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
Last week was quite a week in the Iowa legislature, as AEAs lobbied against the proposed additional $5 million funding reduction that was introduced the prior week. Thank you to all who contacted your legislators--the response across the state was heard and many partners joined us in telling the story of the true implications that will result from more funding reductions.
The reality is that while the state general fund revenue has had steady growth over the past five years, funding for Iowa schools and AEAs has lagged behind. By prioritizing other funding ahead of education, the legislature found they had a shortfall in balancing their budgets, and AEAs became a target for closing part of the gap. (Just last year, state general fund revenue growth was in excess of 6%, but AEAs and schools were given a 1.25% increase. For next year, the state general fund is projected to grow at 4.1% while the legislature and Governor approved a 2.25% increase.)
At noon last Friday, the Senate passed the standings bill to reduce the proposed AEA cut to $3.75 million instead of $5 million. The House will still have to act, and these numbers certainly remain in flux as the session moves to adjournment.
Even with the proposed reduction in funding, AEAs are federally mandated to support students with special needs, and in the short-term, Heartland AEA does not plan to reduce staff serving our most vulnerable students. But our agency will also not be able to sustain reductions in funding over time without a negative impact on services we provide. The legislature’s on-going reduction already prevents us from hiring as many additional new staff members as needed to keep pace with the growing student population across our service area.
While there are many disappointments coming from this year’s legislative session, Iowa’s educational system remains strong. By focusing our work on improving the learning outcomes for students, we will continue to provide a valued service to students and their families. We look forward to opportunities to collaborate with our elected leaders to find ways to restore our state’s commitment to predictable and adequate funds necessary to assure all of Iowa’s children have the education necessary for a bright future.
- Paula
The Agency is looking forward to trying a new format for this year’s All-Staff Meeting on Sept. 9, 2016. We’re planning for an all-day meeting that features an afternoon of presentations from YOU! We are excited about the possibilities that we hope will come from staff members learning from and connecting with each other.
Through your Regional Planning Council or Department Planning Council, we hope you’ve heard a little bit about the format we’re planning for these presentations. They will be in the spirit of a PechaKucha presentation, during which speakers give quick presentations that include 20 images shown for 20 seconds each for a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
Topics can be almost anything that are inspiring within our work throughout the Agency, including but certainly not limited to:
- A successful project
- A pilot project that didn’t reach its target
- Team-building strategies,
- A story of collaboration,
- Technology integration that improved a process or project or
- An initiative that made a positive impact on kids, teachers or families
Here are some quick tips for a great presentation!
How to Apply
If you or a team of your co-workers are interested in presenting, complete this presentation application by May 13, 2016.
Our All-Staff Planning Committee will review and select presentations, and they will use the following question as one way to evaluate your proposal: Does this Pecha Kucha reflect, educate, touch on or celebrate areas that we’ve emphasized as an organization?
- Core Values: Caring - Proactive - Collaborative
- 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.
- Goals: Increase learning growth, Decrease gaps in achievement, Increase in annual graduation rate, Increase post-secondary gateways
- Wellness: Heartland AEA’s Five Elements of Wellness help promote the total well-being of agency staff: Career Wellness, Community Wellness, Financial Wellness, Social Wellness, Physical Wellness
This new approach to learning during our All-Staff meeting gives us a unique opportunity to feel the pulse of the Agency in just a few hours, to celebrate together, learn together and get re-connected. More than a PowerPoint slideshow, Pecha Kuchas generate discussion and innovation, so don’t be shy, show your work, make an impact!
Submit your presentation application by May 13, 2016!
If you have any questions, contact the Communications Department.
You should have received an email message last week with a link to the BrightBytes Technology Survey. Our agency is again partnering with BrightBytes, an educational research and analytics organization, in order to learn more about how you use technology for learning and for delivering our services to our districts, as well as helping our agency understand your ability to access technology in the context of your work.
Your participation is essential in helping us form a more complete picture of technology use at Heartland AEA, and we are very excited to see how the work we’ve done this year to build technology skills will influence our survey results. As you know, this is one important piece of data that we use to help our agency choose the right technology for our work and the right professional development for our staff. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and will close on May 3, 2016. Please know that all of your responses will remain anonymous to protect your privacy.
Thank you for providing the Agency with this important information!
With
winter behind us, we can now enjoy spring and summer while we work on
preparations for next school year. That includes reviewing our inclement
weather office closing notification process. We’d like your feedback on
how you’d like to be notified of office closings due to inclement
weather or other urgent situations. Please complete this survey by April 29, 2016.
If you would like to see a summary of the benefits you currently have through Heartland AEA, there is an easy way to access this information. Log on to the Employee Dashboard and go to the Employee Online tab. From there go to the left hand column, and click on the link that says “Your Current Benefits Statement.” There you will see plan and cost information about your health and dental insurance, life insurance, supplemental life insurance, medical flex plan, etc. As always, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, if you have any questions.
If you are participating in the Naturally Slim program, you should have received an email from Naturally Slim letting you know that you need to enter your second screening data both on the Naturally Slim site and the Wellmark site. If you haven’t yet entered your Wellmark date and aren’t sure where to do that, go into your account on wellmark.com, go to the Wellness Center, go to the Healthy Living tab and select Health Trackers. You will then re-enter each tracker item (e.g., blood pressure) using your recent screening date as your date completed. If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman.
Please be sure to enroll for employee benefits by this Saturday, April 30. Even if you choose to keep the same plan you had for this year, you still need to designate your enrollment options. Failure to enroll by April 30 may lead to you not being covered in the plan you need for health, dental or flex spending for next year!
Where to go to enroll
Go to your Employee Dashboard click on to the Employee Online tab. On the left hand side of the page, in blue, you will see Benefit Enrollment, go to Step 3. Once you are there, it will tell you the coverage that you have under each - Health, Dental and Flex. Even if you don't want Flex, you must enter “0” in order to waive. Once you have made all of your selections, save and it will say “Request Pending,” which means you have successfully enrolled. Find enrollment instructions with an added bonus, how to print off your benefit statement!
Last Days to Add Supplemental Life Insurance!
During our annual benefit enrollment, employees who didn’t opt for additional life insurance coverage through VOYA can also enroll. Complete the enrollment form and submit it to Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist. Existing employees who are enrolling for the first time will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form. Existing employees who are already enrolled but who want to increase their coverage may also do so at this time. Existing employees may increase their coverage, but if they choose to increase it over $10,000, they will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form. Enrollment will be during April but will be effective on July 1, 2016.
If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at ext. 14315.
It’s
that time of year again—time to sign up to be a mentor for the 2016-17
school year! As a mentor, you share your time and expertise to welcome
and support new employees as they join our Heartland AEA team. Mentoring
is a personally and professionally fulfilling experience that also
helps our agency retain great employees. Mentors provide 15 hours of
one-on-one coaching and support for their mentee, are provided with
mentorship training and in return will receive a $1,000 (gross) payment
and the personal satisfaction of knowing that you’ve made a difference
in the career of your mentee.
It’s easy to sign up! Complete the online Mentor Application by May 13, 2016. If you were a mentor last year, you still need to apply for the new year.
After receiving applications, more information will be provided to
mentors in the near future for next year’s program. A Mentor Program
Guide is available on the Employee Dashboard > Intranet > Human Resources > Mentoring Program Guide.
Each week during the Iowa legislative session, we will bring you an AEA Legislative Update from the AEA system’s lobbyists, Tom Lane, Matt Eide, John Pederson and Kate Walton.
The Internal Technology Department would like to thank everyone who has completed the Mac OS upgrade to version 10.11.4, as well as thank those who have provided feedback during the upgrade process. That feedback has allowed us to put together a short list of some frequently asked questions.
Why does the Self Service notification badge remain even though I have completed the software upgrade?
If you experience this problem, contact either Marquis Jones (ext. 14618) or Mike Permann (ext. 14767) in the Internal Technology Department.
I am unable to print after performing the upgrade.
If you are unable to print following your software upgrade, the first thing to try is removing the printer by going to System Preferences > Printers & Scanners. Highlight the printer you’d like to remove and select the “minus” icon below the printers list. Once that step is completed, add the printer back through Self Service. If this doesn't resolve your issue, contact either Marquis Jones (ext. 14618) or Mike Permann (ext. 14767).
The upgrade is taking a long time. Is this normal?
The duration of the upgrade is based upon two factors: the age of your computer and the speed of your network connection. In testing, we have seen it go as fast as 30 minutes and as long as six hours. We ask that you remain patient during the process. If possible, perform the upgrade at a location with a faster wireless connection or connect your computer to the Internet via an Ethernet cable for a better connection. If a faster connection is not readily available, consider starting it before you leave the office for the day, or, if at home, starting it before you go to bed.
Additional Suggestions for a Successful Upgrade
Watch the Video
If you have not yet completed the upgrade, we highly encourage you to watch the video that accompanies the instructions, as it will give you an idea of what to expect during the upgrade process. The video is silent, as its goal is to provide a visual of the process.
Do a Time Machine Backup
Any time you perform a major upgrade on your computer, it is critical to perform a Time Machine backup prior to starting the upgrade process.
This Friday from 5-6 p.m. IFAS will be down for routine system maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience.
