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

IFAS Upgrade to BusinessPlus Systems

The BusinessPlus systems (formerly known as IFAS) will be taken down at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, for a software upgrade. These systems will not be available until Tuesday morning, Dec. 9. This affects all Dashboard functions including Leave Online, Calendar Online, Expense Online, Employee Online, purchase order entry, etc. There is a possibility that these systems will be available late Monday afternoon. In that case a communication will be sent to all staff. Please contact Rod Howell at rhowell@heartlandaea.org or at ext. 14599 if you have any questions. Thank you for your patience while we work through this upgrade. Have a great week!

Dec. 2014 School Leader Update

The Iowa DE’s Dec. 2014 School Leader Update includes Director Brad Buck’s thoughts on the year coming to a close. Attorney Nicole Proesch writes about those pesky snow days. And you’ll want to know which schools in Iowa are the best of the best – all of them recipients of this year’s Breaking Barriers to Teaching and Learning Award.

Iowa BOEE Nov. 2014 Newsletter

The Iowa BOEE's Nov. 2014 newsletter includes topics such as STEM scholarships, loan forgiveness, December grads, student overnight trips and more.

UNI's College of Education to Host Town Hall Meeting at Heartland AEA

The University of Northern Iowa College of Education will host several town hall meetings across the state to discuss education in Iowa. The next meeting will be held in Johnston from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston.

Meetings will allow educators, parents, students, community leaders, lawmakers and others to join in the conversation about what is needed for the future of education. Topics will include recent Iowa education laws and how UNI is working to support these initiatives; the upcoming renovation of Schindler Education Center on UNI's campus and how it relates to the preparation of highly effective teachers for Iowa; UNI's new Center for Educational Transformation and its role in the future of education in Iowa; and what is needed for Iowa's students to be college-, career- and citizenry-ready.

Meetings will be held across the state from now until December. For more information, contact Dwight Watson, dean of the College of Education, at (319) 273-2717 or dwight.watson@uni.edu.

Reminder: 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 will be awarded $1,500 award 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.

We Got Our Numbers for Supplemental Life Insurance!

Benefits specialist, Juliette Houseman, is happy to report that the Agency received the adequate number of supplemental life insurance enrollment forms. This means that all who applied do NOT need to fill out additional Evidence of Insurability paperwork! Thanks for getting your forms submitted in a timely fashion.

Take Wellness Survey

Heartland AEA is taking part in a completely confidential survey, and we would greatly appreciate your participation. It is a wellness interest survey developed by a third party organization- the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. They are conducting a study on employee wellness programs, and we have agreed to partner with them. The study is designed to help organizations like ours better serve you (the employee) by designing wellness programs that you are interested in.

Remember: The Agency Now Has a Winter Break

As was communicated last spring, the Agency Planning Council (APC) has decided to try something new during the 2014-15 calendar year that is a change from our traditional “floating holiday” schedule for staff who have 261-day work schedules. See below for a schedule of what we will call “Winter Break.” This extended Winter Break is something the Agency will try this year, and APC will review it as part of the annual calendar-building process.

Wednesday, Dec. 24  

• Staff work day 
• Offices closed to the public 
• One-hour early dismissal (as usual before a holiday)

Thursday, Dec. 25

• Official agency holiday  
• Offices closed to staff and public

Friday, Dec. 26

• Official floating holiday 
• Offices closed to staff and public

Monday, Dec. 29 & Tuesday, Dec. 30

• Additional floating holidays for employees with 261-day work schedules 
• Offices closed to staff and public

Wednesday, Dec. 31

• Official floating holiday  
• Offices closed to staff and public

Thursday, Jan. 1

• Official agency holiday  
• Offices closed to staff and public

Friday, Jan. 2

• Staff work day
• Offices closed to the public

The Holidays: A Time to Learn from One Another

'Tis the season for celebrating the holidays, and we want staff to celebrate any holiday they observe! We encourage you to share the traditions and meaning behind these holidays with your co-workers so we can all learn from one another.