You may have seen an article on the front page of the March 4, 2010 Des Moines Register regarding the Iowa Educators’ Consortium (IEC) and recent communications between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Iowa Department of Education (DE) about the IEC’s food cooperative. The article contained several pieces of misinformation that we’d like to correct so AEA employees have the most accurate information.
The IEC was formed 10 years ago to aid school districts in conserving funds through co-op purchasing agreements for items such a janitorial supplies, computer software and food. In a letter to the DE, the USDA said it had determined that some specific aspects of the school food procurement practices used in Iowa were in question. A joint effort is underway with the DE to correct the concerns expressed in the letter, and the AEAs and the DE are fully confident that through additional conversation with all parties, the issues will be easily resolved in the near future. The IEC, is and always has been, a full and willing participant in ensuring that all practices meet state and federal guidelines and we do not, at this time, believe major changes will be necessary on the IEC’s part. A meeting is scheduled on March 31 with the IEC and the DE to begin this process.
Contrary to the perspective provided in the Des Moines Register article, the IEC is under attentive oversight by the Iowa AEA system. The IEC and all of its practices are governed by the IEC Operations Committee, which reports to the IEC Management Committee. Three AEA chief administrators sit on the Operations Committee along with all of the employees of the IEC. All decisions made by the Operations Committee must be approved by the IEC Management Committee. This committee also meets monthly (except July) and is made up of the AEA chief administrators. This group has to officially approve the actions of the Operations Committee and the IEC.
At each of the AEA Governing Board of Directors’ meetings, a report is provided on the IEC. These reports can be found in the official minutes of each meeting. Employment contracts for all IEC employees are signed by Dr. Joy Prothero, the chair of the AEA Governing Board of Directors. The IEC is exempt from the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) benefits and is not large enough to qualify for group health insurance. Thus, the salary reported in the article for Director Dan Dreyer includes stipends for both. The figure provided was also inaccurate.
Finally, on March 4, 2010, Martin Bros. sent a statement to the Des Moines Register outlining the bidding process they undergo in dealing with the IEC and flatly rejected implications made in the article that they have been given any preferential treatment. Contrary to the statement made in the Register article, there is also no pending litigation by Hawkeye Food Service against Martin Bros. The bid proposals of Martin Bros. and its dealings with the IEC are a matter of public record, as required by Iowa law.
You can view the article at http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100304/NEWS10/3040364/USDA-says-food-buyer-for-schools-broke-rules
Additional articles may appear in the Register or other newspapers around the state, and we wanted you to have the correct information on these issues.
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