Required Action: Sept. 19 Regional Meeting Evaluation

In order to best plan for future agency meetings, we need your feedback from the all-agency regional meetings on September 19. Please use the link below to complete a short evaluation. Thank you for your input. http://tp2.aea11.k12.ia.us/018/September19thEvaluation.tp4

Memo of Understanding Between HEA and Heartland AEA

Attached is a Memorandum of Understanding (memo) between the Heartland Education Association and Heartland Area Education Agency. This agreement modifies the comprehensive agreement as it applies to certified union employees. The HEA and AEA boards each approved this memo.
The memo addresses the following topics:
• Dues Deduction for HEA Members
• Team Leader Position
• Teacher Quality Compensation Fund Distribution
• Phase II Distribution

Phase II amount is approximately $745 per full-time certified union employee for this fiscal year. That is about $41 per pay period. This is prorated down for part-time staff. Teacher Quality (TQ) funds will be paid in two components each pay period. The first component is equal amounts based on FTE, which is approximately $122 per pay period. The second component is a factor based on your individualized salary to be approximately 4% of your salary divided by 18 pay periods. For example TQ = your salary x .04 / 18 + $122 = the estimated TQ disbursement for a full-time employee per pay period.

Click here for the Memo of Understanding

6445 Administration Building Update

The remodeling of the administration building at 6445 Corporate Drive is on schedule. New photos are available on the Intranet under the Facilities tab. Here is an update of the work in progress.

Construction Elements

• Steel studs are in place and the ceiling framing with steel studs is done.
• Concrete curbs and sidewalks have been poured.
• Brick layers will be finished shortly.
• Phone line conduit has been installed.
• The plumbers are working on rough-ins.
• Pigott has measured for walls.

Mechanical

• Six geothermal wells still need to be drilled. (There will be around 30 wells when we are done.)
• Heat pumps will be delivered the last week of September.
• Ducts will be started soon, although many ducts will wait for heat pumps.
• Geo-piping is in progress.

Electrical

• The transformer pad has been poured.

Investing 101 Seminars to be Offered

The 403(b) committee has scheduled Robbie Stoecker from the Iowa Department of Administrative Services' Retirement Investors' Club (RIC) to conduct an Investing 101 seminar. Due to Robbie's schedule, there were a limited number of dates she was available to present.
The seminars will be held on:

• October 10 from 2-4 p.m. at the Woodside office
• October 24 from 2-4 p.m. at the Johnston office

The October 24 seminar will be an ICN session originating from the Johnston office. Additional ICN sites for the seminar will be announced in next week's Connection. The sessions will be recorded and will be made available for staff members to view in the future. If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Martin at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or Steve Jordan at sjordan@aea11.k12.ia.us.

403(b) News: AIG Update

AIG (American International Group) is one of the six vendors available to Heartland beginning January 1, 2009, under the Iowa Department of Administrative Services' 403(b) plan. Last week you likely heard or read about concerns regarding the financial strength of AIG. Click here to connect to the Retirement Investors Club (RIC) to learn more about AIG.

Heartland & IPTV to Host Blood Drive

Heartland AEA and Iowa Public Television are sponsoring a blood drive in Johnston on Friday, October 3. The Bloodmobile will be parked at the Iowa Public Television parking lot from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on this day.

Do you support the Iowa Hawkeyes? Cheer for the ISU Cyclones? Faithfully follow the UNI Panthers? Show the community your team spirit! The Blood Center of Iowa is currently running their “What Color Do You Bleed?” promotion. Donors can earn window clings, caps and shirts in their favorite team colors. Donors must be in good general health, weigh at least 120 pounds and bring either photo identification or a Blood Donor Identification card. To schedule an appointment to donate, please contact Steve Zimmerman, Benefits and Human Resources Specialist, at szimmerman@aea11.k12.ia.us or at ext. 14534.

Technology Update

Kerio Access Reminder
We know that many staff members are mobile and need access to their Kerio calendar at locations where they do not have Internet access. Please contact Mike Permann in the Tech Support Department at mpermann@aea11.k12.ia.us or at ext. 14767 in the Johnston office for assistance in determining what options may be available for you. It will be best to do this on a case-by-case basis as there are many variables that will need to be discussed. Mike can also provide assistance if you have or are considering purchasing a PDA (personal digital assistant) or Smartphone (PDA and cell phone). Kerio supports syncing many different devices. Some devices can sync wirelessly to the Kerio server and some require syncing through your computer.

4D Server Maintenance Schedule
Heartland’s Technology Team has established a systems maintenance schedule for the agency's 4D servers. On Thursdays after 3:00 p.m. one or more of the 4D databases may be taken down for routine maintenance. Technology staff members will give users who are logged on a five-minute warning before the server is taken down. This applies to all 30 of Heartland’s 4D databases, including LEA, SSLog, Resource Scheduler, Production, Shelter Care, Baby Audio, IFSP and Universal Registration. Downtime will be anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the maintenance being performed. Please understand that not all 4D applications will come down at once, just a few each Thursday. Most of the databases will be unaffected. If you have any questions or problems with this maintenance schedule, please contact Lori Thelen at lthelen@aea11.k12.ia.us or at ext. 14669 or Truong Dao at truong_dao@aea11.k12.ia.us or at ext. 14542 in the Johnston office.

"Goodies" From Sept. 19 Meeting

We wanted to give credit to the Iowa Educators Consortium for providing the "goodies" that were in the reusable bags given to staff members at the Sept. 19 office meetings. The reusable bags are a thank you to staff members for your hard work. They are also part of the agency's effort to promote a green environment. The cost was minimal, but the effect they can have if used correctly can be substantial. We hope you will use them and forgo the plastic and paper bags that are normally used by stores.

“Go Green” Tip of the Week

Using less gasoline is good for the environment and will save you money. Did you know that properly inflating your car tires can increase your fuel efficiency? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, proper tire inflation can increase your gas mileage up to 3.3 percent, saving about nine cents per gallon at the gas pump. Proper tire inflation can also reduce tire wear, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve vehicle handling and safety.

Here are a few tips for keeping your tires properly inflated:

• Check your tire pressure at least once a month.
• Check for excessive or uneven wear on your tires when you check your pressure.
• Check the tire pressure when the car hasn’t been driven for at least three hours. Driving warms the tires, causing the air pressure to increase and pressure readings to be inaccurate.
• Use the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. This is usually found in the owner’s manual or vehicle certification label. Do not use the maximum pressure rating listed on the tire itself.

Visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml for more tips on improving your fuel economy.