The Iowa legislature and United States congress are both underway and merit attention. Actions at the state and federal level will impact education in general and at Heartland AEA specifically.
At the federal level, it seems unlikely that an agreement will be found between the House and the Senate on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that contains all of the “Title” programs. In meetings in D.C. last week, there was general expectation by staff members representing education and appropriations that ESEA would not be reauthorized this session. Additionally, these same staff members expect sequestration to occur at about the 6% level. This reduction of federal programs is expected to impact Heartland AEA funding beginning with the next school year.
At the state level, the Governor is recommending a continuation of the $20 million cut to AEAs, as well as 0.0% allowable growth rates for both fiscal years (2013-14 and 2014-15). This means a $3.2 million reduction of revenue for Heartland AEA.
This is a good time for legislators to hear from AEA supporters. So, what can you do?? Please consider participating in weekend forums with your legislators and advocating for services for children and young adults in Iowa. You can also send written or electronic messages.
Please remember when sending messages to legislators it is important for you to personalize emails or letters with stories and send from your PERSONAL email account or stationary. It is against the law for us to lobby the legislature using agency e-mail or stationary. Also, do not send any such messages during agency work hours, as that would also be a violation of the law.
In addition to contact with legislators, our colleagues at Great Prairie AEA and Grant Wood AEA have suggested the following actions all AEA employees can consider:
• Always provide remarkable service.
• Stay educated on legislative issues.
• Tell the success stories from your work and the work of your colleagues to parents, community members and school staff.
• Keep a healthy life-work balance so you can be your best at both.
Thanks for all you are doing to care for the needs of children, families and colleagues.
Take care,
Paula
Monday, February 4, 2013
Dept. of Education Releases 2012 Condition of Education Report
The Iowa Department of Education released its annual Condition of Education report this week.
The report provides a wide range of state-level data, including shifts in student populations and demographics, teacher salaries and characteristics, student achievement results and school financial information.
The report includes the most recent data through the 2011-12 school year, unless otherwise noted.
Highlights include:
Students in Public Schools
• 19.3%: Percentage of minority student enrollment, up from 14.9 percent in 2008-09 and 5.5 percent in 1990.
• 40.1%: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, up from 27 percent a decade ago.
• 88.3%: Four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2011.
• 39.4%: Percentage of students in the Class of 2012 who enrolled in high-level mathematics courses, including calculus and trigonometry.
• 65.9%: Percentage of students in the Class of 2012 who reported taking chemistry; 26.9 percent enrolled in physics.
• 22.1: ACT composite score among 63 percent of students in Iowa’s Class of 2012 who were tested. The national average was 21.1 out of a possible 36.
• 34,513: The number of students enrolled concurrently in high school and community college courses, up from 21,587 in 2006-07.
Schools and Teachers
• 351: The number of Iowa school districts in 2011-12; there were 359 the year before and 431 in 1990.
• 33,938: The number of full-time public school teachers, up slightly from 33,610 in 2000-01.
• $50,634: The average salary for public school teachers in 2010-11, up from $49,626 the previous school year. Iowa ranks 25th nationally in teacher pay and 6th among Midwestern states.
• 96%: Percentage of Iowa school districts that offered preschool in 2011-12, up from 83.4 percent in 2008-09.
• 41.8: Average age of Iowa’s full-time public school teachers.
School Finance
• 81%: Percentage of total general fund spending in public schools for salaries and benefits.
• $9,484: Iowa’s average per-student expenditure in 2010-11. The amount is about the same as the year before ($9,455).
• 70.8%: Percentage of total general fund spending in Iowa public schools dedicated to student instruction in 2010-11; up from 68.6 percent in 1997-98.
The report includes the most recent data through the 2011-12 school year, unless otherwise noted.
Highlights include:
Students in Public Schools
• 19.3%: Percentage of minority student enrollment, up from 14.9 percent in 2008-09 and 5.5 percent in 1990.
• 40.1%: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, up from 27 percent a decade ago.
• 88.3%: Four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2011.
• 39.4%: Percentage of students in the Class of 2012 who enrolled in high-level mathematics courses, including calculus and trigonometry.
• 65.9%: Percentage of students in the Class of 2012 who reported taking chemistry; 26.9 percent enrolled in physics.
• 22.1: ACT composite score among 63 percent of students in Iowa’s Class of 2012 who were tested. The national average was 21.1 out of a possible 36.
• 34,513: The number of students enrolled concurrently in high school and community college courses, up from 21,587 in 2006-07.
Schools and Teachers
• 351: The number of Iowa school districts in 2011-12; there were 359 the year before and 431 in 1990.
• 33,938: The number of full-time public school teachers, up slightly from 33,610 in 2000-01.
• $50,634: The average salary for public school teachers in 2010-11, up from $49,626 the previous school year. Iowa ranks 25th nationally in teacher pay and 6th among Midwestern states.
• 96%: Percentage of Iowa school districts that offered preschool in 2011-12, up from 83.4 percent in 2008-09.
• 41.8: Average age of Iowa’s full-time public school teachers.
School Finance
• 81%: Percentage of total general fund spending in public schools for salaries and benefits.
• $9,484: Iowa’s average per-student expenditure in 2010-11. The amount is about the same as the year before ($9,455).
• 70.8%: Percentage of total general fund spending in Iowa public schools dedicated to student instruction in 2010-11; up from 68.6 percent in 1997-98.
February 2013 Each & Every Child Newsletter
Click here to read the February 2013 issue of the Each and Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education. Sue Severson, Special Education Consultant, is quoted about her work with Hoyt Middle School in Des Moines.
February 2013 School Leader Update
Click here to read the February 2013 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education.
Remember to Keep Tabs on Your Vacation Balance
If you are a staff member who receives vacation leave, you are reminded that you can only carry over one year’s worth of vacation time to the next year. For example, if you earned 150 hours of vacation and your current balance is 220 hours, you will need to use 70 hours of vacation time by June 30 or you will lose it. To check your available vacation balance, go to the Leave Online tab on your Employee Dashboard. If you have any questions, please contact Chrissy Bradley, Human Resources Specialist, at cbradley@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14432.
Assigning an Incomplete Grade in Professional Development Courses
A situation has recently come to our attention. Many of our course instructors are assigning “Incomplete” grades to people who have no intention of finishing the course. Some of these are due to illness or personal situations requiring them to miss part of the class. If this happens, please have the individual contact Professional Development to withdraw from the course or transfer to another course. By our guidelines, we cannot have an “Incomplete” grade listed on the books for longer than one semester after the completion of the course. Say for example, John takes a course this spring, but doesn’t get his assignment in by the due date because of some personal situations. The instructor agrees to give John an “Incomplete.” The course work MUST be completed by the end of the summer semester; otherwise, our policy states the grade will convert to an “F.”
Once we convert the grades to an “F,” bookkeeping is affected (especially if it is for Drake credit) and sometimes, this comes as a shock to the participants. We understand that sometimes an “Incomplete” is in order, but make sure there is a realistic expectation that the course will be finished. Otherwise, the participant should be given an “F” or transferred to another course.
Also note that if you put comments in the comment section of the grading page, please do not assume that Professional Development will see this comment. These comments are for your purposes as an instructor; they are not part of the official course information.
If you have any questions about this policy or procedure, please contact Sue Schirmer, License Renewal Coordinator, at sschirmer@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14379.
Once we convert the grades to an “F,” bookkeeping is affected (especially if it is for Drake credit) and sometimes, this comes as a shock to the participants. We understand that sometimes an “Incomplete” is in order, but make sure there is a realistic expectation that the course will be finished. Otherwise, the participant should be given an “F” or transferred to another course.
Also note that if you put comments in the comment section of the grading page, please do not assume that Professional Development will see this comment. These comments are for your purposes as an instructor; they are not part of the official course information.
If you have any questions about this policy or procedure, please contact Sue Schirmer, License Renewal Coordinator, at sschirmer@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14379.
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