I have often said that Heartland is an amazing place to work! We live our values every day in our words and actions. Now, I have evidence to prove it. After my DVD presentation two weeks ago on the budget crisis, dozens of you showed your caring values by stepping forward to offer to take pay cuts, furloughs, pay freezes and reductions in the work year, all to preserve the jobs of your peers.
Your passion was evident as you shared how thankful you are to have jobs and insurance and that you work with such wonderful team members. It is heartwarming to read about the collaborative strengths of individual relationships and teams. You have truly risen to the challenge of our work and culture. It’s my hope that we will be able to balance revenue and expenses without having to implement some of these suggestions.
You also sent in hundreds of suggestions on how to become more efficient, save money and try new things using cutting-edge technologies. We will implement many of these suggestions, and you can expect the first installation of information about their implementation late next week. As often happens with crisis, opportunities are uncovered. As a proactive staff, you have provided many great ideas that will improve and strengthen our agency and our work now.
What’s Working & What’s Needed?
During this process we have also learned what’s working and what’s still needed. I have received countless e-mails and letters up to three pages long encouraging the agency to preserve positions that support the regional model of service staffed by partnership directors and special education program assistants with support from discipline assistants. There’s no question that the model is strong, developing and thriving with very few exceptions.
Here’s a quote from one letter: “I feel compelled to speak out at this time to tell you that the Partnership Directors, Program Assistants, and Special Education Clerk positions are critical to our success as an agency. They build and uphold district relationships, and also uphold staff morale. I truly feel that our agency will be less without them. We finished our meeting with a brainstorming session to help come up with ideas to minimize the impact of our budget woes. I hope that many of the ideas put forth in that session will be of value to you and will allow those above-mentioned positions to continue supporting our mission.”
At the same time, the data also show that we need to further develop the knowledge and skills in special education, clarify some roles and responsibilities, and improve communication, relationship and team building skills. As this is the second year of implementation of the model, improvement will continue to occur.
What’s Next?
This week decisions will be made regarding cuts and changes. The following are considerations in making decisions.
• Will the decision ensure the integrity of the model of service delivery?
• After evaluating the model of service delivery since 2007 some adjustments to the model are needed. Will the outcome of a decision make a contribution to the improvement of implementation?
• Will the decision be consistent with the mission, vision, values, goals and core principles of the Agency?
• Is the work or position required by statute?
• What is the distance/proximity to direct service?
• Is the work mission critical?
• What is the supervision ratio for an administrator?
• Will this action flatten the organization?
• Can another person do the work or is the skill set highly specialized?
• Is there capacity in the system to ensure that the work of a position that is eliminated can be done?
• Comparison of the number of administrators with other area education agencies. Is Heartland comparable?
• Can the elimination of some functions be done without impacting front line staff negatively?
• Are the decisions consistent with the data collected during the last two years?
We continue to watch the federal and state budget forecasts very carefully and will keep you informed. For instance, the chief administrators, as an AEA system, and I (individually) are trying to impact both state and federal legislation. The federal stimulus package does include money for special education; however, at this time the dollars would go directly to local school districts and bypass AEAs. It is funding for only two years and there is no guarantee that it won’t be used to offset state funding as it was in the past, even though some believe that this is supplanting.
So until something is final, the funds won’t be included in our planning. The Board and leadership will plan for the worst and hope for the best. So stay tuned. Keep your chin up. We will get through this. We will continue to serve children, and you will keep making a difference every day. Know that I am out there advocating for you and the Agency daily.
All the best,
Maxine
Monday, February 2, 2009
Staff Allocation Work Group Update
The Staff Allocation Work Group has met regularly over the past few months, and the group is very appreciative of the feedback it has received from staff and our districts. Based on that excellent input, recommendations were developed for 2009-10, which were shared with staff during the January 23 office meetings and with superintendents in the Superintendent Connection and at their January Heartland Administrators Meeting.
Things are moving forward, and we would like to give you the planned next steps for the process.
• Heartland Assessment Team members have started the process of calculating staff allocations for the 2009-10 school year, using the most recent available data. As you recall, for most disciplines, the primary variables in the formula are school enrollments, free and reduced lunch percentages, numbers of IEPs and travel for Heartland staff. This data will be plugged into the staff allocation formulas developed with stakeholder input in 2007-08.
• Staff assignment decisions will be driven by formula-based calculations and supplemented by input from school districts, Heartland staff and knowledge of local conditions and needs. The system will be data-driven and based on lessons learned over the past 12 months for making Heartland’s staff allocation process fair, equitable, efficient and transparent.
• As staff allocation calculations are completed over the next several weeks, leaders will begin reviewing staff assignments for each region. Partnership directors will be having conversations with Heartland practitioners and school districts to bring unique local needs into the decision-making process.
• Partnership directors, assistant directors, special education program assistants and discipline program assistants were updated on the staff allocation time line at their January 28 meeting.
• The goal is to have conversations completed and decisions made by the time schools begin their spring breaks. This time line may be impacted by when some of the data is available from the Department of Education.
If you have questions and/or ideas about staff allocation and assignments in your region, be sure to bring them to your partnership director.
Things are moving forward, and we would like to give you the planned next steps for the process.
• Heartland Assessment Team members have started the process of calculating staff allocations for the 2009-10 school year, using the most recent available data. As you recall, for most disciplines, the primary variables in the formula are school enrollments, free and reduced lunch percentages, numbers of IEPs and travel for Heartland staff. This data will be plugged into the staff allocation formulas developed with stakeholder input in 2007-08.
• Staff assignment decisions will be driven by formula-based calculations and supplemented by input from school districts, Heartland staff and knowledge of local conditions and needs. The system will be data-driven and based on lessons learned over the past 12 months for making Heartland’s staff allocation process fair, equitable, efficient and transparent.
• As staff allocation calculations are completed over the next several weeks, leaders will begin reviewing staff assignments for each region. Partnership directors will be having conversations with Heartland practitioners and school districts to bring unique local needs into the decision-making process.
• Partnership directors, assistant directors, special education program assistants and discipline program assistants were updated on the staff allocation time line at their January 28 meeting.
• The goal is to have conversations completed and decisions made by the time schools begin their spring breaks. This time line may be impacted by when some of the data is available from the Department of Education.
If you have questions and/or ideas about staff allocation and assignments in your region, be sure to bring them to your partnership director.
Technology Update
BoardMaker Users: Don't Install QuickTime 7.6 Update
If you use BoardMaker on your computer, you cannot install the QuickTime 7.6 update on your computer. (Boardmaker is software that contains a database of symbols that can be used to design and print communication boards, calendars and schedules.)
Apple's Software Update application will periodically check for new updates and notify you of new updates. If you have Mac OS 10.4.x you will be presented with a list of available updates. Be sure to uncheck the QuickTime 7.6 update so it isn't installed with any other updates.
If you have Mac OS 10.5.x you will be notified of new updates, but it won't provide you with the list of updates unless you click the Show Details button. Then you will see the list, and you can uncheck the QuickTime 7.6 update. If you're not sure what updates will be installed, play it safe and don't install anything and call one of the Technology Support Specialists for guidance.
If you install the QuickTime 7.6 update, your BoardMaker will no longer work properly. If you have installed the QuickTime 7.6 update, contact one of the Technology Support Specialists for assistance in restoring your BoardMaker back to normal operation.
Training to Use Heartland's Content Management System to Develop Web Pages
Reminder: Weekly training sessions are being offered for Heartland staff who are, or would like to be, responsible for content development on Heartland's Web site. These sessions are designed to be training and support sessions for Heartland staff in the use of the Agency's Content Management System (CMS). Staff can utilize the sessions to work on Web pages in a supported environment or to receive personal training on how to get started with a Web initiative. Joshua Burke, Web Manager, and Julie Sypersma, PLL Technology Support Specialist, will be conducting the training.
You will learn:
• How to create and publish pages within the Heartland CMS
• How to add graphics, tables and links to external content
• How to upload larger files to the Heartland Web Server
• How to use the CMS to integrate Web content with Web 2.0 tools such as blogs
Three levels of training will be offered--basic, intermediate and advanced. Click here for training dates and activity numbers. Check the descriptions of each session in the Universal Registration system find the training appropriate for your skill level.
If you use BoardMaker on your computer, you cannot install the QuickTime 7.6 update on your computer. (Boardmaker is software that contains a database of symbols that can be used to design and print communication boards, calendars and schedules.)
Apple's Software Update application will periodically check for new updates and notify you of new updates. If you have Mac OS 10.4.x you will be presented with a list of available updates. Be sure to uncheck the QuickTime 7.6 update so it isn't installed with any other updates.
If you have Mac OS 10.5.x you will be notified of new updates, but it won't provide you with the list of updates unless you click the Show Details button. Then you will see the list, and you can uncheck the QuickTime 7.6 update. If you're not sure what updates will be installed, play it safe and don't install anything and call one of the Technology Support Specialists for guidance.
If you install the QuickTime 7.6 update, your BoardMaker will no longer work properly. If you have installed the QuickTime 7.6 update, contact one of the Technology Support Specialists for assistance in restoring your BoardMaker back to normal operation.
Training to Use Heartland's Content Management System to Develop Web Pages
Reminder: Weekly training sessions are being offered for Heartland staff who are, or would like to be, responsible for content development on Heartland's Web site. These sessions are designed to be training and support sessions for Heartland staff in the use of the Agency's Content Management System (CMS). Staff can utilize the sessions to work on Web pages in a supported environment or to receive personal training on how to get started with a Web initiative. Joshua Burke, Web Manager, and Julie Sypersma, PLL Technology Support Specialist, will be conducting the training.
You will learn:
• How to create and publish pages within the Heartland CMS
• How to add graphics, tables and links to external content
• How to upload larger files to the Heartland Web Server
• How to use the CMS to integrate Web content with Web 2.0 tools such as blogs
Three levels of training will be offered--basic, intermediate and advanced. Click here for training dates and activity numbers. Check the descriptions of each session in the Universal Registration system find the training appropriate for your skill level.
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