December 2009 Board of Directors Meeting Recap

The December 2009 Board of Directors meeting was held electronically due to inclement weather.

An amendment was made to the board agenda removing the public hearing due to inclement weather. The hearing will be rescheduled for later in December.

No one was present to speak at the public forum.

Discussion Items
Budget Landscape
Ms. Sheila King updated the Board on what the Agency has done since Governor Culver’s announcement of an across-the-board budget cut. All vacancies within the Agency are being reviewed and assessed as to whether they are critical. In addition, many positions that were going to be filled using ARRA funds have been suspended. Judy Jeffrey, Director of the Department of Education, met with superintendents last week and indicated that the economic situation continues to look poor. We anticipate that allowable growth will be adjusted lower than the two percent previously predicted. The Agency has adjusted processes for making travel and purchasing decisions and articles in The Connection are helping reinforce a “culture of austerity” for staff.

Board members, noting the percentage of the Agency’s budget dedicated to salaries, asked if it was known yet the number of positions that may need to be cut next year. Ms. King indicated that decision would depend on the number of retirements, attrition and the outcome of the 2010 legislative session.

Regional Education Centers
Mr. Steve Prall gave an update on the implementation of the Regional Education Centers (REC). In 2007-08 the Board of Directors approved the plan for five centers located in Adel, Ames, Johnston, Newton and the Westside of the Agency. Mr. Prall reviewed their current status.

Board members asked that the relocation of sound booths be done so as to not disrupt services and that their new locations be communicated to parents and districts in a timely manner. They also asked to be sent layout plans of the 6500 office and reminded everyone that the relocation of the Woodside office is not an indicator of a change in the regional system.

Action Items
Early Retirement Requests
Seven employees applied for early retirement under the Agency’s post-employment policy. This number is average compared to previous years. Additional staff may retire, however they will do so outside of the policy guidelines. This is the last year for the current plan, as a new policy is scheduled to go into effect July 1, 2010.

Board Comments
Mr. Turnquist asked for additional information on the technology bunker. The bunker is a proposed solution to address health and safety issues mandated by the Board. The current server room configuration is inadequate as it has an active water sprinkler system overheard and lacks sufficient cooling capacity for server hardware. The new bunker will be located in a separate building and is designed to protect the Agency’s server hardware, provide for disaster recovery and build capacity for technology-related services in the future.

Interim Chief Administrator Comments
Requests have come in from the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the Knoxville Journal Express and the Senate Democratic Caucus Staff about the salaries and contracts of the AEA chief administrators. The Chiefs had a conference call and confirmed that all requests are being honored. We want to continue being open when we receive requests for information.

The State Government Reorganization Committee has published its ideas for reorganizing state government. AEAs were asked for input during part of the process, but it appears they did not use any of the proposed ideas. While the document was comprehensive about the entire state system, there were two ideas proposed about the AEAs: 1) Move the AEA system under the governance of the Iowa Department of Education and 2) Remove AEA local Board of Directors from the Iowa Code. It is the mission of the Department of Education to implement federal and statewide policy and initiatives in an effective, efficient and consistent manner for all of Iowa’s children and schools. Brent Siegrist and Wayne Haddy will continue to research the source of the recommendations, but it appears there is little support for these recommendations for the AEAs. Ms. King will forward updated information to board members regarding this situation.

The Superintendents’ Advisory Council has interest in developing a list of legislative priorities at its January meeting. This will help members be better organized in their efforts and offer a more unified approach in contacting legislators.

Ms. King will send board members an update regarding the Agency’s four initiatives prior to the next board meeting. We will discuss our work in the January work session, as well as confirm the Board’s goals for 2009-10.

Dr. Rose and Ms. King spoke briefly about a recent Supreme Court ruling that resulted in tuition reimbursement for a child who never received special education services. The Court found that the district’s failure to provide an IEP violated IDEA and the “Child Find” requirement which requires identification, location and evaluation of all children with disabilities to ensure they receive needed special education services. This Court finding really reinforces Heartland’s obligation to support Child Find activities, as well as the potential harm that can come when children are not appropriately identified.