August Board of Directors Meeting Recap

The August 2009 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting was held on August 11, 2009.

Board member Margaret Borgen presented a list of six legislative priorities for approval by board members. The final list of 2010 legislative priorities includes the following:
1. Sustain funding for school improvement.
2. Set an allowable growth rate that encourages continuous school improvement and reflects actual cost increases experienced by school districts and AEAs.
3. Create policy and a separate funding mechanism for the operation and maintenance of AEA facilities.
4. Increase funding for accredited early childhood programs, particularly four-year old preschool and wrap-around programs.
5. Establish special education funding that accurately reflects costs.
6. Retain local district/AEA control of cash reserves and fund balances.

Grace Bargstadt, Director of Special Education, shared special education updates with the Board including recent changes to Child Find, a program designed to locate, identify and refer children with disabilities and in need of services. Topics included the following:

• Advisory councils for parents are in the process of being developed. It is anticipated that by spring 2010, parent advisory councils will be established in a regional configuration. The councils will be made up of parents and AEA and LEA district stakeholders.
• A complaint has been filed with the Department of Education (DE) from parents within Heartland's area. Those filing the complaint wanted to know how partnership directors and staff were being utilized and how they were organized within the Agency. The DE will submit its outcome of the investigation to Heartland by August 21, 2010.
• Ms. Bargstadt met last week with administrators from the West Des Moines Community School District. Time was spent discussing how the Agency could support their district. Administrators from West Des Moines expressed their gratitude for the Agency's partnership model and the staff from the AEA who serve their students and teachers.
• Forty staff members have been designated as Autism Resource Team members this fall. These employees were selected based on their professional course work, interviews, skill level and competence. The resource team is modeled after the University of Iowa's Regional Autism Services Program. Team members are regionally located and will have additional professional development throughout the year in order to keep their skills strong and cutting-edge.

AEA staff members are being trained on new Child Find requirements. Child Find has been part of Special Education processes since the inception of the law. During the course of the last two years, the AEA Directors of Special Education have been working to create a statewide system for consistent implementation of Child Find processes throughout the state. While AEA staff will continue to attend to Child Find requirements, it is recognized that general education interventions will be primarily the responsibility of general education staff and Heartland AEA staff members will spend the majority of their time and expertise in evaluation activities, making data-based decisions about which students meet the eligibility requirements, as well as supporting students who are served with Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

The Board was presented with three memos providing updates on staff reassignments, transfers, evaluations and agency investigators.

• For 2009-2010, there were 13 voluntary reassignments, 18 voluntary transfers, 60 involuntary reassignments and 22 involuntary transfers.

• Currently 92 percent of all staff evaluations have been completed. This represents all groups including certified, classified and management staff.

Board members discussed the process that will be used to select a search firm for the hiring of a new Chief Administrator. To help assist and streamline the process, members agreed on a set of services the firm would perform. These criteria will be used in the Request For Proposal (RFP) process.

The search firm will:
- Advertise and recruit nationally and within its networks
- Receive and compile all applications
- Prepare and disseminate materials to applicants
- Screen applications based on criteria that is established by the Board. This is to include all application materials, phone interviews, background checks and site contacts.
- Return a list of 5-7 viable candidates.

The Board of Directors will:
- Set-up screening criteria.
- Set-up a process for interviews (including staff and stakeholder input).
- Set-up site visit schedules.
- Select and schedule candidates to be interviewed.
- Pay for all travel associated with the search.
- Oversee and attend all interviews.
- Make a final decision and offer the final contract.