The October 2010 Heartland Board of Directors meeting was held on October 12, 2010.
Board Recognition
Partnership Director Dave Wood was present to recognize John Keitges, principal at Knoxville’s West Elementary School during the 2009-10 school year, for the school’s National 2010 Blue Ribbon School award. West Elementary was nominated for the award by the Iowa Department of Education because of its students’ achievements in reading and math on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). Without Heartland’s support, Mr. Keitges didn’t feel that the district would have been able to obtain this award.
ANNUAL BOARD MEETING
Election of a President of the Board
A MOTION was made by Ms. Margaret Borgen and seconded by Ms. Marcy Sparks to nominate Dr. Earl Bridgewater as board president. Motion passed unanimously.
Election of a Vice President
A MOTION was made by Mr. Bruce Christensen and seconded by Dr. Jane Bell to nominate Mr. Nels Turnquist as board vice president. Motion passed unanimously.
Appointment of a Board Secretary and Treasurer
A MOTION was made by Dr. Steve Rose and seconded by Ms. Ann Wilson to appoint Ms. Jenny Ugolini as board secretary. Motion carried unanimously. A MOTION was made by Mr. Nels Turnquist and seconded by Ms. Ann Wilson to appoint Terry Wycoff as board treasurer. Motion carried unanimously.
Appointment of Legal Counsel
A MOTION was made by Mr. Nels Turnquist and seconded by Ms. Margaret Borgen to appoint Nyemaster Goode Law Firm as the Agency’s legal counsel. Motion passed unanimously.
Appointment of Agency Level I Investigators
A MOTION was made by Mr. Nels Turnquist and seconded by Ms. Marcy Sparks to appoint Dr. Chris Pierson, Mr. Steve Iverson and Dr. Kristi Upah as Level I investigators. Motion passed unanimously.
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
Public Forum
No one was present to address the Board.
Discussion Items Board Learning
Board members were assigned to read pages 1-44 of the book How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins. They discussed Chapter 1 and the five stages of decline. Board members will read Chapters 2 and 3 for the November meeting.
Board Advisory Council
Dr. Vincent reviewed a preliminary list of members for the board advisory council. The council will encompass a variety of district staff and also have parental involvement. The first meeting could be held as early as November.
Action Items Lease Purchase Agreement
A MOTION was made by Mr. Nels Turnquist and seconded by Dr. Jane Bell to approve the lease purchase agreement for the regional education center remodeling project. Motion passed unanimously.
Approval of Financial Statements
A MOTION was made by Mr. Bruce Christensen and seconded by Ms. Marcy Sparks to accept the report of financial information and the information submitted in the Certified Annual Report to the Department of Education. This is in full satisfaction of the annual settlement of accounts. Motion passed unanimously.
Approval of Board Advisory Council
A MOTION was made by Dr. Steve Rose and seconded by Mr. Nels Turnquist to approve the board advisory council membership list as presented. The chief administrator may alter as necessary and will bring any changes to the Board. Motion passed unanimously.
Chief Administrator Comments
• Dr. Vincent reviewed the work that has been done on the setting direction document that includes the Agency’s vision, mission, core values and beliefs and also establishes goals and action items for the Agency’s work. Cabinet members and members of the leaders team have reviewed the draft and offered input. It will be reviewed again on October 18 at the Cabinet meeting, and Dr. Vincent will send a draft to Board members immediately following the meeting.
• Mr. David King gave a brief update on the status of the state AEA study that is due in December. He is part of the finance subcommittee and stated that the conversations have gone well. He has heard a number of concerns about specific laws related to the governance of the AEAs and how they don’t necessarily fit well. Examples include that AEAs have no way to recoup funds that are cut and that lease purchases must be used for facility projects over $25,000. There are two more meetings before the information goes to the task force to be finalized.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Reminder: Check the Construction Blog for Johnston REC Project Updates
To assist us in communicating with our staff during the remodeling project, a blog has been established that will list all pertinent information during remodeling. Please bookmark http://construction.aea11.k12.ia.us/ so you can visit the blog any time to get the latest news during construction!
Celebrate Halloween With a Costume on Oct. 29 If You’d Like
Some staff members have inquired about the Agency allowing staff to wear costumes for Halloween. Your questions have been answered, and yes, staff members are allowed to wear costumes on October 29 to celebrate Halloween. Please keep in mind where you will be working that day and whom you will be meeting with to make sure a costume would be appropriate. If you would like to wear a costume, please make sure it is appropriate and respectful.
Heartland & the AEA System Join the Social Media World
We realize that many of you are already on Facebook and Twitter, but Heartland and the AEA system are making the jump into the social media world. You can follow our agency and the AEA system on Facebook and Twitter at the following links:
Heartland Facebook Fan Page:http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Johnston-IA/Heartland-Area-Education-Agency/159484134081654
Heartland Twitter Account: http://twitter.com/HeartlandAEA
Iowa’s AEAs Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/iowaaea
Iowa AEAs Twitter Account: http://twitter.com/iowa_aea
Facebook currently has 500 million users and Twitter has over 105 million users, so it’s time we joined the mix! We encourage you to follow Heartland and the AEAs using social media, and please encourage students, families and educators to follow us as well. The Communications Department will have responsibility for posting items on Facebook and Twitter, but all staff are encouraged to submit ideas for resources, trainings, good news, interesting articles, etc. to be posted. Send any ideas to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Heartland Facebook Fan Page:http://www.facebook.com/?ref=ho
Heartland Twitter Account: http://twitter.com/HeartlandAEA
Iowa’s AEAs Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/iowaaea
Iowa AEAs Twitter Account: http://twitter.com/iowa_aea
Facebook currently has 500 million users and Twitter has over 105 million users, so it’s time we joined the mix! We encourage you to follow Heartland and the AEAs using social media, and please encourage students, families and educators to follow us as well. The Communications Department will have responsibility for posting items on Facebook and Twitter, but all staff are encouraged to submit ideas for resources, trainings, good news, interesting articles, etc. to be posted. Send any ideas to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Upcoming Regional & Office Meetings Schedule
Below is a list of the dates and locations for upcoming regional and office meetings.
Operations Staff Meeting
October 26, St. Mary’s Church, Des Moines, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Johnston Central Office Teaching & Learning Staff Meeting
November 3, St. Mary’s Church, Des Moines, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Regional Staff Meetings
November 4, professional learning in the morning, office meeting in the afternoon
Region 1 & 2, Annunciation Church, Coon Rapids
Region 3, Adel AEA office
Region 4, United Methodist Church, Adel
Regions 5, 6, & 7, Ames AEA office
Region 8, Johnston Lions Club
Region 9, Johnston REC, Conf. Rooms 3 & 4/ICN Room
Region 10, Zion Lutheran Church, Des Moines
Region 11, Indianola AEA office
Region 12 & 14, Third Reformed Church, Pella
Region 13, Clay Elementary, Altoona
Regional Staff Need to Register for a Moodle Account
In order to be most efficient with our time, regional staff members should make sure they have access to the Agency’s Moodle site: http://205.221.40.124/moodle/. If you need assistance with the registration process, there is a short video on Eduvision that will help you: https://aea111.eduvision.tv/default.aspx. Type in Moodle in the channel search window to find the video “Moodle – creating an account.”
Team Shirt Day
Remember that the Agency will kick off the 2010 United Way campaign with a Team Shirt Day at these upcoming office and regional meetings. For a $5 contribution, you may wear your favorite college, school or team shirt with jeans to your office or regional meeting. To participate, please write a check for $5 to the United Way and put in the memo section of the check which United Way you want the money to go to.
Operations Staff Meeting
October 26, St. Mary’s Church, Des Moines, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Johnston Central Office Teaching & Learning Staff Meeting
November 3, St. Mary’s Church, Des Moines, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Regional Staff Meetings
November 4, professional learning in the morning, office meeting in the afternoon
Region 1 & 2, Annunciation Church, Coon Rapids
Region 3, Adel AEA office
Region 4, United Methodist Church, Adel
Regions 5, 6, & 7, Ames AEA office
Region 8, Johnston Lions Club
Region 9, Johnston REC, Conf. Rooms 3 & 4/ICN Room
Region 10, Zion Lutheran Church, Des Moines
Region 11, Indianola AEA office
Region 12 & 14, Third Reformed Church, Pella
Region 13, Clay Elementary, Altoona
Regional Staff Need to Register for a Moodle Account
In order to be most efficient with our time, regional staff members should make sure they have access to the Agency’s Moodle site: http://205.221.40.124/moodle/. If you need assistance with the registration process, there is a short video on Eduvision that will help you: https://aea111.eduvision.tv/default.aspx. Type in Moodle in the channel search window to find the video “Moodle – creating an account.”
Team Shirt Day
Remember that the Agency will kick off the 2010 United Way campaign with a Team Shirt Day at these upcoming office and regional meetings. For a $5 contribution, you may wear your favorite college, school or team shirt with jeans to your office or regional meeting. To participate, please write a check for $5 to the United Way and put in the memo section of the check which United Way you want the money to go to.
Agency Professional Learning Process Update
During the past week, the Agency Professional Learning Committee has been reviewing workgroup professional learning plans. The committee was excited to see the effort put forth in gathering input from all members of workgroups as well as the variety of professional learning activities identified in the plans. There have been some questions from staff about what happens once an individual has been approved for travel. Below are some of the questions that have been asked along with their answers.
Q: When will I know if my workgroup plan has been approved?
A: The Agency Professional Learning Committee plans to have all submitted workgroup plans approved by November 16. Workgroup facilitators will be receiving written feedback from the committee.
Q: To whom do I submit reimbursement for approved professional learning activities?
A: Travel forms or requests for reimbursement for workgroup professional learning activities should be submitted to Sharon Kurns or Anita Davids for approval.
Q: Do I need to enter leave into the IFAS Online Leave system? Who approves my professional learning leave?
A: Professional learning leave should be entered for workshops, conferences or classes attended; it is not necessary to record mandatory professional learning, e.g., discipline days, domain days, regional meetings etc. There is no set minimum or maximum hours/days of professional learning leave; it is a tracking measure only. Professional learning leave does not subtract or affect any other leave types or balances. Professional learning leave should be submitted to and approved by your supervisor.
Q: When will I know if my workgroup plan has been approved?
A: The Agency Professional Learning Committee plans to have all submitted workgroup plans approved by November 16. Workgroup facilitators will be receiving written feedback from the committee.
Q: To whom do I submit reimbursement for approved professional learning activities?
A: Travel forms or requests for reimbursement for workgroup professional learning activities should be submitted to Sharon Kurns or Anita Davids for approval.
Q: Do I need to enter leave into the IFAS Online Leave system? Who approves my professional learning leave?
A: Professional learning leave should be entered for workshops, conferences or classes attended; it is not necessary to record mandatory professional learning, e.g., discipline days, domain days, regional meetings etc. There is no set minimum or maximum hours/days of professional learning leave; it is a tracking measure only. Professional learning leave does not subtract or affect any other leave types or balances. Professional learning leave should be submitted to and approved by your supervisor.
Special Education Winter Institute Update
Due to the popularity of some of the dates of the Special Education Winter Institute in December, we are adding an additional opportunity to take this training. We will offer another section of the training on January 4, 2011. Registration information will be available in next week’s Connection! Also, please note that this training is only for staff members who serve in special education roles.
October World of Media
The October World of Media (http://wom.aea11.k12.ia.us) has some articles we wanted to call to your attention. Check out information about:
• Film clips from recent Hollywood pictures for PD or character education
• Webinars for using Google Apps
• Twitter--how to find people and use it to develop your personal learning community
• Film clips from recent Hollywood pictures for PD or character education
• Webinars for using Google Apps
• Twitter--how to find people and use it to develop your personal learning community
UNI Offering Webinar Series: Hot Topics in Education
The University of Northern Iowa College of Education is launching a new 2010-2011 professional webinar series, “Hot Topics in Education: Professional Development Webinars,” for educators. These free one-hour webinars taught by faculty and staff will be offered once a month, September through May. The webinars allow educators an opportunity to learn from UNI experts in the comfort of their classroom, office or home. This year’s webinars will feature popular topics such as classroom management, core standards, achievement gap, technology in the classroom, STEM education and more. Participants can choose the topics of their interest. The next webinar will be on October 28 at 3:30 p.m. with the topic “Classroom Management for the First-Year Teacher.” For more information about these free webinars and to register visit http://www.uni.edu/coe/professional-development-webinars.
Work Being Done to Create FY 2011-12 and Amend FY 2010-11 Agency Budgets
This fall the Agency will create the 2011-2012 fiscal year budget and amend the 2010-2011 fiscal year budget. The new and amended budgets will be presented at a public hearing in January and sent to the Iowa Department of Education in February.
The budget document is based on line-item budgets completed by the Agency’s budget managers. Information is gathered from a number of sources to complete the line-item budget. Some information is known and some must be estimated based on current conditions and trends. Current salaries and benefits are taken from payroll and used to determine amounts for the amended budget. The same data is used to produce estimates for the new budget using reasonable estimates for package increases.
The line-item budgets will be established by the budget managers beginning in early November through the middle of December. The budget document will be produced before the holiday break in December.
To prepare for the budget process, budget managers should be considering what kinds of unusual or major expenditures they anticipate the remainder of this year and next year. Also budget managers should estimate miscellaneous income reasonable expected during the same period.
The budget document is based on line-item budgets completed by the Agency’s budget managers. Information is gathered from a number of sources to complete the line-item budget. Some information is known and some must be estimated based on current conditions and trends. Current salaries and benefits are taken from payroll and used to determine amounts for the amended budget. The same data is used to produce estimates for the new budget using reasonable estimates for package increases.
The line-item budgets will be established by the budget managers beginning in early November through the middle of December. The budget document will be produced before the holiday break in December.
To prepare for the budget process, budget managers should be considering what kinds of unusual or major expenditures they anticipate the remainder of this year and next year. Also budget managers should estimate miscellaneous income reasonable expected during the same period.
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