Our Mission To
improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth
by providing services and leadership in partnership with families,
schools and communities.
Our Goals • Increase learning growth for students • Decrease the gap in achievement • Increase annual graduation rates • Increase gateways to post-secondary success
Click the image for a holiday greeting from
Heartland AEA! Warm wishes to you and your families and may you find
much love, happiness and laughter throughout the holidays and in the
coming year. Thank you for sharing your talents at Heartland AEA!
Sometimes your best-laid plans just don’t go quite like you’d hoped!
When we discovered that some of you hadn’t received the initial opt-in message from SchoolMessenger, we were confident that meant that phone numbers weren’t entered into Employee Online or cell carriers were being blocked. Upon further investigation, we learned that there were some glitches in the way our data was being exported from Employee Online. Thanks to our Information Systems staff, who was able to identify the issues and work quickly to resolve them.
A new opt-in message will be sent to those who didn't receive the initial message on Dec. 6 from the short code 67587. To opt-in, just reply “Y” or “Yes” to the message. You can also opt out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop.” You must reply “Y” or “Yes” to the initial opt-in message, or you will not receive text message broadcasts that are sent out in the event of an office closing.
We will test the system later this week, and let you know via email when the test will take place.
Thank you for your patience as we’ve worked through the process of getting everyone signed up for our new SchoolMessenger text messaging system. If you have any questions, contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at or ext. 14474.
Winter
is almost upon us, so here is your annual communication about inclement
weather office closings and course cancellations. Offices will
typically be open unless all schools in a region are closed and travel
is not recommended. But we all know this happens! So in preparation for
the possibility of office closings and professional development course
cancellations, read below for the process that the Agency uses to
communicate about closings or delays, which has been updated.
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 Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Manager.
Communicating Office Closures The Agency uses a variety of methods to notify staff members of office closures due to inclement weather.
SchoolMessenger SchoolMessenger
is an online notification system with the capability of sending voice,
email and SMS (text) messages. Last spring when we surveyed you about
your preferred method of communication for closings, text message
notification was the #1 preferred method. Going forward, we will send
SMS and email messages through SchoolMessenger to only those staff
members who are assigned to offices that close. For example, if the
Newton and Indianola offices are closed, we will only notify the staff
members who are assigned to those offices. Staff in other offices won’t
receive an SMS or email message.
Website We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website (www.heartlandaea.org).
Cancellation Hotline We will no longer utilize a cancellation hotline for closing information.
Communicating Professional Development Class Cancellations If a professional development class is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website and social media.
If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at or ext. 14474.
Background Information During
the past three years, Heartland AEA has filled up to 192 vacancies in
the Certified Union and Management staff categories. It has been to the
Agency’s advantage to enter the recruitment cycle as early as possible.
To
support a process for timely staff replacement of hard to fill
positions and to assist in budget planning, the Heartland AEA Board of
Directors has approved piloting a one-time strategy (Early Notification
Incentive) to determine if it may result in increased accuracy for the
purpose of recruitment and budget planning. The details are listed
below, and the results will be re-evaluated to inform future actions.
Early Notification Incentive Process & Requirements
Certified
Union and Management staff that do not plan to return to Heartland AEA
for the 2017-2018 school year submit early notification letters of
resignation that are effective at the end of the 2016-17 work year.
Early notification letters must be received in the Human Resources Department by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2016.
Heartland AEA’s board takes action on early notification letters no later than the regular meeting on Dec. 13, 2016.
Departing staff must fulfill their individual employment contract obligations for the 2016-17 work year.
Early Notification Incentive
A $1,500 early notification incentive will be paid on June 30, 2017 to employees fulfilling the requirements.
If you have any questions about the early notification incentive, contact Tony Chiaramonte, Human Resources Manager, at ext. 14534.
Staff members frequently inquire when timesheets, addendum pay, direct deposit forms and other changes need to be submitted to the Payroll Department in order to be processed for a particular pay date. To assist you in your planning, click here for a list of 2017 pay dates and corresponding due dates. This document is archived on the Intranet > Business Office > Payroll Forms & Information > 2017 Payroll Dates. Payroll needs to receive all information by the end of the day on the due date to ensure payments and/or changes are made on the corresponding pay date. Any information received in Payroll after the due date may be processed during the next payroll cycle.
For those staff members being paid from a timesheet or receiving addendum pay, keep in mind these items are to be completed, approved/signed by a supervisor and submitted to Payroll within four working days after the end of the pay period. Any items received after the due date may be processed on the next payroll.
If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at ext. 14908.
Semi-annually, Heartland AEA must comply with the federal grant rules identified in the Office of Management and Budget(OMB) Circular A-87, pertaining to documentation needed for federal expenditures. For employees who are funded 100% with federal funding, there are Circular A-87 audit requirements we need to meet in order to document appropriate expenditures.
If you are in the fully funded group, on Dec. 7 you will receive an email from heartlandworkflow with the subject A87 Certification Notice - Action Required with a link to the certification page. The process is very simple and the same as previous years. If you are new to this process or need a refresher, here is a presentation that explains the background for Circular A-87 and the steps Heartland AEA is taking to meet the A-87 requirements. Keep in mind the video was created in March 2011. Although, some of the dates and time lines in the video are old, the process and the purpose of the A-87 certification are still the same.
Password: a87aea
You will need to click on the play button in order to start the video. As the video will explain, employees who are fully funded from one grant will need to certify every six months that they are performing duties allowed under the federal grant.
If you have any questions, contact Brian Whalen, Business Manager, at ext. 14005. The Business Office appreciates your prompt completion of the certifications and your assistance in helping us comply with this reporting requirement.
Last week the Communications Department sent out the second issue of the Educator Connection newsletter for the 2016-17 school year. The Educator Connection is intended to keep our educators better connected to our agency and to the many programs and services we offer to educators, students and families. The newsletter is emailed to educators and automatically archived on our agency website.
Just in time for the holidays – tell Santa that you’re wishing for a new agency logo shirt or accessory!
Lands’ End is the official vendor for Heartland AEA-logo clothing items and accessories. Visit our Lands’ End e-store today! You can go to the site to purchase any clothing item, case, bag or tote in any color with the Agency’s logo. We’ve also added logos with sub-branding for our regions and departments – the Agency logo with the region/department name directly underneath. The more logos we can get in front of the public, the better! Happy shopping!
The December 2016 issue of the Each and Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education is now available. There's magic, and then there's this Cedar Falls elementary school. It relies on seamless strategies and practices to produce simply the best delivery of education in Iowa for students on Individualized Education Programs.
The Stressless challenge beings today! You can still sign up right under the wire! Remember, to complete this year’s wellness program, you need to complete two of the five challenges offered. So don’t delay—sign up today!
Challenge runs from: Dec. 5, 2016 through Jan. 1, 2017 Registration: Employees who have created and/or logged in to their Wellmark account in the past 60 days should receive more information from Wellmark via email about the challenge and how to register. Reminder on how to login to Wellmark.com: Review these instructions on how to login. If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman or Katie Streff, Wellness Leads.
Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment. It enhances well-being and expands your ability to savor each moment. It can be used as a tool to help ease stress and improve focus and productivity. This toolkit includes resources on understanding the benefits of mindfulness and how to practice and incorporate it into your daily life. You'll find guided exercises of varying lengths (from one to ten minutes), led by noted practitioners who share a variety of approaches. Check it out on our new EAP website!
In mid-November, Google released an updated version of Google Sites. This newer version was found in your Google Drive rather than going to the Sites app or going to sites.google.com. Due to some security concerns, the Internal Technology Department has decided to shut off the updated version of Google Sites for the time being. As Google releases updates for this new app, we will continue to research and explore the app and will turn it back on for agency use at the appropriate time. Until then you are still able to work with traditional Google Sites. If you have any questions, contact Mande Gamble, Technology Training Specialist.
Sometimes your best-laid plans just don’t go quite like you’d hoped! 
Semi-annually, Heartland AEA must comply with the federal grant rules identified in the Office of Management and Budget(OMB) Circular A-87, pertaining to documentation needed for federal expenditures. For employees who are funded 100% with federal funding, there are Circular A-87 audit requirements we need to meet in order to document appropriate expenditures. 
Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment. It enhances well-being and expands your ability to savor each moment. It can be used as a tool to help ease stress and improve focus and productivity. This toolkit includes resources on understanding the benefits of mindfulness and how to practice and incorporate it into your daily life. You'll find guided exercises of varying lengths (from one to ten minutes), led by noted practitioners who share a variety of approaches. Check it out on our new EAP website!
