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 

Help the Business Office & Human Resources Improve Their Support—Take Their Survey Today!

One of the main goals of the Agency's Department Planning Councils is to serve our customers (internal and external) with the following goals in mind: 

• We want to be proactive and help gain efficiencies by improving processes, procedures and programs.
• We want to contribute to a positive and collaborative culture.
• We want to decrease the amount of stress and time employees spend on items that don't directly relate to their work (benefits, expenses, technology, etc.), by interacting in a caring and supportive manner.

With that in mind, we would like you to complete this survey about the Heartland AEA Business Office and Human Resources Department.

Your answers will be submitted anonymously. Please complete the survey by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Thank you for your feedback!

Last Week to Donate to This Year’s United Way Campaign!

The end of our 2017 United Way campaign is fast approaching! Our campaign will come to a close on Nov. 3, 2017, so you have until the end of this week to make a contribution. If you need one more reminder about the good United Way does in our communities, watch the following video. 

If you haven’t yet donated to United Way, please consider doing so. This simple act can make a big difference for so many people in our communities. Contact Courtney Croatt or Whitney Anderson for your pledge form.

Iowa’s AEAs Logo Updated on the Intranet

The Iowa’s AEAs logo recently underwent a little facelift. Some shading was removed, an apostrophe was added to "Iowa" and the tagline was removed. (Yes, another tagline bites the dust!) The updated files are posted on the Intranet > Communications > Resources > Logos & Usage. If you have any questions about the logos or need assistance with their usage, contact the Communications Department.

Nov. 2017 Each and Every Child Newsletter Now Available

The Nov. 2017 issue of the Each and Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education is now available. 

Nov. 2017 Iowa Board of Educational Examiners Newsletter Now Available

The Nov. 2017 quarterly newsletter from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is now available. 

All Eligible Staff Must Enroll in or Waive the Dependent Care Flex Plan for 2018

Our online enrollment for the 2018 dependent care flex benefit plan will be open to eligible employees on Nov. 1, 2017. If you are a full-time employee or a Certified Union employee working a 96-day contract, you are eligible to participate.  

All full-time employees will need to either enroll during this period or waive participation through the enrollment process. For eligible part-time employees, due to system configurations, it is assumed that you automatically waive the benefit; however, if you wish to participate and are a CU employee with a 96-day contract, contact Juliette Houseman to enroll via paper.

The dependent care benefit allows you to pre-tax child, spouse or elder care expenses that you incur in order to allow you (and your spouse, if married) to work. If married, both spouses must be working to claim dependent care expenses. A dependent is defined as: 

• A dependent of the employee who is under 13 years of age
• A dependent or spouse who is physically or mentally disabled

The maximum amount your family may flex per calendar year is $5,000. All claims must be incurred by Dec. 31 and submitted for reimbursement within 60 days of the end of the plan year (March 1).

The deadline for enrolling in or waiving the dependent care plan is Nov. 30 at 4:00 p.m. 

As a reminder, all dependent care expenses for the 2017 plan year must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2017 and must be submitted to 121 Benefits for reimbursement by March 1, 2018.

To Enroll
First, go to your Employee Dashboard and go to the Employee Online Tab. On the left-hand side of the screen, click on the ENTER Your Dependent Care Deduction.

Next…

• Click Dependent Care Coverage Type. 
• If you want to waive Dependent Care and not have this benefit for the upcoming year, enter 0 under the New Change Request column.
• If you elect to enroll in the plan, your maximum deduction per pay period can be $208.33, which equates to $4,999.92 ($5,000) total for the year.
• Click Save to complete your Flex Dependent Care. (In clicking Save you agree to the Terms and Conditions.) 

NOTE: IF YOU ENTER AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN “0” IN EMPLOYEE COST PER PERIOD, THEN THAT AMOUNT WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR PAYCHECK PER PAY PERIOD. 

If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at or ext. 14315.