Monday, May 24, 2010

Required: Professional Development Committee Being Formed; Please Complete Staff Professional Development Survey

The newly formed Agency Professional Development Committee will begin meeting in June. We are currently working on contacting individuals who will be asked to serve on this committee. The intent of the committee is to provide more coordination and opportunity for staff input into decisions about professional development in the Agency. When we begin our work, we would like to have some initial data to guide our planning. Please take a few minutes to go to one of the links below and respond to a short survey about professional development. There are two surveys: one is for classified staff and managers and the other is for staff who have had opportunities to participate in Teacher Quality (certified staff). If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Kurns at skurns@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14362.

Classified Staff Survey
http://tp2.aea11.k12.ia.us/010/ClassifiedPD.tp4


Certified Staff Survey

http://tp2.aea11.k12.ia.us/010/PDsurvey.tp4

Change in Official Agency Hours & Summer Flex Schedule Announced

Official Agency Hours
The official agency hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until the close of business on June 30, 2010. Effective July 1, 2010, the official agency hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Supervisors may schedule staff outside of these hours to meet the unique coverage needs of each work area.


Flexible Scheduling

Employees will be allowed to request reconsideration of their scheduled hours on the first day of March, June, September and December. Supervisors shall be responsible to ensure that modified schedules will not result in reduction in services to clients.
In regional offices, office hours are set by the partnership directors based on the needs of the region. The partnerships directors will schedule staff accordingly. Partnership directors will communicate their office hours to their districts, their staff and the agency receptionist. Staff members should discuss any questions about flex hours with their supervisor.

Summer Flex Hours

Summer flex hours are available from Monday, June 14, 2010 to Wednesday, August, 11 2010 with regular scheduling resuming on August 12, 2010. During this period, supervisors may approve summer flex hours between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. through June 30, 2010 and between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. starting July 1, 2010. With supervisor approval, the 60-minute lunch break may be shortened to 30 minutes.
When considering approval of summer flex hours, priority will be placed on coverage of work functions over staff preference. Therefore, there may be some variation of individual schedules within or across workgroups. Staff members should discuss any questions about summer flex hours with their supervisor.

Wellmark Making Primary Care Physician Changes Effective June 1, 2010

Effective June 1, 2010, Heartland will be sending its benefits data to Wellmark in a new manner. This change will mean that employees desiring to change their PCP (primary care physician) or OB/GYN will need to call Wellmark’s customer service number at (800) 355-2031. The Heartland Benefits Office will no longer be able to help you with this change. Remember that changes made in one month will not be effective until the first of the following month. For assistance with any of your other benefit or insurance coverage questions, please continue to contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385.

Summer Van Delivery Schedule

Vans will stop at each administration building twice a week (usual days), schools that are extended-year and schools that request summer delivery. Summer schedule runs June 16 to August 5. A more detailed schedule will be available in early June. Regular fall delivery resumes August 9. Large printing orders will have special deliveries in the summer.