Increase in IPERS Contribution Rates Effective Immediately

Effective July 1, 2010, the IPERS contribution rates for employees and employers increased as mandated by law. For employees, the rate increased from 4.3% to 4.5%, and for employers, the rate increased from 6.65% to 6.95%. This change will be reflected starting with your July 15th paycheck. The rate change will increase employee contributions by $2 per pay period for each $1,000 of wages, and the employer’s contribution will increase by $3 per pay period for each $1,000 of wages. Please contact Steve Jordan, Payroll Specialist, at ext. 14908 if you have any questions.

July 2010 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

Click here to download the agenda for the July 13, 2010 meeting of the Heartland Board of Directors. Note that the meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. instead of the usual 5:30 p.m. start time.

July 2010 Iowa Department of Education School Leader Update

Click here to download the July 2010 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education.

Leisure Reading Paperbacks for Staff and Google Books

1. The professional library has about 350+ donated paperback books for staff leisure reading. After all, you can’t read about pedagogy, best practice and research all the time! There’s no checkout—it works on the honor system. Stop in or call for more information. You can peruse the titles in the leisure library by going to http://tinyurl.com/25j9gwp.

2. We used Google Books to create the leisure library listing. You'll see the book cover, synopsis and reviews. We’ve even added a feature where you can add your own reviews. You can create an account and use Google Books to create public or private libraries. Organize your personal book collection. Or, a teacher could have students create their own virtual library of books they have read (or want to read) and then add reviews. Or, what if you had a recommended reading list for students (or parents)?