Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.

Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

2013 Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement

Your 2013 Form W-2 will be mailed to your home address this week. 

The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act of 2010 (also known as the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare) requires employers to report on Form W-2 the cost of employer-sponsored group health insurance. Staff members who participated in the Agency’s health insurance plan at any time in calendar year 2013 will have an amount reported in box 12, letter code DD of their W-2. The required amount to be reported is the sum of employer and employee premium contributions. Please note that this is informational only and the amount reported is not taxable. 

Want to view your 2013 Form W-2 online? You can, beginning January 17, 2014. Login to your Employee Dashboard and select the Employee Online navigation tab at the top of the page. Once in Employee Online, go to the left-hand navigation and click on the “W-2 Info” then on the “W-2 2013” link. This will open a PDF copy of your W-2 that you can print. Contact the Payroll Department if you lose your W-2 and need an official replacement copy for tax filing purposes or for your permanent records. 

A help document of tips to better understanding your W-2 can be found on the Intranet > Business Office > Payroll Forms & Information or by clicking here. This help document provides an explanation of certain boxes on your W-2. 

If you have any questions, please contact Steve Jordan (sjordan@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14908) or Tammy Lawrence (tlawrence@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14422) in the Payroll Department.

January 2014 School Leader Update

Click here to find the January 2014 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education. This issue brings you news about the state winners of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in mathematics and science teaching, opportunities to learn more about TeachIowa.gov and financial literacy tools for students.

January 2014 Each & Every Child Newsletter

Click here to find the January 2014 issue of the Each & Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education. This month’s issue examines where the state ranks nationally when it comes to the education gap between students with disabilities and those without. As you will see, the state doesn’t fare well. As a follow up to this month’s newsletter, you will want to be sure to read next month’s issue, which outlines specific characteristics of high-growth schools.

More From the Iowa Dept. of Education Regarding RtI/MTSS

An effort to implement Response to Intervention (RtI) in schools statewide is continuing under a new name. 

Leaders from the Iowa Department of Education, Area Education Agencies and school districts recently agreed to rename this effort Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). 

“Both RtI and MTSS essentially mean the same thing,” said Rita Martens, a lead consultant at the Iowa Department of Education. “We’re choosing MTSS because it is a more accurate description; it more accurately reflects the work. It is a multi-tiered focus, not just a focus on shoring up students who have fallen behind.” While the name has changed, the focus remains the same: Help all students read proficiently by the end of third grade. 

MTSS is a proven practice to help schools identify, and intervene with, struggling readers, as well as students who are on track to read proficiently early on. This is accomplished by setting up an early warning system, adapting instruction to fit those students’ individual needs, and then monitoring their progress. 

MTSS focuses on three tiers of intervention: 

• Universal: For every student 
• Targeted: For students who are either struggling or need to be accelerated 
• Intensive: For students who are significantly behind and where targeted intervention didn’t help 

MTSS allows educators to judge the overall health of their school system by examining data on all students in general and special education, as well as identifying students who need additional supports. Those supports are provided in both small group and individual settings and are measured to determine if they are making a difference. The idea is to ensure all students reach the expectations set by the Iowa Core standards and are prepared for success after high school. 

“MTSS is just a clearer articulation about what the effort is focused on,” said Brad Niebling, a Department consultant. “This work is intended to facilitate student learning in the Iowa Core and the Iowa Early Learning Standards.” 

About 10 percent of the state’s schools rolled out MTSS last fall under the Response to Intervention name. Iowa’s education system is working to put the practice in place statewide through Collaborating for Iowa’s Kids (C4K), a partnership among Iowa’s AEAs, school districts, and the Iowa Department of Education.

Notice of Opening Contract Negotiations Meetings

Heartland AEA is pleased to announce the commencement of contract negotiations as outlined below. Meetings are open to all staff and the public. 

The Teamsters Local #238 and Heartland Area Education Agency will be exchanging opening negotiations proposals on: 
January 21, 2014 
4:00-4:30 p.m. 
Heartland AEA Administration Center, 6445 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA 50131 
Whitson Conference Room 

The Heartland Education Association (HEA) and Heartland Area Education Agency will be exchanging opening negotiations proposals on: 
January 23, 2014 
4:00-4:30 p.m. 
Heartland AEA Administration Center, 6445 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA 50131 
Borlaug Conference Room

Don’t Forget to Take Your Wellness Assessment Before Jan. 31st and Be Rewarded!

Step 1: Get your annual physical, including biometric data and lab.
Collect the health information you need to complete the wellness assessment. The information needed includes height, weight, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose and blood pressure. You’ll need to have routine blood work as well as your annual physical to collect this information. If you’ve had a physical with blood work in 2013, you can call your doctor’s office for the information. 

Step 2: Log on to myWellmark at Wellmark.com with your User ID and password. 
Not a registered member of Wellmark.com? It’s easy and takes just a few minutes. Go to Wellmark.com and select “Member” from the “Register Now” drop-down menu. Or enter from the Wellness tab on the Employee Dashboard. Follow the instructions to complete your registration. 

Step 3: Take the wellness assessment before January 31, 2014. 
Take 15-20 minutes to answer questions that will give you an accurate, confidential and personalized report that summarizes what you’re doing well and where to improve, including personalized steps to reduce your health risk factors. Be sure to enter your biometrics and lab results as you complete the wellness assessment for a complete picture of your health. 

Step 4: Use the personalized tools and resources to achieve your wellness goals. 

Step 5: Be rewarded. 
Each participant will receive a $25 or $50 Visa gift card. (All participants will receive a $25 gift card. If your region/group has over 50% participation, all participants in that group will receive one $50 gift card. All gift cards are treated as taxable income according to law). Gift cards will be issued with the last pay date in February 2014. 

If you have any questions, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Manager, at tchiaramonte@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14534.

Sign Up Now for the 10-Week Wellness Challenge Through Live Healthy Iowa

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 Agency registration ID Code: LHIHAEA11 

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 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 their team. 
3. The team captain will register all of his or her team members, selecting T-shirt sizes for team members, and pay the total team fee. 
4. Team members will then log their activity through the Live Healthy Iowa website. 

The contest will begin January 27 and run through April 4. 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 Manager, at tchiaramonte@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14534.

January 2014 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

Click here to download the agenda for the January 14, 2014 Board of Directors meeting.

Busteed to Focus on Gallup Research & “Economics of Human Development” Feb. 4

After decades of focus on standardized testing and school accountability, American schools still trail much of the world on international measures of student performance. Amidst a time of globalization, disruptive technology and new demands in the workforce, are we educating our students in the right way? 

Learn what Gallup research has to say about the “economics of human development” and what should become a New Bill of Rights for All Students. Brandon Busteed, Executive Director of Gallup Education, will take you through a whirlwind of the most important research informing how we can get our education system back on the path to winning again. Gallup’s insights will change everything you think you know about education. 

February 4, 2014 
1:00-3:00 p.m. 
Heartland AEA Johnston REC, Rooms 13A & B 
Activity Number: AD015292111401 

Learn more about Mr. Busteed here.

Schirmer Recommends Davis Bullying Presentation

Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, recommends the following archived presentation on the topic of bullying. Stan Davis is one of the leaders in creating safe schools and researching what works. 

His one hour webinar archive of “Bullying in Schools: What Can We Do?” is available at the following link: http://www.cyberbullyhotline.com/stan-davis-youth-voice-project.html 

The link will take you to an online form that will give you access to the archived webinar. Once you fill out that form, you will be presented with a page where you can view the video archive of the webinar.

Medicaid Updates and Q & A Session

Please join us January 22, 2014 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Conference Room 13A at the Johnston Regional Education Center for a presentation by our MJCare representatives, Debbie and Jennifer, regarding updates to the online billing system. Following a short presentation, the MJCare reps will be available to answer questions from staff regarding billing and the new system. 

As we did for the previous session, you are also able to join via Adobe Connect. This link for the session will be http://iowa.adobeconnect.com/medicade_training/. The session will be taped and will be made available for viewing at a later date as well. If you have further questions, contact Sara Mercer, School Psychologist, at smercer@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14312.