<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(j)

                              SECOND AMENDMENT TO
                          REPUBLIC GROUP INCORPORATED
                        KEY EMPLOYEE CONTINUATION PLAN

     This Amendment is hereby adopted by Republic Group Incorporated (the
"Corporation"), a Delaware corporation having its principal office in
Hutchinson, Kansas.

                                   RECITALS

     WHEREAS, the Corporation previously adopted the Republic Group Incorporated
Key Employee Continuation Plan (the "Plan"); and

     WHEREAS, the Corporation desires to amend the definition of "change in
control" in the Plan; and

     NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to paragraph 2 of the Plan, the following
Amendment is hereby made and shall be effective as specifically stated herein.

     1.   Effective June 15, 2000, the definition of "Change in Control" in
paragraph 3 of the Plan shall be revised to hereinafter be and read as follows:

          "Change in Control' means a change in the beneficial ownership of the
     Company's voting stock or a change in the composition of the Board which
     occurs as follows:

     (a)  any "person" (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of
          the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), other than the Company, an
          executive officer of the Company or his Affiliates, any employee
          benefit plan of the Company, or any trustee of such a plan, is or
          becomes a beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of stock of the
          Company representing thirty-five percent (35%) or more of the total
          voting power of the Company" then outstanding voting stock.
          "Affiliates" refers to those persons defined in Rule 12b-2 under the
          Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended;

     (b)  a tender offer (for which a filing has been made with the Securities
          and Exchange Commission ("SEC") which purports to comply with the
          requirements of Section 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
          and the corresponding SEC rules) is made for the stock of the Company,
          which has not been negotiated and approved by the Board, provided that
          in the case of a tender offer described in this paragraph (ii), the
          Change in Control will be deemed to have occurred upon the first to
          occur of (a) any time during the offer when the person (using the
          definition in (i) above) making the offer owns or has accepted for
          payment stock of the Company with thirty-five percent (35%) of the
          total voting power of the Company's stock or (b) three (3) business
          days before the offer is to terminate unless the offer is withdrawn
          first, if the person making the offer could own, by the terms of the
          offer plus any shares owned by this person, stock with
<PAGE>

          thirty-five percent (35%) or more of the total voting power of the
          Company's stock when the offer terminates;

     (c)  individuals who were the board's nominees for election as directors of
          the Company immediately prior to a meeting of the stockholders of the
          Company involving a contest for the election of directors shall not
          constitute a majority of the Board following the election;

     (d)  there occurs a reorganization, merger or consolidation or other
          corporate transaction involving the Company (a "Transaction"), with
          respect to which the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to
          such Transaction do not, immediately after the Transaction, own more
          than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the Company
          or other corporation resulting from such Transaction; or

     (e)  all or substantially all of the assets of the Company are sold,
          liquidated or distributed.

For purposes hereof, a person will be deemed to be the beneficial owner of any
voting securities of the Company which it would be considered to own
beneficially under SEC Rule 13d-3 (or any similar or superseding statute or
rule) from time to time in effect."

2.   Effective June 15, 2000, the following sentence is added to paragraph 5 of
the Plan:

     "Provided, however, that if the Participant is also a participant in the
Company's Retention Bonus Plan, the amount of his Termination Payment hereunder
shall be reduced by 50% of the retention bonus amount to which he becomes
entitled under the Retention Bonus Plan."

3.   Effective June 15, 2000, the last sentence of paragraph 8 of the Plan shall
be revised to hereinafter be and read as follows:

     "Notwithstanding this provision, the Termination Payment may be reduced as
provided in paragraphs 5 and 6 of the Plan."

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this instrument was executed on this the 6th day of
June, 2000.

                                        EMPLOYER:

                                        REPUBLIC GROUP INCORPORATED



                                        By: /s/ Phil Simpson
                                           -----------------------------
                                        Name:   Phil Simpson
                                             ---------------------------
                                        Its:    Chairman of the Board
                                            ----------------------------