $70.

NATIONAL NEWS

Defining 'College Ready,' Nationally
From Inside Higher Ed
The Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association have released common standards for core curriculums in mathematics and reading and writing that could create a set of widely embraced national (but not federal) standards for what high school students need to know to be "college ready" or to have the skills to enter the work force. (Comments are invited through October 21.)

Leading Education Associations Propose Comprehensive Approach to Measuring School Turnarounds
From Reuters
The Learning First Alliance, a partnership of 17 major national education associations including AACTE, has released principles for tracking efforts to turn around the nation's lowest-performing schools. Principles for Measuring the Performance of Turnaround Schools outlines how education agencies and communities can determine whether turnaround efforts are leading to both swift improvement and sustained change in persistently struggling schools.

Panel Urges Attention to Adolescent Literacy
From Education Week
A new report from the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy calls for a "re-engineering" of the nation's approach to adolescent literacy, saying nothing short of a "literacy revolution" is needed to keep students in school and ensure that they are able to learn the complex material that college and careers will demand of them.

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs
From The New York Times
Tucked away in an $87 billion higher education bill that passed the House last week was a broad new federal initiative aimed not at benefiting college students, but at raising quality in the early learning and care programs that serve children from birth through age 5. The initiative, the Early Learning Challenge Fund, would channel $8 billion over eight years to states with plans to improve standards, training and oversight of programs serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Which Came First – The Technology or the Pedagogy?
From THE Journal
Why is a generation of teachers more knowledgeable about technology than any before it arriving in classrooms with little understanding of how to teach with it? The "technological pedagogical content knowledge" or TPACK approach is a dramatic change from earlier methods that focused on the tool, not the instruction.

Schools Look Abroad to Hire Teachers
From The New York Times
Some American school districts have turned increasingly to overseas recruiting to find teachers willing to work in their hard-to-staff schools, according to a new report by the American Federation of Teachers. The report used government data to estimate that 19,000 foreign teachers were working in the United States on temporary visas in 2007, and that the number was rising steadily.

House Votes to End Subsidies to Student Loan Firms
From The Washington Post
The Democratic-led House approved a bill Thursday that would overhaul college lending and spend tens of billions of dollars on student grants, community colleges, school construction and early childhood education.

Principals Linked to Retention
From the Augusta Chronicle (GA)
Recent research shows the quality of principals has more to do with teacher retention – and student performance – than any other factor, including pay. The reasons teachers stay were identified in a recent study published in the Journal of Teacher Education by three researchers from Georgia State University.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

Study Examines Fla. ABCTE Candidates' Impact on Achievement
From "Teacher Beat" (Education Week Blog)
Mathematica Policy Research has a report out looking at a small group of Florida teachers who earned their teaching credentials through the American Board for the Certification of Teacher Excellence program. Students taught by the 25 English language-arts teachers studied did not have statistically different achievement results on the state test than those students taught by a "matched" comparison group on non-ABCTE teachers with similar characteristics. But students of the 18 ABCTE teachers scored lower than their counterparts in math by about 25 percent of a standard deviation.

Louisiana Regents Study Measures Effectiveness of New Teachers
From the Louisiana Board of Regents (Press Release)
Nine teacher education programs learned how well they prepare their graduates to teach students mathematics, science, social studies, language arts and reading during an August 27 presentation to the Board of Regents. Louisiana has gained national attention as one of the first states in the country to link student achievement to teacher preparation programs.

Harvard to Offer a Doctorate in Education Leadership
From The Boston Globe
The Harvard Graduate School of Education will offer a new, tuition-free doctoral degree in education leadership, its first new degree in 74 years. It will be taught by faculty from the education school, Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. The program aims to train graduates for senior leadership roles in school systems, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, school officials said.

ASU Creates K-12 Charter Schools
From The Arizona Republic
Wanting a research pipeline and college-prepared students, Arizona State University officials are creating their own K-12 charter schools. Universities around the country are doing the same, and the University of California-Davis, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Stanford, University of Chicago and others have started high schools in recent years – all focused on steering disadvantaged kids toward the university gates.

Obscure Database Is Key to U.S. Educational Funds for California
From the Los Angeles Times
California's chance to receive hundreds of millions of federal educational dollars may rest heavily on an obscure and long-neglected piece of education infrastructure: a statewide data system that tracks students, teachers and administrators year to year.

Klein Pressures Principals to Hire Reserve Pool's Teachers
From The New York Times
With more than 1,500 existing teachers on the city's payroll without permanent job placements, the schools chancellor, Joel I. Klein, has told principals that if they do not fill those jobs by the end of next month, they will lose any money they had allocated for their teacher vacancies.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS

International Reading Association Calls for Final Comment on Draft Standards
The International Reading Association has posted a final draft of its revised Standards for Reading Professionals, to take effect in fall 2010 with program review for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Comments are due by November 1.

Progress Monitoring Within an RTI Model
From the RTI Action Update
In the context of an RTI prevention model, progress monitoring is used to assess student progress or performance in those areas in which they were identified by universal screening as being at-risk for failure. It is crucial that schools and districts support data-driven approaches and make training available to all teachers.

Reminder: Second Closing Date for TQP Grant Competition
The U.S. Department of Education has announced a second closing date for the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant program competition: October 6. This date was set up to accommodate applicants affected by the technical amendments that Congress passed in July. Two amendments impacted the TQP grant program – extending the 12-month teacher residency program to 18 months and allowing 5th-year initial licensing programs to participate in the prebaccalaureate activity. However, all eligible partnerships may apply in this round of the competition.

Fulbright Applications Available for 2010-2011
October 15, 2009: Application deadline for Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program
January 15, 2010: Application deadline for Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching
Visit www.fulbrightteacherexchange.org for application forms and more information on both programs.




Click Here to unsubscribe.