Extension Council Training

Extension Council Day on Campus

Plan now to attend the Extension Council Day on Campus on September 13, 2024!

Learn more!

Resources from the 2024 Extension Council Conference

The resources shared at the 2024 Extension Council Conference are now available.

Upcoming Trainings

Sept. 13 - Extension Council Day on Campus

Extension Council Conferences

Recordings and materials from the breakout sessions of past conferences.

3-Minute Videos

This series is intended for council members to learn more about various topics related to their responsibilities as council members.  Watch together at a council meeting - or on your own. 

View 3-Minute Videos

Tip for Video Content

If you don't have time to view a video in its entirety, check to see if the video has chapters.  Just click on the  (bulleted list icon) on the bottom right corner of your Vimeo player.

Webinars

Legal Resources

Various Topics

There are several webinar recordings and documents available on our password-protected Legal Resources page.  These resources were developed by Whitfield & Eddy Law specifically with county extension councils in mind.  They have been curated from past council training sessions and in response to council needs and requests.

To request the password, please contact Jennifer Vit or Julie Baumler and note on which county extension council you serve.

Topics Include:

Legal Update 2024

  • Real Estate
  • Federal Laws/Regulations about Pay
  • 28E Agreements
  • Subpoenas
  • Employee Performance and Improvement Strategies (including PIPs)
  • Conflicts of Interest

Employment Law

  • Is It Legal? (2023)
  • Best Practices for Personnel Committees and Personnel Records
  • Hiring, Firing, and Managing Staff
  • Is This Legal? (2022)
  • Fair Labor Standards
  • ABCs of Employment Law
  • Family Medical Leave Act Basics

Council Operations

  • Conflicts of Interest for County Extension Councils and County Employees
  • Is It Legal? (2023)
  • Custodian of Public Record

Additional legal webinars

  • Divorce, Custody, and Family Law

Personnel

Employer Update - May 20, 2024

Topics include Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) salary thresholds, independent contractors, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and employees as volunteers.

NOTE: There are "Chapters" in the video for each of the four topics.  Click on the bulleted list icon  on the video player to access the chapter feature.

Fair Labor Standards Act - Overtime: This is the FLSA portion of the full employers update that provides information and updates about the overtime laws and thresholds.
Fair Labor Standards Act - Independent Contractors: This is the portion of the full employers update that provides information about changes to how the FLSA defines independent contractors.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act - This is the portion of the employer update that covers the PWFA including responsibilities of the employer and supervisor.
Employees in Volunteer Roles - This is the portion of the Employer Update that covers the legal opinion concerning employees serving as volunteers.

Resources

Best Practices for Personnel Committees and Personnel Records

This webinar can be found on the password-protected Legal Resources page.

Clarifying Discrimination Complaint Questions

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor Regenea Hurte and HR Partner Ruth Appleton share some insights on what discrimination is and looks like, the process for reporting concerns, and some available resources to help staff navigate those concerns. From the September 12, 2022 Second Monday Live for Extension and Outreach staff

Finance

Property Tax Impacts for Extension Districts

Ag Extension Districts in Iowa rely on property taxes as the major source of revenue. This webinar explores Iowa’s property tax landscape in terms of property tax assessment and valuation by property class; trends across small, medium, and large-sized communities; and revenue implications of these trends on Extension Districts. Note: The main content of the webinar is in the first 31 minutes; the remainder of the time is breakout session activity and Q/A wrap-up.

Carryover Projection & Usage

Instructs how councils can use a carryover analysis to do year-end financial planning. 

Resources

Extension Council Fiduciary Responsibilities

State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand and citizens of Iowa explain fiduciary responsibilities of our elected extension council members. 

Resources

Program

Behavior & Rule Management for Fairs and Events

In December 2021, Iowa 4-H implemented Positive Youth Development guidelines to aid county extension staff and extension councils in navigating possible behavior and rule infractions as they pertain to fairs and events. This webinar is a joint endeavor from IECA and Iowa 4-H to inform council members of the new guidance issued by Iowa 4-H.  The training, held on January 11, 2022 for an extension council audience, is facilitated by Mike Anderson, State Ag & Natural Resources Program Manager for Iowa 4-H Youth Development.

Resources


What Every Council Needs to Know About 4-H

This webinar series is a joint endeavor between IECA and Iowa 4-H to share with council members some basic information about the 4-H program.  The trainings are facilitated by Jen Hargrove, Positive Youth Development & Vibrant Clubs Specialist for Iowa 4-H Youth Development.

Part I: Community Clubs

The full webinar recording is around 53 minutes in length.  For specific segments of the recording, please see the list of video clips (length of video in minutes:seconds is listed after each segment):

Resources

Part II: K-12 Outreach

Council Operations 

Council Meetings

Margaret E. Johnson, JD, Deputy Director of the Iowa Public Information Board explains the importance of Iowa Sunshine Laws pertaining to extension councils.

Resources

Civil Rights

Serving All Iowans

Presentation and discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion in our councils and our programs.

The Next Step in Civil Rights: Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity

Insight on how being culturally aware and sensitive helps Extension Districts continue to move forward in meeting our vision and mission goal of Serving All Iowans. 

Resources

 

Training Documents & Written Resources

  • Extension Council Learning Modules | Appendix 6 of the Extension Council Reference Manual contains several modules on various topics
  • Extension Council Member Roles and Responsibilities | Outlines roles and responsibilities of councils and individual members
  • Professional Development Newsletter | Includes training opportunities for staff and council members
  • Legal Resources | Includes resources for employee separation, employees as volunteers, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), FLSA - Overtime Fact Sheet, Mediation, and Family Medical Leave Act. Note: The universal password is required to access this page. Contact IECA if you need a reminder of the universal password.

Extension and Outreach Professional Development

County Extension Council members can access professional development opportunities through Extension and Outreach's Professional Development unit at the same cost that staff members can access these programs.  Council members interested in Professional Development's program offerings should work with their county extension council and their county or regional director to determine how training should be paid for.

Additionally, the Professional Development team is willing to travel if a county or region is interested in bringing the training to your location.  Contact the respective trainer—listed on each of the program pages—to set up mutually agreed on date/time and assure they can meet the minimum expected participants, or contact Professional Development Manager Karina Silva if unsure who to reach out to for a particular program.