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

Process for Communicating Inclement Weather Office Closings & Class Cancellations

Winter weather is here this year a bit ahead of schedule, so we are quickly reminded of inclement weather conditions that can cause closures and cancellations. Offices will typically be open unless all schools in a region are closed and travel is not recommended. But we all know that scenario plays out at least a few times each winter, so in preparation for the possibility of office closings and professional development course cancellations, please read below for the process that the Agency uses to communicate about closings, cancellations and delays. 

First, go to section 11:14 of the Staff Handbook to read the Agency’s Inclement Weather policy. 

Remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available. 

If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, at lgillon@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14416. 

Communicating Office Closures 
The Agency uses a variety of methods to notify staff members of office closures due to inclement weather.

SchoolReach 
SchoolReach is an online system that sends voice messages to staff. When used, the service will call selected phone numbers in our employee contact list and will deliver a recorded message. The service will deliver the message to both live answer and answering machines. No answers (phones ringing over 40 seconds) and busies will be automatically retried twice in 15-minute intervals after the initial call. 

We will contact only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. For example, if the Newton and Indianola offices are closed, we will only call the staff members who are assigned to those offices. Staff in other offices won’t receive a call. The calls that SchoolReach makes will be generated by the Agency’s Communications Department—they will not come directly from SchoolReach. 

To ensure that you receive a phone call about office closings, review your phone number information in the Agency’s Employee Online system and make sure it is up-to-date. To access Employee Online, sign in to Employee Dashboard and navigate to the Employee Online tab at the top of the page. If you have provided both a home number and a cell phone number in Employee Online, we will call you at both numbers in the event of an office closing. 

Please Note the Following About SchoolReach 
When SchoolReach places a call, if your phone has caller ID, the ID will display the Agency’s main number, (515) 270-9030. When you get a call from the system, there will be a short pause at the beginning of the message. This usually is only a few seconds pause. Answer your phone as you normally would with “hello” and hold for the message to begin. Multiple “hellos” will delay the message. Please inform all family members who may answer your phone of this process. If you rely on your answering machine to screen calls, the system will detect that your machine has answered and will play the recorded message to your machine. The phone will ring for up to 40 seconds. Make sure that your machine answers after four rings or you may miss the message. At the end of the message you will be prompted to “press any key” to hear the message again. This can be helpful if a child answers the phone and hands it to a parent, who can then have the message repeated in its entirety. 

Website 
We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website (www.heartlandaea.org). 

Cancellation Hotline 
We will record closing information on a “cancellation hotline” that staff members can call into at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14041. When you call in you will hear a recorded message that says the date and which offices are closed if there are closings. If there are no closings, the message will reflect that. 

Social Media 
We will post closing information on the Agency’s Facebook & Twitter accounts (www.facebook.com/heartlandaea & twitter.com/HeartlandAEA). 

Communicating Professional Development Class Cancellations 
If a professional development class is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website, cancellation hotline and social media. 

If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, please contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at ccroatt@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14474.

Reminder: November Payroll Timeline – Payday Will Be Nov. 26

Agency offices will be closed on Nov. 27 and 28 in observance of Thanksgiving. As a result, payday will be Nov. 26. Staff members paid from a timesheet must have their Nov. 1-15 timesheets completed, approved by their supervisors and submitted to the Payroll Department by the end of the day on Nov. 20 to ensure they receive pay at the end of the month. If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at sjordan@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14908.

Reminder: Job Functions Now Added to Business Cards; Form is Now a Google Form

A new Business Card Order Form is now available. The order form is now a Google form, and we hope this will help expedite the process. The form is archived on the Intranet > Communications > Forms. If you have previous forms saved on your computer, please delete them, or if you have hard copies in your office, please recycle them. All forms must be submitted with an account code to charge. If you do not know your account code, ask your supervisor or administrative assistant. 

It was requested that "job function" be added for identified certified staff. This is an optional field and does not apply to all staff. The listed job functions have been determined by Human Resources and the Certified Union. Questions concerning employee-assigned job functions can be directed to Human Resources. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please also allow two weeks for delivery of requested business cards.

Mandatory: You Must Enroll or Waive Dependent Care Benefit

Please take one minute today to either enroll in or waive the dependent care flexible benefit. 2015 enrollment must be completed by Nov. 28 online via the Employee Dashboard. If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at jhouseman@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14315. 

Important reminder: Even if you choose not to participate in this program, you must waive it. 

Instructions for enrolling or waiving: 

• Go to the Employee Dashboard 
• Click on the Employee Online tab 
• Click on the Enrollment link on the left hand side of the page 
• Enter the amount to enroll or enter “0” to waive 
• Save 

Even if you are opting for the same deduction as last year, you must type over the amount in the box and then save in order to complete your enrollment correctly.

Reminder: Easy Enrollment for Supplemental Life Insurance Ends Nov. 28

Enrollment ends on Nov. 28 for this new benefit option, and after this initial enrollment period, in order to get supplemental life insurance, new enrollees will have to complete the Evidence of Insurability form, which will then have to go through underwriting to determine acceptance. So if you are considering enrolling, but don’t want to have to jump through those hoops, enroll during this initial offer!

Reminder: Deadline for Post-Employment Benefit Application is Nov. 28

If you are applying for the post-employment benefit, submit your original application, letter of resignation, and “Things You Should Know Before Applying for the Post-Employment Benefit” to Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, by Nov. 28, 2014. If you have any questions, contact Juliette at jhouseman@heartlandaea.org or ext. 14315.

Thanksgiving Holiday Office & Van Delivery Schedule

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, all Heartland AEA offices will be closed on Nov. 27 and 28. Our van delivery schedule will be as follows: 

• Regular delivery Nov. 24-25 
• No delivery Nov. 26-28 

Additionally, there will be no Administrator Connection update on Nov. 28.

Applicants Sought for 2014 STEM Education Award for Inspired Teaching

Recently, the 2014 STEM Education Award for Inspired Teaching sponsored by Kemin Industries was launched to honor educators and their dedication to STEM education in Iowa. 

This award will honor one teacher from each of the six STEM regions who will be awarded $1,500 with an additional $1,500 to be used in their classroom. 

Anyone can submit a nomination online at stemaward.fluidreview.com from now until Dec. 12, 2014. After a teacher is nominated, they will be asked to fill out an application. They will have until Jan. 9, 2015 to send in their completed application. These forms will then be sent to a panel of judges who will select the six winners who will be announced at the Statewide STEM Conference in March 2015. 

The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.