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
Due to the upcoming agency holiday schedule, staff members paid from a timesheet must have their Dec. 1-15 timesheets completed, approved by their supervisor and submitted to the Payroll Department by the end of the day on Wednesday, Dec. 19 in order to ensure they receive pay at the end of the month. The December end-of-month payday will be Dec. 28. If you have any questions, contact Steve Jordan, Senior Payroll Specialist, at ext. 14908.
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, a list of 2019 pay dates and corresponding due dates is available. This document is archived on the Intranet > Business Office > Payroll Forms & Information > 2019 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, please 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.
The Agency’s auditors have a new recommendation for us—and the Business Office needs your help to comply with it! The auditors have recommended that the Business Office require staff to turn in receipts for expenses that staff members are submitting for reimbursement. This change is happening to ensure that reimbursements are a proper use of public funds.
This means that travel-related reimbursements and other purchases (supplies, incentives) occurring after Jan. 1, 2019, will require an itemized receipt in order to be paid.
How to Submit Receipts
- Receipts related to travel (hotel, food, transportation, baggage, etc.) can be uploaded through the Travel/Professional Development Request System. Transportation includes shuttles, taxis and ride-sharing such as Uber.
- Receipts related to supplies and incentives should be emailed to Mary Heaberlin, Accounts Payable Specialist.
- At this time, receipts are not required for cell phone reimbursement.
- Mileage will continue to be reimbursed at $.41 a mile. The process for submitting mileage will not change.
Failure to submit itemized receipts will either delay the reimbursement or reduce the amount reimbursed.
As a reminder, Heartland AEA’s per diem meal limits are:
- $15 out-of-area travel (no overnight stay required)
- $30 out-of-area travel in state (overnight stay required)
- $45 out-of-state travel (overnight stay required)
Tax and tips are included in all per diem amounts. The per diems are daily limits and do not carry over to the next day if the full amount is not spent.
If you have any questions about this new requirement, contact Brian Whalen, Business Manager, at ext. 14005.
It's a 2-for-1 combo! Keystone AEA is combining its KPEC (Keystone's Premier Education Conference) and TSS (Trauma Sensitive Schools) Conference into one for 2019. #ALLIN conference attendees will be able to choose from a variety of sessions to improve instruction, student learning and teacher thinking within the context of a trauma-sensitive school. Hands-on sessions will be offered, allowing educators to actually experience and practice. Recertification credit is available. The #ALL IN Summer Education Conference is packed with INSPIRATION and INFORMATION!
#ALL IN Summer Education Conference
June 25-26, 2019
Grand River Center, Dubuque
Did you know that drinking enough water can help boost your metabolism, reduce the look of wrinkles and fine lines and keep you energized?
When you participate in the Rethink Your Drink Water Challenge, you can see for yourself the amazing benefits of drinking more water. During the 28-day challenge, you will record if you’ve consumed your recommended number of glasses of water each day—it’s that easy! Join the Rethink Your Drink Challenge – registration coming soon!
Registration Open: Dec. 24, 2018 - Jan. 14, 2019
Challenge Duration: Dec. 31, 2018 - Jan. 27, 2019
As an initial wave of Benefits Surveys is completed, questions and comments are being made in the survey as well. Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, continues to address some of the questions being submitted in the survey.
Q/Comment: Clearer understanding why some things are covered and others go toward out of pocket expenses -- for instance, I saw a PT [physical therapist] this year, and I was charged $13 per time and insurance covered the rest. I also saw another PT at the same time, and I had to pay $650 out-of-pocket for 2 appointments. Both were in-network.
A: Some physical therapists bill as Outpatient while others bill as Office Visit. It is important to ask the provider how he/she bills when considering physical therapy, because while both go towards your deductible, if the provider bills as Outpatient, you are responsible for 100%. But if he/she bills as Office Visit, then it is coinsurance (and if in-network then the coinsurance is 15%). Once you have met your deductible, then it should only be co-insurance towards your out-of-pocket maximum.
Q/Comment: Contact lens coverage/discount
A: If you use the EyeMed Vision Discount Program, you can potentially save up to 15% off your contact lens expense. More information is available on the Intranet > Benefits > Eye Med.
Q/Comment: There are few chiropractors on Wellmark's plan. I would like to see more sports-related chiropractors added.
A: Wellmark determines the number of chiropractors they allow to be considered Wellmark providers under Wellmark plans. If you have a particular chiropractor whom you would like to be covered, you could ask he/she directly if they would apply to become a Wellmark plan provider chiropractor.
The agenda for the Dec. 11, 2018 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting is available.
Note that the regular meeting begins at 3:30 p.m.
In an effort to provide even better service to our internal and external customers, I want to take a minute to reiterate how important it is to follow a few easy steps in regard to our van mail delivery service.
- Current Route Schedule - Go to the Intranet > Communications > Annual Publications > Van Route Schedule to find the current Van Route Schedule. The most up-to-date route list will always be on the Intranet.
- Addressing Van Mail - It's important to address your mail correctly. Correctly addressing your mail will lead to easier delivery and less second-guessing by our van drivers, school support staff and you!
Van Mail Address Format
From: Your Name
To: Building Name
Recipient's Name
Route #
- Packaging Van Mail - Items placed in our van mail have to travel through a system, just like U.S. mail. Please be mindful of how you package your items. When in doubt, package them like you would if you were sending them through the U.S. mail or via UPS.
Thank you for your attention to these details as we work to make our van delivery service even better! We will share this information with the rest of our staff in the next Connection.
If you have any questions, contact Dustin Gean, Operation Manager.
We want to help you dispose of small electronics you no longer use and help the environment at the same time!
If you plan to spend some of your Winter Break cleaning out your closets and drawers, reach way in the back and find the small electronics you no longer use--cell phones, tablets, MP3 players, digital cameras, modems, A/V wires, etc.--and send them in to be recycled by an electronics recycling company instead of throwing them away. (No monitors or TVs, please.)
- Regional offices: Each office will have a supply of boxes and labels available beginning this week. If you want to get started early, take boxes and labels home now. Or when you return from break, bring your items to your office, place them in the boxes and label them with the official labels so the Operations Dept. knows they are slated to be recycled. Labeled boxes can be sent via van mail to the Johnston REC.
- Johnston offices: Large boxes will be located in the Johnston REC and Administration Center for you to drop your items in.
- Deadline: The deadline for electronics recycling will be Jan. 15, 2019.
We hope you find this to be a helpful holiday perk!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Dustin Gean, Operations Manager.
Last week, Iowa’s AEAs emailed a survey to local educators with the goal of better understanding stakeholder awareness of and satisfaction with AEA services. Please encourage educators to participate in this survey, as feedback is critical to ensuring Iowa’s AEAs continue to provide quality services to local schools.
Iowa’s AEAs has partnered with Hanover Research to administer and analyze this survey. Hanover Research is an independent market research firm based in Washington, D.C., and is in no way affiliated with any other entity or organization. Responses are completely anonymous and will be kept strictly confidential. The survey will close on Dec. 14, and Hanover will provide an analysis following the closing date.
