- There will be no Connection on Dec. 24 or Dec. 31. Our first issue of the new year will be on Jan. 7.
- There will be no HeartBeat on Jan. 4; it will be sent out on Jan. 11.
- Agency offices will be closed Dec. 24-25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
Happy Holidays!
Dear Colleagues,
We’ve had too many recent reminders of the fragility and unpredictably of life. I hope each of us can use these reminders to let those around us know how much we appreciate them. Let’s collectively recommit to making the most of each day—pausing to take time to share affirmations with our colleagues and to take hope from the new opportunity each day presents to make a positive difference in the lives of those we serve and with whom we work.
Wishing each of you peace this holiday season,
Paula
In a December 3 Connection article, we noted that the federal “fiscal cliff” discussions could have implications for reducing your take home pay beginning in January 2013. A few people have inquired about the extent of the impact on their paychecks.
Unless Congress takes action, your employee FICA (Social Security) tax rate is scheduled to increase from 4.2% to 6.2% in January 2013. If you access a recent pay stub via Employee Online, you can estimate the impact of this change. To access Employee Online, login to your Employee Dashboard. Employee Online is one of the navigation tabs at the top of the page, just like the Intranet or Leave Online tabs.
Once in Employee Online, go to the left-hand navigation and click on the link that says Pay Stub to find your pay stubs. Locate your current FICA deduction (at 4.2%) shown in the POST-TAX DEDUCTIONS box on the right side of your pay stub with the FICA Contribution (at 6.2%) shown under the EMPLOYER PAID BENEFITS section of your pay stub. The difference between these amounts is the amount your net pay may decrease after January 1, 2013.
In addition to the increase in your FICA tax deduction your federal withholding may increase. However, it is simply not possible to estimate the potential impact on your net pay if the so-called “Bush-era tax cuts” are allowed to expire on December 31, 2012. That’s because the 2013 federal withholding tax tables won’t be available until after fiscal cliff decisions are made by the federal government. If the Bush-era tax rates are allowed to expire and rates default back to prior rates, then likely most taxpayers will see an increase in the federal income tax withholding on their paychecks, meaning less take-home net pay.
We continue to closely monitor this situation and will keep you informed. If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14908.
In mid-January, the Payroll Department will mail your 2012 Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement to your home address. Please help us ensure you receive your W-2 in a timely fashion by verifying that we have your correct address on file in our Employee Online system. Please check your information in the system by December 31, 2012.
To verify your address in Employee Online, log in to your Employee Dashboard. Employee Online is one of the navigation tabs at the top of the page, just like the Intranet or Leave Online tabs. Once you’ve reached the Employee Online home page, click on Home Address in the left hand navigation section. If you need to update your address, click on the Edit button in the lower right hand corner of the page. It’s that easy!
If you have questions about your personal information, contact Carolyn Jones, Human Resources Assistant, at cjones@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14614. If you have any questions regarding Form W-2, contact Steve Jordan, Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14908.
Due Dates
Staff members frequently inquire when timesheets, addendum pay, direct deposit forms and other changes need to be submitted to the Payroll Dept. in order to be processed for a particular pay date. To assist in your planning, below is a list of 2013 pay dates and corresponding due dates. Payroll needs to receive all information by the end of the day on the due date to ensure payments and/or changes are made on the corresponding pay date. Any information received in Payroll after the due date may be processed during the next payroll cycle.
For those staff members being paid from a timesheet or receiving addendum pay, please keep in mind these items are to be completed, approved/signed by a supervisor and submitted to Payroll within four working days after the end of the pay period. Any items received after the due date may be processed during the next payroll.
Pay Dates & Due Dates
The first column lists pay dates and the second column lists due dates. This list of dates is also archived on the Intranet > Business Office > Payroll Information & Forms > Payroll Dates for 2013.
Jan. 15 Jan. 7
Jan. 31 Jan. 21
Feb. 15 Feb. 6
Feb. 28 Feb. 21
March 15 March 6
March 29 March 21
April 15 April 4
April 30 April 19
May 15 May 6
May 31 May 21
June 14 June 6
June 28 June 20
July 15 July 5
July 31 July 19
Aug. 15 Aug. 6
Aug. 30 Aug. 21
Sept. 13 Sept. 6
Sept. 30 Sept. 19
Oct. 15 Oct. 4
Oct. 31 Oct. 21
Nov. 15 Nov. 6
Nov. 27 Nov. 21
Dec. 13 Dec. 5
Dec. 31 Dec. 19
Questions
If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14908.
If you haven’t seen the new Educator Connection/World of Media, click here to take a look! The publication is an interactive, online e-magazine and replaces the past print, PDF and blog editions of both publications. This issue includes information on using ebooks to support the Iowa Core standards, professional learning opportunities and updates, interactive simulations for math and science and much more! Check it out and send any feedback to the Communications Dept. at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us. Past issues of the Educator Connection can be found here.
Read the latest Impacting Lives update at http://aeas4iowa.wordpress.com/. In this issue, you’ll find the following articles:
• AEAs Support English Language Learner Needs in Iowa
• Mystery Skype Challenge Connects Classrooms
• iPads Add Another Tool to Practitioners’ Toolboxes
• Northwest Area Preschools Celebrate Verification
Each year the Agency’s Insurance Committee puts out a survey to ask you about your benefit experiences, what kind of customer service you’ve received and whether you are satisfied with the quality of your benefits through Heartland AEA. Since the committee is made up of representatives from each of the Agency’s employee groups, we are representing YOU and it’s important to us to hear from you!
Last Friday you received an email with a link to the annual insurance survey. If you have agency-provided health insurance, please take a few minutes to let us know how you feel about your benefits. Each committee member will read the survey results and will make decisions based on your input. The survey will close at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, January 7, 2013. Thank you very much for your participation!
Just a reminder since we will soon be into a new calendar year—any prescription drug that is not a generic will first go towards meeting your annual $100 deductible. Regardless of whether you have single or family coverage, no person in the family will have to pay more than $100 towards their 2013 drug deductible.
Examples: If your drug is a Tier 2 and costs $150, you will pay $120 on your first refill for a one month prescription. ($100 deductible + $20 co-pay).
If, for example, you have a $500 drug that is a Tier 3, and you get a 3-month supply for the cost of two co-pays, you will pay $170 ($100 deductible + $70 for two $35 co-pays). You can never be charged more than the cost of the drug.
If you have family coverage, you will not be charged more than $200 for your family drug deductible. This deductible can be met by two individuals or several members of the family together meeting the $200.
This might be a good time to talk to your physician about trying a generic prescription for your medical conditions. You will never be assessed a deductible for a generic and the monthly co-pay is only $5.00.
If you have any questions, contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385.
Heartland AEA is pleased to announce the commencement of contract negotiations as outlined below. Meetings are open to all staff and the public.
The Heartland Education Association (HEA) will present its opening negotiations proposal on January 10, 2013, from 4:00-5:00 p.m., at the Heartland AEA Administration Center, 6445 Corporate Drive, Johnston, in the Borlaug Conference Room. Heartland AEA will present its response on January 17, 2013, from 4:00-5:00 p.m., at the Heartland AEA Administration Center, in the Borlaug Conference Room.
The Teamsters Local #238 will present its opening negotiations proposal on January 9, 2013, from 4:00-5:00 p.m., at the Heartland AEA Administration Center, 6445 Corporate Drive, in the Board Room. Heartland AEA will present its response on January 16, 2013, from 4:00-5:00 p.m., at the Heartland AEA Administration Center, in the Board Room.
Heartland AEA Wellness is pleased to announce another friendly competition through Live Healthy Iowa!
The 10-week Wellness Challenge allows participants to team up over the course of 10 weeks (2-10 people per team) to track activity minutes and/or weight loss through the Live Healthy Iowa website. This challenge normally costs $20 to participate, however Heartland AEA Wellness will be covering $10 of the cost when you use the Heartland AEA registration ID Code: LHIHAEA11
You can also get $5 off if you use a promotional code from Hy-Vee. Click here to download the coupon and follow the instructions there to sign up for the Challenge. Coupons are limited, so sign up soon! (Registration opens on December 19 and only the team captain needs to download the coupon). The process is similar to the Next Step Challenge.
1. Get your 2-10 person team together and nominate a team captain.
2. The team captain will then go to http://www.livehealthyiowa.org, click on the area that says “start a team” on the right side of the page and enter LHIHAEA11 as the Group ID to register his/her team.
3. The team captain will register all of his/her team members, selecting T-shirt sizes for team members, as well as inputting the Hy-Vee promotional code.
4. Team members will then log their activity through the Live Healthy Iowa website.
The contest will start January 28 and run through April 5. So let’s Team Up, Get Active, Eat Well, and Live Healthy! If you have any questions about the program or about registering, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Generalist, at tchiaramonte@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14534.
Are you considering retirement in the next two to three years? If so, you may be interested in attending a “Planning for Retirement” session on January 16, 2013 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in Conference Room 13A and B at the Johnston Regional Education Center.
IPERS and Social Security will be providing in-person guidance on what you need to know to make the best choices for your retirement years. If you would like IPERS to prepare personalized benefit estimates for you with your estimated retirement dates, please be sure use the link below to register, no later than January 9. Those who register after January 9 will not receive their personal IPERS information at the meeting. Spouses are welcome to attend.
Click here to register using the Agency’s Universal Registration system. Register early to reserve your seat, as we will open the meeting up to others in the state after January 6. If you have any questions, contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385.
The regular meeting of the Heartland AEA Board of Directors was held on December 11.
Public Forum
No one was present to speak to the Board.
Discussion Items
Exira and Elk Horn-Kimballton CSD Reorganization Process and Planning
Mr. Rick Engel, legal counsel for Heartland AEA, discussed the reorganization process with board members. The Agency will be involved with the reorganization of the Exira and Elk Horn-Kimballton Community School Districts. The Exira district lies within the Agency’s borders and the EH-K district lies within Green Hills AEA’s borders. He discussed the roles and responsibilities of each of the AEA boards during the merger process.
Communication Tools for Board Members
Ms. Courtney Croatt and Ms. Claire Sowder, the Agency’s communication specialists, discussed communication tools available to board members. The tools can help board members communicate the services Heartland AEA provides to parents, students and educators. Some of the tools available include brochures, PowerPoint presentations, media tip cards and short length videos about the AEA system. Ms. Croatt and Ms. Sowder are also working with the AEA lobbyists to help build advocacy for the AEA system among Iowa legislators.
Closed Session
The Board then went into closed session at 4:01 p.m. to discuss the 2013-14 negotiations process. They returned to public session at 4:58 p.m.
Discussion Items Continued
2011-12 Audit with Pittman & Company, L.L.P.
Mr. John Pittman, accountant with Pittman & Company, reviewed the results of the Agency’s 2011-12 audit. In the auditor’s opinion, Heartland AEA has complied with all requirements and conformed to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for the year ending June 30, 2012.
AEA, Department of Education and District Collaboration
Dr. Vincent updated Board members on the collaborative work of the AEA and Iowa Department of Education. Invitations have been extended to local school representatives across the state to join the work of the collaboration team. New members will begin attending in December. In January they will begin work on priority focus areas and role clarifications.
Board Policy Work
Board members were given new drafts of the 100 and 200 series of the Board Policy Manual. The entire manual is currently being updated and revised by members of the Board Policy Task Force. Many of the policies have been eliminated or were moved to the staff handbook as they are more procedural than policy. The task force hopes to have the entire manual revised by July 2013.
Board Committee Reports and Updates
Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) Annual Conference - Mr. Halliburton, Dr. Bridgewater and Mr. Turnquist highlighted some of the sessions they attended at the AESA Annual Conference held in early December. They found the sessions on innovation, the common core and how to work with students in poverty the most informative and interesting. One of the sessions was facilitated by four AEA Chief Administrators and discussed the collaboration between the AEA and Department of Education.
Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) Annual Convention - Many agency board members attended the IASB Annual Conference in November. They said it was well planned and very informative.
Project Science Education Mobile Instruction (SEMI) Trailer
Mr. Kurt Subra, chief financial officer, updated board members on the progress of the selling of the trailer. A public notice for bids was posted in November, but no bids were received. For many of the interested organizations, the trailer was either too expensive or the bidding deadline was too short. Some of the organizations still have an interest in purchasing the trailer, and Mr. Subra will work with them directly.
Chief Administrator Comments
• If a board member has not attended a professional development conference this year, the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Conference will be held March 16-18 in Chicago. Please contact Ms. Ugolini for registration.
• The Agency has been unable to fill the vacancy for Director District 6. Board members will send names of possible candidates to Mr. Turnquist.
Due to the upcoming holidays, our van delivery schedule will be as follows:
● No delivery December 21 through January 2
● Delivery resumes January 3
Professional learning opportunities funded by Teacher Quality will once again be available to Heartland AEA Certified this year. Each Job-Alike lead group included Teacher Quality offerings in their planning for professional learning and there are opportunities based on the learning in the Internal Capacity Building Strands. In addition, there will again be some offerings that are open to all/multiple groups.
Courses offerings will be in The Connection on January 7. Registration will not begin until January 14. Registration will close on January 31. Study groups will not begin until after March 1 to allow time to order books and materials.
Technology courses will again be available and will be held on Saturday mornings. Each is a three-hour session with payment of $100 for attendance. All Certified staff members are allowed to take both a 15-hour course or study group and attend a technology session. More information will be available in late January.
AEA PD Online’s December blog update is now available. Go to www.aeapdonline.org/ for updates or click on the article links below. For real time updates, follow AEA PD Online on Twitter @aeapdonline.
Recent Updates:
• Iowa Education Portal and the EdInfo Website
• Preparations for August 2013 Online Training System
• SoftChalk: A Tool Brought to You by AEA PD Online
• Upcoming Course Offerings
• External Partners Webinars
AEA K-12 Online’s December blog update now available. Go to www.aeak12online.org/ for updates or click on the article link below. For real time updates, follow AEA K-12 Online at Twitter @aeapdonline.
Recent Updates:
• U.S. Department of Education and the IDEA Partnership Define the Work of Communities of Practice
Click here for an e-card (with sound) from chief administrator Paula Vincent wishing you all a happy holiday season.
Each of Iowa’s nine AEAs serves the special and unique needs of schools and children in a particular area of the state. Although there is still a need for support at the regional level, response to a 2011 legislative study and two consecutive years of $20 million budget reductions in state AEA funding have given reason for the AEAs to formalize a more system-wide mission and approach.
Last school year, the leadership from the AEAs worked with the leadership from the Iowa Department of Education (DE) to define and strengthen the relationship between the AEA system and the DE. Building upon this collaborative work, the AEA chief administrators drafted a document entitled A New Compact with Iowa Schools and the Department of Education.
This document announces a new, bold statement for AEA system co-ownership of student results and outlines a new direction in terms of accountability for Iowa’s AEAs. The document also is a statement of leadership for educational reform and is intended to be a vehicle for AEAs to be proactive and focused on student learning.
The unified AEA Board of Directors and each of the nine individual AEA Boards have endorsed the Compact. Throughout this month the Compact is being shared with AEA staff across the state, DE staff, state elected officials and local school administrators and staff.
The Compact identifies the commitment of the AEAs to work collaboratively to achieve one overarching goal:
By 2018 every child who graduates from an Iowa PK-12 public or non-public accredited school will be prepared for success in post-secondary studies, a career and citizenship.
Progress toward this overarching goal will be monitored through the use of a “vital few” or key measures (immediate focus will be on measures 1 and 2):
1. Every Iowa child will be proficient in reading by the end of third grade.
2. The learning gaps between students with IEPs and those without and for those students in disaggregated sub-groups will be reduced by half by 2018.
3. A numeracy goal will be determined after sufficient progress has been made in reaching the literacy goal identified above.
4. A post-secondary readiness goal will be established by 2014 that most accurately identifies and tracks post-secondary success.
Seeing the goals of the Compact, I hope that you make connections to our goals at Heartland AEA that focus on increasing learning growth, decreasing achievement gaps, increasing graduation rates and preparing gateways to post-secondary success.
I invite you to think of this Compact as not only a way to strengthen our AEA system, but also a strategic avenue to achieve our goals here in central Iowa.
Although many details are yet to come, I wanted you to have a chance to review this information. If you have any thoughts, ideas or questions about the Compact, please contact me at pvincent@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14314.
Best regards,
Paula
Click here for the Compact document and here for a short PowerPoint that has been shared with Iowa superintendents. Click here for a short video outlining a summary of the Compact. The video was created by our AEA 267 colleagues and is narrated by Roark Horn, Chief Administrator at AEA 267.
Due to the upcoming agency holiday schedule, staff members paid from a timesheet must have their December 1-15 timesheets completed, approved by their supervisor and submitted to the Payroll Department by the end of the day on December 20 in order to ensure they receive pay at the end of the month.
Agency offices will be closed on December 31; as a result, payday will be December 28. Please contact Steve Jordan, Payroll Specialist, at ext. 14908 if you have any questions.
Click here to download the December 2012 edition of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education.
Are you thinking of retiring in the next two to three years? If so, you may be interested in attending a “Planning for Retirement” session on January 16, 2013 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in Conference Rooms 13A and B at the Johnston REC.
Representatives from IPERS and Social Security will be providing guidance to those who are close to retirement on what you need to know to make the best choices for your retirement years. More information will be coming soon, but save the date if this is of interest to you. We’ll be asking you to register so that we can get individual IPERS benefit estimates for each attendee.
Click here to download the agenda for the December 11 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting.
An email was sent to all agency staff today with a link to a survey that asks staff members who were issued iPads about how they are using them. If you weren’t issued an iPad from the Agency, you do not need to take the survey. If you do use an Agency iPad, please complete the survey by 4:00 p.m. on December 21.
JourneyEd and the Iowa Educators Consortium are offering a special deal on software just in time for the holidays.
Through December 31, 2012, JourneyEd is offering a 5% discount on any software or product order over $50. Available products include Inspiration, Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat Xl Pro, Dragon Naturally Speaking, CorelDraw and more.
1. Purchase online at www.JourneyEd.com/IEC5OFF.
2. Enter PRIORITY CODE 304678 at checkout to apply the 5% savings on your order of $50 or more.
Some exclusions may apply. Discount not valid on Microsoft Store purchases.
3. Purchases made through JourneyEd are for in-home, personal use only.
4. Eligible customers include students, teachers, K-12 public and private administrators and all support staff.
You have undoubtedly heard about the pending “fiscal cliff” facing our federal government. What you may not know or remember is the fiscal cliff could result in a decrease in your take home pay beginning January 2013.
One part of the fiscal cliff, the so-called “Bush era tax cuts,” are currently set to expire on December 31, 2012. Within the Bush-era tax cuts are the withholding tables used to calculate the amount of federal income tax that is withheld from your paycheck. The withholding tables are graduated based on income. Today those rates are 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33% and 35%. If these rates are allowed to expire, they will default back to the prior rates of 15%, 28%, 31%, 36% and 39.6%, resulting in less take home pay.
Another item affecting your paycheck beginning January 2013 is the FICA (Social Security) tax rate. President Obama signed a series of laws that reduced the FICA withholding rate for employees from 6.2% to 4.2%. The 4.2% FICA rate has been in effect for all of calendar years 2011 and 2012. The rate is scheduled to return to 6.2% in January 2013. This change will decrease the amount of your take home pay as well.
We will continue to closely monitor these tax changes that could result in a noticeable decrease in your take home pay beginning in January. We’ll communicate with you again when we know more. If you have any questions, please contact Steve Jordan, Payroll Specialist, at ext. 14908.
Heartland AEA is currently taking steps to comply with the federal grant rules identified in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87, pertaining to documentation needed for federal expenditures. For employees who are funded 100% with federal funding, there are Circular A-87 audit requirements we need to meet in order to document appropriate expenditures. If you are in the fully funded group, on December 5 you will receive an email from aea11_online_systems_WF with the subject A87 Certification Notice - Action Required with a link to the certification page. The process is very simple and the same as last year.
If you are new to this process or need a refresher, below is a link to a PowerPoint presentation that explains the background for Circular A-87 and the steps Heartland AEA is taking to meet the A-87 requirements. Please watch the 5-minute video by clicking here. (Password is a87aea) Keep in mind that the video was created in March 2011. Although, some of the dates and timelines in the video are outdated, the process and the purpose of the A-87 certification are still the same. You will need to click on the play button in order to start the video. As the video will explain, employees who are fully funded from one grant will need to certify every six months that they are performing duties allowed under the federal grant.
If you have any questions, contact Brian Whalen, Business Manager, at bwhalen@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14005. The Business Office appreciates your prompt completion of the certifications and your assistance in helping us comply with this reporting requirement.
Are you experiencing difficulties in your marriage, stress with a rebellious teenager or an aging parent who needs more care than you’re able to give? Are the holidays an especially difficult time for you?
If you need help now or anytime throughout the year, Heartland AEA offers employee assistance program (EAP) services through Bensinger, Dupont and Associates (BDA). Under the EAP you can receive no-cost, confidential help for a wide variety of needs and concerns, such as:
- Depression
- Stress management
- Anxiety
- Marital difficulties
- Relationship problems
- Family conflict
- Alcohol or drug addictions
- Financial concerns – telephone consultation with financial consultant on budgeting, taxes and debt consolidation
- Parenting concerns
- Problem gambling
- Eating disorders
- Legal concerns – telephone and/or one in-person consultation with an attorney on tax filing, guardianship and power-of-attorney services
- Childcare and eldercare – telephone consultation with a work-life professional to provide information, referrals and resources related to childcare or eldercare concerns
BDA offers up to three in-person assessment and counseling sessions by masters-degreed counselors 24-hours a day, seven days a week through a toll-free number. Your information will be completely confidential.
If this service would be of assistance, contact:
Bensinger, DuPont and Associates
(866) 451-5465
Online services are available at: niseap.com
Your password is: NISenhanced
Click here to download a brochure to learn more about EAP services and to have the contact information close at hand.
Questions or feedback may be addressed to Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385.
Are you thinking of retiring in the next two to three years? If so, you may be interested in attending a “Planning for Retirement” session on January 16, 2013 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in Conference Rooms 13A and B at the Johnston REC.
Representatives from IPERS and Social Security will be providing guidance to those who are close to retirement on what you need to know to make the best choices for your retirement years.
More information will be coming soon, but save the date if this is of interest to you. We’ll be asking you to register so that we can get individual IPERS benefit estimates for each attendee.
The URLs for the Teaching Replacement Behaviors sessions in the behavior stand of Internal Capacity Building have been finalized. Click here to go to the Internal Capacity Building Google Site that contains the information.
Region 1
Dec. 5
8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Guthrie Center Activity Center,
209 State St., Guthrie Center
Region 2
Dec. 20
8:30-11:30 a.m.
Adel AEA Office
Region 3
Dec. 4
8:30 a.m.-noon
Indianola Church of Christ,
1112 East Iowa Ave., Indianola
Region 4
Dec. 13
8:30-11:30 a.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Room 14
Region 5
Dec. 17
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Rooms 3 & 4
Region 6
Dec. 7
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Rooms 3 & 4
Region 7
Dec. 7
8:30-11:30 a.m.
Ames AEA Office
Region 8
Dec. 11
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Colfax Historical Society Building,
just off I-80 on Highway 117 heading south into Colfax
It’s that time of year…time to start thinking about the winter months and the not-so-pleasant weather that comes with it. In preparation for the possibility of office closings and class cancellations due to inclement weather, please read below for the process that the Agency uses to communicate about these events.
First, click here to read the Agency’s Inclement Weather policy, which can be found on page 47 of the Staff Handbook.
Remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available.
If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, at lgillon@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14416.
Communicating Office Closures
For the past two years, the Agency has used a system called SchoolReach to notify staff members of office closures due to inclement weather. (Everyone was quite happy we didn't actually have to use it last year!) Using the media to communicate our closings was no longer effective, so we decided to use SchoolReach and three other venues to communicate about office closures:
SchoolReach
SchoolReach is an online system that is able to send voice messages to staff when there is an office closure. When used, the service will call selected phone numbers in our employee contact list and will deliver a recorded message. The service will deliver the message to both live answer and answering machines. No answers (phones ringing over 40 seconds) and busies will be automatically retried twice in 15-minute intervals after the initial call.
We will contact only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. For example, if the Newton and Indianola offices are closed, we will only call the staff members who are assigned to those offices. Staff in other offices won’t receive a call. The calls that SchoolReach makes will be generated by the Agency’s Communications Department—they will not come directly from a person at SchoolReach.
We have previously asked you to update your phone contact information in the Agency’s Employee Online system. If you have provided both a home number and a cell phone number in Employee Online, we will call you at both numbers in the event of an office closing.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ABOUT SCHOOLREACH:
When SchoolReach places a call, if your phone has caller ID, the ID will display the Agency’s main number, (515) 270-9030. When you get a call from the system, there will be a short pause at the beginning of the message. This usually is only a few seconds pause. Answer your phone as you normally would with “hello” and hold for the message to begin. Multiple “hellos” will delay the message. Please inform all family members who may answer your phone of this process. If you rely on your answering machine to screen calls, the system will detect that your machine has answered and will play the recorded message to your machine. The phone will ring for up to 40 seconds. Make sure that your machine answers after four rings or you may miss the message.
At the end of the message you will be prompted to “press any key” to hear the message again. This can be helpful if a child answers the phone and hands it to a parent, who can then have the message repeated in its entirety.
What can be done to avoid any problems in message delivery:
• Do not say “hello” more than once. If the system detected your answer incorrectly, all noise will reset the three-second counter.
• If, after you answer, the message does not immediately play, cover the mouthpiece of the phone to cutout all background noise. The message should begin after three seconds.
Please make every effort to update your contact information in Employee Online any time there is a change to ensure that you do not miss important communication. Your phone data will be used exclusively by Heartland to communicate important information to you; it won’t be accessible to anyone else.
Website
We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website (www.aea11.k12.ia.us).
Cancellation Hotline
We will record closing information on a “cancellation hotline” that staff members can call into at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14041. When you call in you will hear a recorded message that says the date and which offices are closed if there are closings. If there are no closings, the message will reflect that.
Social Media
We will post closing information on the Agency’s Facebook & Twitter accounts (www.facebook.com/heartlandaea & twitter.com/HeartlandAEA).
Communicating Professional Development Class Cancellations
If a professional development class is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website, cancellation hotline and social media.
If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, please contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at ccroatt@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14474.
Do you have children under the age of 13 for whom you pay daycare expenses while you and your spouse are working? If so, consider taking those dollars out of your paycheck on a pre-tax basis.
Eligible staff members should have received an email on November 2 that provided information on how to enroll for the 2013 calendar year. This year we are offering our dependent care enrollment online. To make your dependent care elections, copy and paste the following link into your Firefox or Safari web browser: https://peoplebox.aea11.k12.ia.us/depcare
Use your PeopleBox login and password. If your PeopleBox password fails, try your Employee Dashboard password. Dependent care enrollment will be closed on Friday, November 30 at 4:00 p.m.
Please watch the video on the Intranet about our dependent care plan for more information. It is located on the Intranet > Benefits > 2012 Benefit Videos and PowerPoints > Dependent Care. You can also contact Kabel Business Services at (515) 224-9400 or (800) 300-9691 with any additional dependent care questions. Contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, with questions about benefits at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385. For technical problems or login problems with online enrollment, contact Lori Thelen, Information Systems Manager, at ext. 14669.
Region 1
Dec. 5
8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Guthrie Center Activity Center,
209 State St., Guthrie Center
Region 2
Dec. 20 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Adel AEA Office
Region 3
Dec. 4
8:30 a.m.-noon
Indianola Church of Christ,
1112 East Iowa Ave., Indianola
Region 4
Dec. 13
8:30-11:30 a.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Room 14
Region 5
Dec. 17
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Rooms 3 & 4
Region 6
Dec. 7
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Rooms 3 & 4
Region 7
Dec. 7
8:30-11:30 a.m.
Ames AEA Office
Region 8
Dec. 11
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Colfax Historical Society Building,
just off I-80 on Highway 117 heading south into Colfax
Operations
Dec. 3
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Rooms 3 & 4
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is currently working with a federal grant for Traumatic Brain Injury. The Governor’s Advisory Council on Brain Injuries and partners at the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Education have put together a series of free webinars for teachers, school staff, school coaches and AEA staff.
The first of these webinars, Brain Injury 101, is scheduled for November 28 at 3:30 p.m. The webinar will be presented by Anne Moessner, RN, MSC, CRRN from Mayo Clinic. Space is limited so reserve your webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/759202976
The second webinar, Concussion: Return to Learn, is scheduled for December 4 at 3:45 p.m. It will be presented by Leslie Duinink, M.S., Assistant Professor of Exercise Science, at Central College in Pella. She will discuss strategies to help kids return to the classroom after concussion.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8885862994920504320
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Below is a list of dates, times and topics for each webinar.
Contact Megan Hartwig at Megan.Hartwig@idph.iowa.gov for more information.
On Friday, November 30 at 5:00 p.m., the IFAS system will be taken down for a software upgrade. The system will not be available until Monday, December 3 at noon. This includes all functions available on the Employee Dashboard and the Application Process available on the Careers tab on the Agency website. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions, please contact Rod Howell, Data Processing Operations Manager, at rhowell@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14599.
FYI: Within the next few days a new import process will be available in HEART for data from the DIBELS data system. The DIBELS data system will soon discontinue the existing export for DIBELS data. The new import will be able to read DIBELS-6, DIBELS Next and EasyCBM Math data stored in the DIBELS data System. In order to have the best quality data, it will be important to do some additional setup and cleanup work inside the DIBELS data system. Directions for this process can be found on the “What’s new” page of the HEART manual.
For questions on this process, contact your regional assessment consultant or Connor Hood, Assessment Consultant, at chood@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Read the latest “Impacting Lives” update at http://aeas4iowa.wordpress.com/. In this issue, you’ll find information about the AEAs’ collaboration with the Iowa Dept. of Education, exciting news in the world of online learning, learning outcome success stories and a heartwarming article about the Selby brothers.
Click here to download the report “Overcoming the Achievement Divide: Key Challenges and Solutions for Iowa Schools” that was released last week by the Iowa Department of Education.
It confirms the areas where we are focusing as a state, including the implementation of the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework to close the achievement gap among Iowa’s students.
During the Next Step Challenge held in September and October, 60 teams of Heartland staff members competed in the walking challenge. Many teams took the competition seriously and really got into the spirit of things. We hope everyone enjoyed the friendly competition and the health benefits that come from increased walking and other fitness activities. Incentives for the top teams include radio pedometers, travel/workout bags, wrist wallets (for holding keys/cards when walking/jogging) and winners get a custom piece of Heartland-logoed wellness clothing.
Totals from the challenge are below.
Total steps for Heartland AEA staff: 107,876,473
Total miles walked by Heartland AEA staff: 53,938
1st Place:
Heartland Stalkers: Teri Hazen, Jill Crees, Jan Morgan & Jane Quanbeck
(Average steps per person was over 668,000 steps and average miles per person was over 334 miles)
2nd Place:
Charlie Tango: Jennifer Downs, Heidi Webber & Brianna Sayre Geiser
(Average steps per person was over 614,000 steps and average miles per person was over 307 miles)
3rd Place:
Ewalks: Katie Streff, Gina Menke, Janice McMurry, Brianne Magel, Lisa Lumbard, Deb Longnecker, Connie Kellogg, Tuan Dao, Melanie Dao & Jan Carl
(Average steps per person was over 608,000 steps and average miles per person was over 304 miles)
Kabel Business Services, the provider of our medical and dependent care flex spending plans and our Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), has notified us of its holiday hours so you can be reimbursed for your claims in a timely manner.
Kabel will be closed:
- For Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23. There will be no disbursements for claims on these days.
- For the Christmas holiday on Monday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25. There will be no disbursements for claims on these days.
- For the New Years holiday on Tuesday, January 1, 2013. There will be no disbursements for claims on this day.
Questions about any of your accounts at Kabel Business Services may be addressed to the company at (515) 224-9400 or 800-300-9691.
Things are picking up in the world of online learning! In order to bring timely, relevant information to educators across Iowa, the AEA system has developed two blogs to post updates about AEA PD Online and the new AEA K-12 Online. Read below for what’s new!
Educators across the state have increasingly taken advantage of AEA PD Online, an initiative provided by Iowa’s AEAs to provide high-quality professional development anytime, anywhere. Go to http://www.aeapdonline.org/ for updates or click on the article links below. For real time updates, follow AEA PD Online on Twitter at @aeapdonline.
Recent Updates:
- Upcoming Course Offerings
- AEA PD Online Webinar Series
New! Through AEA K-12 Online, educators can learn how to create and deliver their own online or blended-learning to K-12 students. AEA K-12 Online includes free content, technical supports, consultation and professional development specifically around teaching online. Go to http://www.aeak12online.org/ for updates or click on the article links below.
Recent Updates:
- Introducing AEA K-12 Online: Bringing Online Learning to Iowa K-12 Classrooms
- Iowa’s Communities of Practice and Innovation
Reminder: You can electronically view and manage your personal information such as home address, phone numbers, emergency contact information and payroll tax withholding through Employee Online.
Employee Online is accessed through the Employee Dashboard and appears at the top of the page as a tab along with other tabs such as Leave Online and the Intranet. When you click on the Employee Online tab, you will be directed to its home page. You can move about Employee Online by selecting any of the options on the left hand navigation menu.
In preparation for the winter months and the need to contact staff members in the event of office closings due to inclement weather, we need to make sure that we have all staff members’ current phone numbers on file. Please login to the Employee Online system and review/update your phone information. This will ensure that you receive a call if your office should close due to inclement weather.
We will review the process for communicating about office closings due to inclement weather in an upcoming Connection article.
Click here to download the agenda for the November 13, 2012 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting.
Based on figures from the 2010 census, the Agency’s board member director districts were re-drawn. Click here to see a map that shows the nine director districts that serve the 781,137 people who live in the Heartland AEA service area. Click here to see the slight change in the school districts our board members represent.
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, our van delivery schedule will be as follows:
● Regular delivery Nov. 19 & 20
● No delivery Nov. 21, 22 & 23
It’s American Education Week! This year’s theme is “Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility.” This week presents all Americans with the opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference to ensure that every child receives a quality education. Thank you for your continued dedication to working side by side with our districts to improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth in central Iowa.
Q: How do I know what to put in when it asks for the child’s diagnosis?
A: All AEA services are given with blanket diagnosis for students: all birth to age 3 students have a diagnosis of 783.4 and school-age children will use V70.99. This is for all students billed by AEA.
Q: I am getting Error Code messages such as “No IEP on file.” What do I do?
A: The IMS system provides this information to Timberline. This was the process determined by the State Special Education Directors. Therefore, if IMS does not provide specific information to Timberline, error codes will pop up on the T-TRAK screen. This is not an AEA error nor does it mean incorrect information is in the IMS system. We will not be providing Timberline additional information on each individual student as they have requested. If you continue to receive error codes, assume those services are non-billable and you may submit your claims without those services entered.
Reminder: You can electronically view and manage your personal information such as home address, phone numbers, emergency contact information and payroll tax withholding through Employee Online.
Employee Online is accessed through the Employee Dashboard and appears at the top of the page as a tab along with other tabs such as Leave Online and the Intranet. When you click on the Employee Online tab, you will be directed to its home page. You can move about Employee Online by selecting any of the options on the left hand navigation menu.
In preparation for the winter months and the need to contact staff members in the event of office closings due to inclement weather, we need to make sure that we have all staff members’ current phone numbers on file. Please login to the Employee Online system and review/update your phone information. This will ensure that you receive a call if your office should close due to inclement weather.
We will review the process for communicating about office closings due to inclement weather in an upcoming Connection article.
School Leader Update
Click here to download the November 2012 School Leader Update.
Each & Every Child
Click here to download the November 2012 Each & Every Child newsletter.
Effective October 1, 2012, Wellmark has made a change to the Wellmark Drug List that will affect member coverage of compound drugs.
The Wellmark Drug List is a list of drugs that have been approved for members by a group of community physicians and pharmacists. Wellmark continually reviews the Wellmark Drug List and makes changes based on new findings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and drug makers and other factors including cost.
Several products used for compounded drug preparations were determined to not be FDA approved. Wellmark is removed these products from the Wellmark Drug List effective October 1, 2012. Compound prescriptions incorporating these products will no longer be covered by Blue RxSM or Blue Rx PreferredSM benefit plans. Members who receive a compounded prescription with these products should expect to pay the full retail cost after October 1.
Members who had filled compound prescriptions with one of the affected products were alerted to the formulary change in early September. For questions about how this will affect you, please contact Wellmark at (800) 355-2031.
If you are eligible to participate in the dependent care flexible spending plan, you should have received an e-mail on November 2 that provides information about the plan and instructions on how to enroll for 2013. Enrollment will open on November 5 and will close November 30 at 4:00 p.m. If you have any questions, contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385.
ADM has changed its district’s e-mail addresses to firstinitiallastname@adm.k12.ia.us (Ex. jsmith@adm.k12.ia.us). Please make any needed changes to your contacts and distribution lists.
Q: How will the agency set the level of compensation for supplemental contracts? When will they be issued?
A: Supplemental contracts will be paid on basis of per diem and will be issued with the regular contract.
Q: If I am offered a supplemental contract, do I have the option to accept or reject it?
A: Yes, any time a staff member is offered a contract, they have the ability to accept or reject it. This process is guided by continuing contract law.
Supplemental contracts are offered because the agency is trying to match predictable service needs with its resources. If a supplemental contract is declined, the agency will look to others to fulfill that service need.
Q: What if my total number of contract days for next year is reduced? Can I appeal that decision?
A: Any staff who are reduced in number of contract days will be afforded due process rights, as outlined in Iowa Code and Heartland’s master agreement.
Q: If I have a supplemental contract, how do I do my calendar? Does the process change?
A: You will consult with your supervisor to calendar both your base contract days and supplemental contract days in our online system, so the process will remain consistent.
Q: Is there a grievance procedure for contract length decisions?
A: Our master agreement defines the process for filing a grievance; there is no special procedure related to the supplemental contract.
Q: Have you done any more work on the process and timeline for decision-making about supplemental contracts?
A:
• Nov. 1 – Regional Directors begin conversations with staff.
• By November 30, Regional Directors will use agency priorities, district service agreements and staff input to make recommendations for supplemental contract and/or addendum day needs.
• Dec. 5 – The Agency Planning Council will review Regional Directors’ recommendations.
• Dec. 6-Jan. 15 – Regional Directors will have confirming conversations with staff.
Official Agency Hours
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.
Work Days
The regular workweek (Monday through Sunday) consists of five days of 7.5 hours each, or three days of 9.5 hours and one day of 9 hours each (for Van Drivers). Employees can set the start and end time (along with lunch) with their supervisor on a quarterly basis. Lunch should be taken near mid-work day, and can be 30 minutes to 1 hour based on supervisor approval.
For full-time and regular part-time employees who complete a timesheet (including employees who fill out a time sheet for record keeping only), if you work less than 7.5 hours in a day (with advanced supervisor approval), appropriate leave must be taken to equal a 7.5 hour work day. If you work more than 7.5 hours in a day (with advanced supervisor approval), you will receive compensation at regular rate, for hours worked between 37.5 and 40 hours in a week. If you work over 40 hours in a work-week, you have the option of receiving pay at 1.5 times the regular rate or an equivalent number of hours of comp time.
Flexible Scheduling
Employees will be allowed to request reconsideration of their scheduled work 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. Alternative flexible scheduling hours should fall between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
In regional offices, office hours are set by the Regional Directors based on the needs of the region. The Regional Directors will schedule staff accordingly. Regional Directors will communicate their office hours to their districts, their staff, and the Agency receptionist.
When considering approval of flexible scheduling, 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 flexible scheduling with their supervisor.
