Maxine’s Message

Hitting the Pause Button
Being out of the office was like hitting the pause button on the television. It’s a rare opportunity and a gift. I recommend that you try it, not by having surgery so that you are out of the office, but by setting aside some time for reflection. You work very hard. You think about work. You dream about work. You think about how you could do even more. You worry that you haven’t done enough. You constantly strive for perfection and the highest degree of excellence. You are dedicated to each other and to those you serve. In addition to the pressure of work the Wall Street/Main Street/recession events, family concerns and sometimes health issues crowd into your thoughts. Why not take some time out and ask yourself the following questions. Find a buddy or peer and do it together.

• Is your life in balance? Do you have personal, social and family time scheduled at least weekly?
• Are you fully present in conversations?
• How well are you sleeping?
• Are you enjoying life?
• Do you feel you are making a difference?
• On a scale of one to ten with ten being high, how much life energy do you have? • Is everything that you are doing absolutely necessary? Is the investment of time and talent achieving results commensurate with effort?
• Who else could do some of the tasks?
• How good is good enough?
• What could happen if you made some changes?
• How could you carve out time for yourself?
• What will happen if you don’t change your habits? How high will the price be?

It may seem strange to you that I am using my column for this purpose. It’s perfectly sensible from my point of view because while the work we do is critical and makes a powerful difference for those we serve, it is vitally important that you have balance in your life and that you enjoy your friends, family and colleagues. As Jim Stumme used to say all the time, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Think ten years from now. Imagine what you would say about family, friends, community and/or your accomplishments. Is the life you are living now going to create those memories? Decide what counts. Begin making change. Make the most of every day.

Hitting the Pause Button: Construction
Another area where we are about to hit the pause button is construction projects at the Agency. Since July 2006, Heartland has completed the construction of the Adel office, and the 6445 remodeling is scheduled for completion by late December. The purpose of these construction projects was to improve working conditions for staff, ensure fiscal responsibility of facilities use and costs, transform the use of space from warehousing and storage to teaching and learning and attend to health and safety issues.

Adel is complete and now it’s important to remember the original impetus for remodeling 6445 and 6500. First, more space for educational activities is desperately needed. The Agency has very little professional development space and what is available does not meet our need for quality. Second, the Agency is spending a lot of money renting a broad range of facilities (churches, hotel space, etc.). The Agency gets no return on investment and people have to drive to locations farther from their offices and homes.

Third, the 6500 building has a roof that leaks and needs major repairs/replacement. The HVAC system is not functional and does not ensure that we have comfortable working conditions. Carpeting is buckling throughout the building. The electrical system is maxed out and the servers are in danger of being destroyed by sprinkler systems. The water pressure is low and this has a major impact on the odor in the restrooms, as it’s difficult to flush things out of the system. The 6500 building hasn’t had major work done in over 25 years and must be repaired. Fourth, utilization of space is weighted toward storage and warehousing materials not instruction. Next, the configuration of the building is not client-centered. We need client services right at the front door, readily accessible. We also must take Woodside into consideration as it costs the Agency about $200,000 per year and after the money is spent, we have no investment in property. So in summary, remodeling is necessary for financial, health, safety and needs for improved working conditions.

The 6445 building will be the administration center. It is designed so that staff services are front and center, and offices are in the rear of the building. The staff members who are moving will have smaller spaces with smaller workstations. Therefore, it is not possible to move the modular furniture currently being used in 6500 to 6445. This paring down is by design to create more space for the Education Center.

Please know that we are also working on several regional improvements and have been for several months. They are still very much part of the conversation. It’s about everyone’s needs, not just Johnston’s.

Right now in the midst of the process, economic conditions across the nation and within Iowa have changed. The needs have not changed, however, and therefore, we must pause and re-evaluate the situation. There are several options such as putting everything on hold, moving ahead with the expenditures knowing that in this economy there will be very competitive bidding or finding another location.

The Board will meet in a work session in November to discuss information presented by Steve Prall. We will keep you posted on the Board’s directions. This “pause” is prudent, and at the same time, raises my level of concern, as I promised that working conditions would improve. I am asking for your patience as the agency progresses through a decision-making process about what to do next. Your input on this is welcome, and I encourage you to send me your suggestions and ideas.

Hitting the Pause Button: Compensation
In light of the current economic climate, Laura Gillon, Steve Prall, Sheila King, Cindy Yelick and I have made a request to the board executive committee that we receive no salary increases for 2009-2010. It is our way of acknowledging the current state of the budget.

Hitting the Pause Button: Those in Need
Many of us are contributing to charitable organizations and schools this fall, perhaps now more than ever because food pantries are empty and winter is coming so children and adults need warm clothing. This is important and necessary. It has come to my attention that we may also have people in need of food or clothing working here at Heartland. Some of you may need food or clothing for you or your children. If this is the case, please contact me at mkilcrease@aea11.k12.ia.us and identify your needs. I will keep the information confidential within my office (Jenny Ugolini, Terri Barnes and me). We will then request what’s needed and then address those needs confidentially. We will arrange for items to be delivered or picked up in a way that protects your privacy. Or, if you know an employee who needs something and would not ask for it, I think we should also address those needs, again, protecting privacy. It’s a good thing to help organizations and people outside the agency, but we need to take care of Heartland staff, too.

Hitting the Pause Button: Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is this month and as a nation, thankfulness is a major focus. I, like others at Heartland, am very grateful for my job at Heartland, especially as so many around me are losing jobs, benefits and even their homes. Heartland provides stable employment and an excellent compensation package (salary, health and prescription insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, long-term disability insurance, Iowa Public Employees Retirement System contributions, salary and more leave days than any other organization where I have been employed) (18 sick days, three other paid leave days, two floating days for year-round employees, the Friday following Thanksgiving for year-round employees, six holidays, up to five days for bereavement and professional leave). I’m also thankful for every one of you, for your dedication, the high quality services you provide and the difference you make for children, families, teachers, administrators and our partners. I wish you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving and hope that you will take time to pause. It’s a good thing.

All the best, Maxine

Required Action: Send in Your Staff Handbook Receipt

There are many people who have not turned in their staff handbook receipt for 2008-09. Please send your receipt to Carolyn Jones in the Johnston office by November 10.

Click here for the handbook receipt.

Frequently Asked Questions About Heartland’s Performance Evaluation System

A frequently asked questions guide has been put together surrounding Heartland’s performance evaluation system. If you have any questions, contact Julie Schendel, Program Leader for Career Development, at ext. 14349 or at jschendel@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Click here for the FAQ page.

New Diversity Books Available

As a welcome to Heartland, books were given as door prizes to some new staff this fall. We thought all staff would be interested in these inspiring (and sometimes troubling) stories. Check out from the professional library.

• Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction / by David Sheff
• Hope’s Boy: A memoir / by Andrew Bridge
• Brother, I’m Dying / by Edwidge Dantica
• Infidel / by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World / by Tracy Kidder
• Skin Between Us: A Memoir of Race, Beauty, and Belonging / by Kym Ragusa
• Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down / by Anne Fadiman
• Three Little Words: A Memoir / by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Click here for a description of each of the books.

Tribal Leadership Free Audiobook Download

A free audio download is available of Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan. This download includes an audio foreword with Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, talking with the author about organizational culture and core values. This book draws upon research from a 10-year study of more than 24,000 people in two dozen organizations. It argues that tribes have the greatest influence in determining the culture of an organization how much and what quality work gets done.

The authors identify the five stages of employee tribal development—Life sucks, My life sucks, I'm great and you're not, We're great and Life is great—and offer advice on how to manage these groups.

Go to http://www.zappos.com/tribal.zhtml. It requires a brief registration process. You can download the entire book or separate files for each chapter.

Technology Update

PeopleBox Online is Here!!
We are proud to announce the launching of our new “PeopleBox Online,” the Web interface for PeopleBox, which permits instant access to the data in PeopleBox (formerly known as LEA Database) without requiring you to bring up 4D Client. Instead, you may access it with any Web browser. We have placed a link for the system at the bottom of Heartland’s home page, near the Employee Dashboard link. The new system is only available for Heartland staff and requires a log-in.

We have set up user entries for most agency staff using e-mail passwords. If you have any problems logging in the first time, please contact our IT team members in Johnston, Maureen Whited (ext. 14533 or mwhited@aea11.k12.ia.us or Lori Thelen ext. 14669 or lthelen@aea11.k12.ia.us). Once you log-in, you will be able to change your password. The new system allows you to:

• Quickly search and sort on either Heartland or district staff or both.
• Create and manage your own “groups.”
• Send e-mails directly from the interface (no Kerio interaction required).
• Print labels for groups.
• Share your groups with other Heartland staff members.

Please keep in mind we are currently working to make the data as accurate and reliable as possible. We will soon begin our annual effort to update all school information with a new Web interface for the schools. In the meantime, if you notice any errors or omissions, please notify Chrissy Bradley for Heartland staff issues or Sherise Ahlers for district staff information.

Click here to learn more about how to use PeopleBox Online.

“Go Green” Tip of the Week

The Basics of Recycling Plastic
In the early 1900s, Leo Baekeland, a Belgian scientist living in the state of New York, invented plastic. This invention caused a lot of excitement—not only did it turn out to be clean, inexpensive and strong—but it proved to be long lasting. In fact, it is so long lasting that it may never go away. Getting rid of plastic waste creates environmental concerns and problems.

Click here to read more about recycling plastic.