It’s now been three months since I was named interim chief administrator, and I am very pleased with our Agency’s progress during this time of leadership transition. Much has been accomplished, but as you all know, there is no shortage of work ahead. Given the seemingly never-ending list of needs, I’m sure you were concerned by the governor’s announcement last Thursday to reduce the state’s current fiscal year budget by 10 percent. This is hard news to hear, but it’s not unexpected given the economic struggles we are facing in our state and our nation.
So, what will this budget cut mean for Heartland?
First of all, I want you to know we are not planning to make personnel cuts during this budget year. While the cut to Heartland will be significant -- over $2 million –- I will be working with our leaders to carefully review all aspects of our budget to identify potential reductions. We will also review our current plans for using our ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) dollars—making adjustments as needed to maintain staffing levels, programs and services.
I am confident that all of us will work together to address this situation. Since we work for an agency with core values like collaborative, cutting-edge and pro-active, I expect nothing less. Your ideas about how we make adjustments during this difficult budgetary time will be helpful to our process. Please share your ideas with your supervisor, staff advisory council members, cabinet members or me.
Last week Brent Siegrist, Executive Director of the AEAs, co-signed an e-mail from the statewide education groups the Iowa State Education Association, Iowa Association of School Boards, School Administrators of Iowa, Urban Education Network, Iowa Association of School Business Officials and the AEAs, which was sent to all school administrators. That e-mail concluded with the following words:
“It is imperative that all educators work together in these challenging times to find solutions that will maintain the quality of all of Iowa’s excellent public schools. Education leaders should evaluate all of their options carefully and take a measured, long-term approach to solutions… Iowa’s future depends on vibrant public schools, world-class teachers and high-quality instruction. We must all work together to keep education a top priority and to emerge from this economic downturn stronger than before.”
We will tighten our belts to deal with these cuts, and you will be updated regularly in the Connection as decisions are made. Your confidence and support are greatly appreciated. Thank you for all you do to serve children, families and schools, and be reassured that we will get through this together.
Monday, October 12, 2009
October 2009 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda
Click here to download the agenda for the October 13, 2009 Heartland Board of Directors meeting.
Reminder: Agency Warehouse Available to Store Staff Items
Heartland staff members are reminded that they may store any excess items or items they will not need in the near future at the Agency’s warehouse. For example, if a staff member has a number of extra binders for a presentation but will not need them until next summer, he or she can appropriately box them and send them to the warehouse to be returned prior to the presentation.
When boxing items, please follow these guidelines when possible. (If not possible, contact Jason Elliott at jelliott@aea11.k12.ia.us to make alternate arrangements.) You can also contact Jason for boxes, labels and logistical questions relating to the warehousing process listed below.
- Box items in a standard Heartland box.
- Label with a warehouse storage label.
- Appropriately fill out the label. Please put your name, department, contents of the box, approximate time to be stored and most importantly, the box number.
- Keep track of what you have at the warehouse to call for retrieval.
Remember, the warehouse staff doesn’t keep track of your inventory; they just store it. You must keep up-to-date records of what the warehouse has stored for you.
To ship items to the warehouse if you are in a branch office/school, put the box in the AEA van delivery/pick-up location and if you are in the Johnston office, place your boxes on the back dock where it says "To Warehouse" (by the big laminator).
To retrieve a box from the warehouse, check your records to see how you labeled the box and send Jason Elliott an e-mail with your name, department and box number and where you would like the box sent. The delivery of the item will be by van route so please check your route to be sure there is time to get the item. Please order your items two days in advance. In the event of an emergency, please contact Dustin Gean for retrieval of your items.
When boxing items, please follow these guidelines when possible. (If not possible, contact Jason Elliott at jelliott@aea11.k12.ia.us to make alternate arrangements.) You can also contact Jason for boxes, labels and logistical questions relating to the warehousing process listed below.
- Box items in a standard Heartland box.
- Label with a warehouse storage label.
- Appropriately fill out the label. Please put your name, department, contents of the box, approximate time to be stored and most importantly, the box number.
- Keep track of what you have at the warehouse to call for retrieval.
Remember, the warehouse staff doesn’t keep track of your inventory; they just store it. You must keep up-to-date records of what the warehouse has stored for you.
To ship items to the warehouse if you are in a branch office/school, put the box in the AEA van delivery/pick-up location and if you are in the Johnston office, place your boxes on the back dock where it says "To Warehouse" (by the big laminator).
To retrieve a box from the warehouse, check your records to see how you labeled the box and send Jason Elliott an e-mail with your name, department and box number and where you would like the box sent. The delivery of the item will be by van route so please check your route to be sure there is time to get the item. Please order your items two days in advance. In the event of an emergency, please contact Dustin Gean for retrieval of your items.
Save the Date For April 2010 Benefit Meetings
April 8 – 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Zion Lutheran Church
4300 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines
April 13 – 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Grace Lutheran Church
23932 Meadow Road, Adel
April 14 – 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Woodside AEA office
6900 NE 14th Street, Suite 26, Ankeny
April 14 – 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Indianola AEA office
115 W. Salem, Indianola
April 16 – 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Woodside AEA office
6900 NE 14th Street, Suite 26, Ankeny
(For Shelter Care staff only)
April 16 – 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Ames AEA office
511 S. 17th Street, Ames
April 19 – 9:00-11:30 a.m.
Carroll AEA office
906 N. Grant Road, Suite 106, Carroll
April 19 – 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Guthrie Center Library
400 Grand, Guthrie Center
April 20 – 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Johnston AEA office
6500 Corporate Drive (Conf. Room 3, 4, ICN)
April 20 – 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Knoxville Public Library
213 E. Montgomery Street, Knoxville
Zion Lutheran Church
4300 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines
April 13 – 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Grace Lutheran Church
23932 Meadow Road, Adel
April 14 – 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Woodside AEA office
6900 NE 14th Street, Suite 26, Ankeny
April 14 – 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Indianola AEA office
115 W. Salem, Indianola
April 16 – 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Woodside AEA office
6900 NE 14th Street, Suite 26, Ankeny
(For Shelter Care staff only)
April 16 – 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Ames AEA office
511 S. 17th Street, Ames
April 19 – 9:00-11:30 a.m.
Carroll AEA office
906 N. Grant Road, Suite 106, Carroll
April 19 – 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Guthrie Center Library
400 Grand, Guthrie Center
April 20 – 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Johnston AEA office
6500 Corporate Drive (Conf. Room 3, 4, ICN)
April 20 – 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Knoxville Public Library
213 E. Montgomery Street, Knoxville
More Course Proposal Forms Available Online
In an effort to improve our services, two more course proposal forms are now online. Study Group and Collaborative Action Research proposals used to be paper forms that were completed and submitted for license renewal and graduate credit, and those forms have now been converted to online proposal forms.
To submit a course proposal, authors should go to the "Classes, Workshops and Trainings" tab on the left side of Heartland's home page. Click on "Course Proposal Forms" then choose the appropriate format by clicking on the format type. To create a new proposal, click the box and hit "search." This will take you to the online form that follows a similar format to the current online proposal form for catalog or site-based courses.
We are excited to offer this updated service to our internal and external clients. This will be a much more "user friendly" application.
For questions, contact Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning and Leadership Consultant, at sschirmer@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14379.
To submit a course proposal, authors should go to the "Classes, Workshops and Trainings" tab on the left side of Heartland's home page. Click on "Course Proposal Forms" then choose the appropriate format by clicking on the format type. To create a new proposal, click the box and hit "search." This will take you to the online form that follows a similar format to the current online proposal form for catalog or site-based courses.
We are excited to offer this updated service to our internal and external clients. This will be a much more "user friendly" application.
For questions, contact Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning and Leadership Consultant, at sschirmer@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14379.
Reminder: United Way Campaign in Full Swing
The clock is ticking...don't miss out on your chance to donate to the United Way.
Not-So-Silent Auction
A new item has been added to the Auction site; check it out at http://205.221.40.56:8086/Action. You may still donate items until this Wednesday, October 14. Just send a short description with a photo to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us. The auction will close on Friday, October 16 at 5:00 p.m. To view the auction, click on the above link, login to the site using your PeopleBox username and password. Click on the item name to view the description and a larger photo. To place your bid, simply fill in the “Your New Bid” field and click on “Place Bid.” You will receive an e-mail notification if you are outbid which will include a link back to the auction site if you wish to re-bid.
Pledge Cards
You can also participate by submitting a pledge card. In an effort to go paperless, please download the card here. When opening the form, choose "Save" instead of "Preview" so your information gets saved to the form. E-mail the completed form to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us or send it through the interoffice/van mail to Human Resources in an envelope marked "United Way." Auction winners and the results of the "wear your team shirt" participation day during regional meetings will be announced in the October 26 Connection. Casual Day stickers will also be handed out the week of October 26.
Not-So-Silent Auction
A new item has been added to the Auction site; check it out at http://205.221.40.56:8086/Action. You may still donate items until this Wednesday, October 14. Just send a short description with a photo to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us. The auction will close on Friday, October 16 at 5:00 p.m. To view the auction, click on the above link, login to the site using your PeopleBox username and password. Click on the item name to view the description and a larger photo. To place your bid, simply fill in the “Your New Bid” field and click on “Place Bid.” You will receive an e-mail notification if you are outbid which will include a link back to the auction site if you wish to re-bid.
Pledge Cards
You can also participate by submitting a pledge card. In an effort to go paperless, please download the card here. When opening the form, choose "Save" instead of "Preview" so your information gets saved to the form. E-mail the completed form to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us or send it through the interoffice/van mail to Human Resources in an envelope marked "United Way." Auction winners and the results of the "wear your team shirt" participation day during regional meetings will be announced in the October 26 Connection. Casual Day stickers will also be handed out the week of October 26.
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