Further Information Regarding Additional Staff for 2013-14

The Agency Planning Council (APC) has identified resources to add positions in the certified union for the next contract year. We will add up to five positions in Regions 2, 6 and 8 from our Special Education funding stream, and we plan to add up to five positions in the new role of instructional coach from our Educational Services funding stream. 

The allocation of the special education positions has been to the regions where we have seen the most growth in student population. Regional directors will work together with staff and schools to determine the positions they need to support the service needs for that region. APC and the Leadership and Learning Planning Council will work together in the coming weeks to complete the hiring and assignment process for instructional coaches. We will also work with staff and review all agency literacy resources and supports so instructional coaches are strategically infused into our agency. 

Questions about why we are adding a new Instructional Coach position have surfaced in recent Regional Planning Council meetings. As you know, Heartland AEA is working in concert with the Department of Education and the rest of Iowa’s AEAs to focus and intensify services in the area of early literacy. We have examples across our agency where staff members have been able to work in a coaching capacity (often within an RtI/IDM framework) to support literacy efforts at the classroom and school level, and student achievement has improved. We want to expand our ability to impact positive student outcomes in literacy, and we believe coaches will help us implement our theory of action to do that: 

If Heartland AEA provides focused services to children and schools and… 
If Heartland AEA provides related services for entitled children and… 
If Heartland AEA creates support systems for our staff that encourage collective responsibility, develop staff capacity and embrace system improvement, then…  We will achieve improved outcomes for children and youth. 

Please send any ideas, questions or comments you have about these positions to the Communications Department at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us. APC will use The Connection to keep staff up-to-date on decisions. Your support and patience as we work through this process is appreciated!