Health Insurance Rates for 2012-2013
The Insurance Committee has recommended that the Agency renew its health insurance contract with Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield for the 2012-2013 plan year. The renewal will mean an 11.26% increase in rates. Heartland employees will continue to take advantage of the 48% network discounts negotiated by Wellmark on medical charges. These discounts are considerably better than the discounts offered through other providers.
Plan Design Changes
The medical plans will remain relatively unchanged for the new plan year with the exception of the drug plan. Last year Wellmark informed the Insurance Committee that adding a Tier 4 to the drug plan for “convenience drugs” would help employees make wiser drug selections. Although it had initially been Wellmark’s plan to only include convenience drugs in Tier 4, many drugs that did not fit that description were also included. That was not the original understanding or intention of the Committee. So the Tier 4 level has been eliminated. You are still encouraged to talk to your doctor about trying less expensive generic drugs in place of higher brand names.
Benefit Meetings
This will be the Agency’s seventh year with Wellmark, and since the plan is relatively unchanged, we will not be holding benefit meetings this spring.
Wellness Lunch & Learn
We will be holding a wellness lunch and learn on April 18 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in Conference Rooms 13 A & B in the REC building in Johnston, and we hope you will all be able to attend. Dr. John Amspaugh, a family medicine physician from Urbandale, will be explaining what our “numbers” mean. Those of you who got your physical and did your well-being assessment will now be equipped to learn what those numbers mean and how to get them moving in the right direction. Whether you completed the well-being assessment or not, we think you’ll find it very helpful to understand what your doctor means when he/she tells you your LDL is too high or you need to reduce your blood pressure. Feel free to bring your lunch. There will be plenty of time for your questions. If you’re not able to come in person, we’ll be providing an option that will allow you to view the program live from your office or to view it at a later date on the Intranet.
Medical Flex Spending Change
Under Healthcare Reform, the maximum amount you can elect for the 2012-2013 plan year has been reduced to $2,500 per person.
Benefit Enrollment
Online benefit enrollment will be available on your Employee Dashboard from April 2, 2012 through April 25, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. Even if you have no changes to your benefit selections, all full-time employees are asked to complete their online enrollment. More information will be coming about this soon.
If you have individual benefit questions or concerns, please contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at ext. 14385 or kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Printing of Certificates of Completion Now Available Through Universal Registration System
Professional Development is excited to share some new web-based functions. For some time, you have been able to print a confirmation letter, make changes to your credit options or order a transcript. You can now print a certificate of completion as well. This functionality allows you, as a participant, to print a certificate for workshops or other learning activities you have completed. This can only be done if the instructor has created the opportunity and held registration through the Universal Registration system here at Heartland AND has closed out the activity. Click here for more information.
For those of you setting up activities, please be aware of this new functionality. The certificate is printed with the name of the activity, the description, the instructor, the date and the contact hours of the activity.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact Professional Development.
For those of you setting up activities, please be aware of this new functionality. The certificate is printed with the name of the activity, the description, the instructor, the date and the contact hours of the activity.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact Professional Development.
Medianet to be Down for Maintenance March 29
The Medianet system used to reserve books, videos, etc. will be down for maintenance most of the day on Thursday, March 29.
New Print Feature for Resource Scheduler Online
To reserve agency meeting rooms and equipment, please use the new Resource Scheduler Online system at http://resource.aea11.k12.ia.us. Use your current PeopleBox username and password to log into the new system. Detailed documentation for the system can be found at http://resource.aea11.k12.ia.us/docs/rshelp.htm.
We wanted to let you know that a new print feature has been added. You can now print a list of room or equipment reservations from the Reservation Search page in Resource Scheduler Online.
1. Click on the “Reservation Search” button.
2. Search for the reservations you want to display.
3. Click on the “Print Results” link located just above the table heading.
4. You can change the format of the report on the print page by clicking on the “Group By” drop-down list.
5. Click the “Print” button to send the report to a printer or to create a PDF file.
6. Once the report has been printed, click on the “Back” button to return to the Reservation Search page.
If you have any questions about this feature or Resource Scheduler Online, please contact Sean Boyle at ext. 14319, Maureen Whited at ext. 14533 or Lori Thelen at ext. 14669.
We wanted to let you know that a new print feature has been added. You can now print a list of room or equipment reservations from the Reservation Search page in Resource Scheduler Online.
1. Click on the “Reservation Search” button.
2. Search for the reservations you want to display.
3. Click on the “Print Results” link located just above the table heading.
4. You can change the format of the report on the print page by clicking on the “Group By” drop-down list.
5. Click the “Print” button to send the report to a printer or to create a PDF file.
6. Once the report has been printed, click on the “Back” button to return to the Reservation Search page.
If you have any questions about this feature or Resource Scheduler Online, please contact Sean Boyle at ext. 14319, Maureen Whited at ext. 14533 or Lori Thelen at ext. 14669.
March 2012 Board of Directors Meeting Recap
The regular meeting of the Heartland AEA Board of Directors was held March 13, 2012.
Discussion Items
High Performing Organizations and the Link to Culture and Leadership
Ms. Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, and Dr. Jim Verlengia, Regional Director, shared information about the Denison Model that explores the relationship between culture and leadership. Research shows that an effective culture leads to higher employee performance and that high performing organizations demonstrate certain characteristics within their leadership. They asked Board members if they would consider Heartland to be a high performing organization and if this model was something to be pursued. The model provides an opportunity to hone in on areas that need further development and to see what already exists. Board members were interested but asked for additional information including costs and the time investment. Ms. Gillon will provide a detailed proposal at an upcoming board meeting.
Closed Session
The Board went into closed session at 3:42 p.m. to discuss the 2012-13 negotiations process. The Board returned to public session at 4:39 p.m.
Public Forum and Correspondence
Dr. Vincent discussed director district changes that are occurring in schools as a result of the 2010 U.S. Census. Director districts can change due to shifts in population, which occurred in Des Moines. Des Moines Public Schools was asked to redraw its director districts and that work has been completed and filed with the Secretary of State’s Office. The AEAs will also look at their populations to see if there will need to be any changes to board director assignments.
Discussion Items Continued
Board Committee Reports and Activities
Board Policy Task Force – The task force met last week and reviewed the 300 series. Progress is slow and there remains a lot of work before starting the next series.
Affirmative Action – Mr. Turnquist attended the affirmative action committee meeting. There are two more meetings scheduled.
IEC – The lawsuit brought by Hawkeye Foods against the IEC was given approval by the Iowa Supreme Court to move forward. More information will be shared at the April Boards of Directors’ Conference.
Legislative Update – The Education Reform Bill is being debated this evening in the House. There were over 40 amendments presented to the bill and hopefully one version will be passed to the Senate. Changes to juvenile homes were also proposed. The proposal was very harmful to the ability to provide support to children across the state. Heartland staff members, Mr. David King and Mr. Steve Iverson, were helpful in advocating on behalf of the children and AEA system.
District Services
Ms. Sheila King and Dr. Cindy Yelick, Executive Directors of Instructional Services, discussed recent conversations and planning that has taken place with staff and districts. Meetings have been held with all regional directors about the state of their district service plans, priority of services and capacity levels of staff to meet district needs. Three themes emerged:
1.) Support for core instruction – The structure around curriculum, instruction and improving outcomes for students. Heartland staff needs to have the ability to coach teachers on instructional practices and services.
2.) Integration of technology – The Agency will try to approach this on different levels, such as capacity building for staff and doing work to support 1:1 schools.
3.) Continuum around behavior – Next spring the Agency will hold a conference for staff, parents and teachers on behavior. The conference will focus on three major areas: how to enhance instruction, how to use basic reinforcement and the increase in challenging behaviors that teachers don’t have the tools to handle.
Chief Administrator Comments
• Exira Community School District is exploring a merger with Elk Horn-Kimballton. If it moves forward, Heartland will be heavily involved in the merger process.
Board Comments
• Board members discussed rescheduling the April 24 board agenda planning meeting. It will be held as scheduled.
• Dr. Bridgewater inquired about the Agency’s current rate of mileage reimbursement.
• Mr. Halliburton asked if special education could be added as a topic at a future work session.
Discussion Items
High Performing Organizations and the Link to Culture and Leadership
Ms. Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, and Dr. Jim Verlengia, Regional Director, shared information about the Denison Model that explores the relationship between culture and leadership. Research shows that an effective culture leads to higher employee performance and that high performing organizations demonstrate certain characteristics within their leadership. They asked Board members if they would consider Heartland to be a high performing organization and if this model was something to be pursued. The model provides an opportunity to hone in on areas that need further development and to see what already exists. Board members were interested but asked for additional information including costs and the time investment. Ms. Gillon will provide a detailed proposal at an upcoming board meeting.
Closed Session
The Board went into closed session at 3:42 p.m. to discuss the 2012-13 negotiations process. The Board returned to public session at 4:39 p.m.
Public Forum and Correspondence
Dr. Vincent discussed director district changes that are occurring in schools as a result of the 2010 U.S. Census. Director districts can change due to shifts in population, which occurred in Des Moines. Des Moines Public Schools was asked to redraw its director districts and that work has been completed and filed with the Secretary of State’s Office. The AEAs will also look at their populations to see if there will need to be any changes to board director assignments.
Discussion Items Continued
Board Committee Reports and Activities
Board Policy Task Force – The task force met last week and reviewed the 300 series. Progress is slow and there remains a lot of work before starting the next series.
Affirmative Action – Mr. Turnquist attended the affirmative action committee meeting. There are two more meetings scheduled.
IEC – The lawsuit brought by Hawkeye Foods against the IEC was given approval by the Iowa Supreme Court to move forward. More information will be shared at the April Boards of Directors’ Conference.
Legislative Update – The Education Reform Bill is being debated this evening in the House. There were over 40 amendments presented to the bill and hopefully one version will be passed to the Senate. Changes to juvenile homes were also proposed. The proposal was very harmful to the ability to provide support to children across the state. Heartland staff members, Mr. David King and Mr. Steve Iverson, were helpful in advocating on behalf of the children and AEA system.
District Services
Ms. Sheila King and Dr. Cindy Yelick, Executive Directors of Instructional Services, discussed recent conversations and planning that has taken place with staff and districts. Meetings have been held with all regional directors about the state of their district service plans, priority of services and capacity levels of staff to meet district needs. Three themes emerged:
1.) Support for core instruction – The structure around curriculum, instruction and improving outcomes for students. Heartland staff needs to have the ability to coach teachers on instructional practices and services.
2.) Integration of technology – The Agency will try to approach this on different levels, such as capacity building for staff and doing work to support 1:1 schools.
3.) Continuum around behavior – Next spring the Agency will hold a conference for staff, parents and teachers on behavior. The conference will focus on three major areas: how to enhance instruction, how to use basic reinforcement and the increase in challenging behaviors that teachers don’t have the tools to handle.
Chief Administrator Comments
• Exira Community School District is exploring a merger with Elk Horn-Kimballton. If it moves forward, Heartland will be heavily involved in the merger process.
Board Comments
• Board members discussed rescheduling the April 24 board agenda planning meeting. It will be held as scheduled.
• Dr. Bridgewater inquired about the Agency’s current rate of mileage reimbursement.
• Mr. Halliburton asked if special education could be added as a topic at a future work session.
AEA Legislative Update
Click here to read the weekly legislative update from the AEAs’ lobbyists, Matt Eide and John Pederson, of the Eide & Heisinger firm.
Reminder: Annual AEA Customer Survey Open Through April 6
The annual AEA Customer Survey is still open through Friday, April 6, 2012. The input collected in the survey will be used to make decisions about programs and services we provide to our schools, children and families.
Educators in our area will receive an e-mail reminder this week to take the survey. We ask that you encourage school administrators and educators you work with to take a few minutes to complete in the survey.
Thanks for your efforts in bringing the survey to the attention of the educators in the buildings you serve!
Educators in our area will receive an e-mail reminder this week to take the survey. We ask that you encourage school administrators and educators you work with to take a few minutes to complete in the survey.
Thanks for your efforts in bringing the survey to the attention of the educators in the buildings you serve!
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