From the Chief Administrator

It’s hard to believe that we are at a close of another school year. Several schools will soon (or have already) dismissed for summer break, and many of you will hopefully find time to relax and recharge with family and friends over the next couple of months. This year has been quite a big year for both the Agency and the state in terms of changes and new opportunities. I am proud to share some of this year’s accomplishments: 

• Denison Organizational Culture Survey results 
• Regional meeting content helping AEA staff to implement multi-tiered system of supports in schools 
• Planning council structure assisting with implementation of literacy emphasis 
• Instructional coaching network support provided to 10% of elementary schools as first step in statewide early literacy scale-up (data results pending) 
• Support provided to districts for the Teacher Leadership and Compensation grant process (14 districts out of 39 awarded statewide were from Heartland AEA) 
• Data tool (Clarity by BrightBytes) provided to assist schools in personalizing PD to increase application of 21st century learning 
• Development of Department Planning Councils (DPCs) in Shared Services to mirror planning councils in regions - evidence of communication moving back and forth and up and down through the organization 
• Increased staffing flexibility to respond to district needs and consistency in contracts by moving to year round calendars with 192 base days for licensed staff 
• Advisory group input utilized to influence agency services 
• Completed HVAC renovation at Johnston Regional Education Center 

Looking ahead for next year, we are considering ways to monitor our continuous improvement process through each of our planning councils, including how we identify key actions to move our mission. This monitoring would also play an important role in the preparation for our DE Accreditation visit which will happen in the spring of 2015.

I was also encouraged to see staff taking advantage of the volunteer leave time opportunity that has been piloted this school year. Kudos to the following staff who have volunteered this year! (Their pictures can be found in recent HeartBeat issues and on our agency Facebook page.) 

Jan Carl                    Gina Menke 
Connie Kellogg          Melanie Dao 
Lisa Saunders           Danielle Schrad 
Barb Hoffman           DeAnn Leiting 
Jennifer Auen           Alyson Halley 
Kelly Grissom           Jennifer Downs 
Cindy Bruns             Carrie Roose 
Gayle Bortz              Holly Long-DeWolf 
Jennifer Etnyre         Jamie Punke 
Veretta Schuyler       Mary Johnson 
Sue Garvey              Jeri Messenger 
Sandy Anderson       Courtney McCormick 
Mary Heaberlin         Heng Fongkhamdeng 
Jill Crees                  Ashley Lenz 
Jan Morgan              Jane Quanbeck
Jennifer Taber

I am truly honored to be a part of an organization that is made up of such dedicated, caring staff! Everyone’s individual accomplishments lead to greater success of the Agency attaining our goals and furthering our mission to improve the learning outcomes and well-being of the children and youth we serve.  

Have a fantastic summer! 
Paula