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

Johnston REC HVAC Project Update: West Des Moines Campus Now Closed

As the Johnston REC HVAC project gets very near its end and our large conference rooms have re-opened, our temporary West Des Moines Campus is now closed. We are happy to lock the doors of that building and be back in the Agency’s home! 

Construction continues to wind down with finish work such as patching holes, running wiring and fine-tuning the fire alarm system taking place. We also continue to fine-tune the technology in our conference rooms and are still bring back items such as whiteboards from the West Des Moines campus. The lounge/break room is anticipated to open on Wednesday, which we know will be a welcome sign for all staff and visitors, especially as classes ramp up for the summer.

Reminder: Johnston REC Conference & Meeting Room Numbers Being Adjusted

For a number of reasons, it was time for a change! The numbers assigned to the meeting rooms and conference rooms in the Johnston Regional Education Center (REC) will be changing immediately. We realize the new numbering system may be a bit of an inconvenience short-term, but we are hopeful that it will ultimately be a positive change. Please see this chart for a list of rooms with the new numbering system. The numbering system is derived from the numbers that are assigned to each room in the REC building’s official architectural blueprint. We are renumbering the rooms for two important reasons: 

• We have been strongly encouraged by the Johnston fire and police departments to adopt a room numbering system that coincided with the building’s architectural layout. The fire and police departments will now have our building’s layout on file, and in the case of an emergency, we will be able to better communicate with them where the emergency is taking place within the building. 
• The numbering system we had in place no longer did a good job of communicating where our rooms where located in the building. The new system follows more of a numerical order and better reflects where each room is located within the REC building. 

If you have any questions, contact Dustin Gean, Operations Manager, or Lindsey Turner, Central Office Administrative Assistant.

Help the Business Office Close Out the 2014 Fiscal Year

Heartland AEA’s fiscal year will end on June 30, 2014. In order for the Agency to close its books in a timely and accurate manner, the Business Office needs your assistance in returning date-sensitive items.

• For payroll-related work completed on or before June 30, please turn in timesheets and submit addendum online forms with appropriate approvals to the Payroll Department by July 7. 
• Review open Addendum Online assignments. Please close addendum assignments that will not have any additional hours logged. 
• For travel, mileage and purchases occurring on or before June 30, please turn in claim forms, expense claims, invoices for services or professional development/travel forms with appropriate approvals to the Business Office by July 9. 
• Do not put dates from two different fiscal years on the same timesheet, vacation request or in-area travel form. In-area travel forms with two fiscal years will be returned for correction. 

A separate year-end communication was sent directly to budget managers and support staff. If you have any questions about the end of the fiscal year, contact Brian Whalen, Business Manager, at bwhalen@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14005 or Rebecca McCreary, Accountant, at rmccreary@heartlandaea.org ext. 14325. Thanks in advance for your attention to this matter.

Update on Leave Balances and Calendar Deadlines

The cutoff date to enter leave requests for the 2013-14 school year is July 3, 2014. Supervisors need to approve all 2013-14 leaves by July 9, 2014. This will allow us to calculate and display actual, rather than estimated, leave balances for 2014-15 by the end of July. 

Calendar exchange requests for 2013-14 must be submitted and approved by June 30, 2014. 

July new hires will not see their leave balances displayed until July 15, while August new hires will not see their leave balances until August 31. 

If you have any questions, contact Samantha Perry, Human Resources Specialist, at sperry@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14432.

Wellness Update: Have Fun, Compete and Save Money at the Iowa Games!

The 2014 Summer Iowa Games powered by the Iowa Food & Family Project are fast approaching! As Iowa’s premier Olympic-style sports festival, the Iowa Games has over 60 sports and 15,000 athletes. From archery to Zumba, the Iowa Games is sure to have something for you! As a Heartland AEA Wellness initiative, the Iowa Games will offer a discount for all employees and their families. Register online at www.iowagames.org using the following coupon codes to receive your discount. Coupon is not good for onsite registrations. 

Individual Sports: HAEAIND 
$5 off individual entry fee *coupon cannot be used for Archery NASP or Midnight Madness Road Race 

2 or 4 Person Golf: HAEATEAM 
$20 off the team fee for 2 or 4 person golf 

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

June 2014 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda Available

The agenda for the June 10 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting is now available. Please note that the board meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by a board retreat session. Both meetings are open to the public and will be held at the West Des Moines Schools’ Learning Resource Center in the Community Conference Room.

Reminder: Powerful Video Conferencing Tool Now Available For Agency Staff

All regular full- and part-time agency staff members now have access to a powerful, but easy to use, video conferencing tool called Zoom. This tool has been made possible by a cooperative purchase agreement through the Iowa Educators Consortium and is being widely adopted by other AEAs and the Iowa Department of Education. This tutorial video provides an excellent overview of Zoom and its basic features. 

Last week you should have received an email invitation from Lance Wilhelm, Director of Technology, inviting you to set up your Zoom account and install it on your computer and/or iPad. With the email invitation, you will receive more information about Zoom and who you can contact for questions and support. We are excited about this new tool and look forward to helping you tap into its potential uses!