Iowa’s AEAs Renew Commitment to Stakeholders Through Updated Strategic Plan

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) have solidified their commitment to all of Iowa’s 500,000 K-12 students, 327 public school districts, 182 accredited, non-public schools and thousands of children birth to age 3 with its updated strategic plan. 

The plan, which builds on the work outlined in the AEA Compact, reflects our renewed commitment to the priorities and actions that Iowa’s nine AEAs will take to meet the needs of those we serve. 

The strategic plan outlines the essential functions of Special Education, Media Services and Educational Services that were identified when the AEAs were established in 1975. It also incorporates recent efforts to maximize efficiencies and align equities in services, such as children’s mental health and well-being and real-world, in-depth work experiences into schools (i.e., Future Ready Iowa). 

Heartland AEA has staff members represented on the teams to support the work outlined in the action plans: 

• Synergy: Kurt Subra, Chief Financial Officer
• Future Ready: Jon Sheldahl, Chief Administrator; Julie McGinnis, Special Education Consultant and Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant 
• Well-being: Jadie Boens, Director of Special Programs

We are also aligning some of our agency priorities and focus areas with the Iowa AEA Strategic Plan, as we told you about at the September All-Staff Meeting.  

While each AEA may differentiate its services slightly according to the needs of its districts, the statewide AEA system is committed to uniting all of its essential services with this common plan. We believe we’re stronger together, and our statewide system is grounding the equitable, efficient, and effective experience of our districts with this strategic, system-wide plan. 

We encourage you to review the plan and its supporting documents.

Iowa's AEAs Strategic Plan
Iowa's AEAs Playbook