Background Information on Two New Dept. of Education-Funded Positions

The Iowa Department of Education (DE) has requested that Heartland hire two full-time practitioners using grant funds from the DE. These positions would be in place while funding continues, likely three years. These positions are an opportunity for staff to work in an area of interest and to grow their skills. The positions are the following:

1. A practitioner to provide services to the DE to assist them in running, maintaining and developing the EdInsight statewide data warehouse. All current certified union staff will be eligible to apply for the position, and it will be filled by a person with technical, assessment and computer skills. If a suitable internal candidate cannot be found, it will then be open to external candidates. See last week’s Vacancy Notice for details.

2. A practitioner to provide professional development, technical assistance and support in the area of learning supports. This individual is intended to serve all schools participating in the State’s Safe and Drug Free Schools grant (as well as others in our AEA), which means the DE’s assumption is that these duties are agency-wide. All current certified union staff will be eligible to apply for the position. The position will be filled by a person with a background in social-emotional learning. If a suitable internal candidate cannot be found, it will then be open to external candidates. See last week’s Vacancy Notice for details.

Because the positions are grant funded, it is anticipated that staff members will want to know what could happen when grant funds are discontinued.

• First, the Agency is committed to retaining its staff. The individual would be transferred into an opening that matches his/her knowledge, skills, abilities and certification, assuming there are openings from increases in agency FTE, retirements, resignations, etc.
• Second, if transfer were not possible, staff reduction procedures in Article 12 of the comprehensive agreement would be used to determine the appropriate person to be reduced. Thus, the person reduced may or may not be the person in the grant funded position depending of the circumstances at the time. (The person reduced would also have recall rights as described in Article 12.)

In other words, the nature of funding of a position alone does not change the continuation of an individual’s contract, as Article 12 procedures are to be followed given the facts and circumstances at that time. The Agency has invested much in the development and training of its staff and would strive to retain the staff member if at all possible.

Please direct any questions about these opportunities to Dave Tilly at dtilly@aea11.k12.ia.us or Sheila King at sking@aea11.k12.ia.us.