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

Reminder: Your Help Is Needed: Guidance on Turning in Receipts for Reimbursement

With the Agency’s new policy of providing receipts for all work-related expenditures, comes some new challenges. 

The Business Office requests your assistance with the following: 

• Ask for separate receipts for alcohol purchases, as alcohol is not reimbursable. 
• When traveling with family, ask for separate receipts for costs incurred by family members, as they are not reimbursable. 
• When traveling with a group of staff, ask for separate receipts for costs incurred by individual staff members, so everyone’s items can be accounted for. 
• Scan meal receipts into separate PDF files for each day of travel. 
• Reminder: Meal expense limits apply to each day. Actual costs are reimbursed up to the daily limit, and no amounts carry over to a subsequent travel day. 

We realize this requires some pre-planning and follow-up work on your part, but following this guidance will make the Business Office’s task of reviewing dozens of receipts each week a bit easier. We appreciate your efforts to help us get your reimbursements to you efficiently and quickly. 

To Do: Review & Accept New Wellmark Privacy Policy in Wellness Center

Wellmark would like to make you aware that the Privacy Policy on the Wellmark Wellness Center powered by WebMD has changed. As part of the edit process, they are asking all registered members to visit the Wellness Center to review and accept the new policy. This Privacy Policy explains how WebMD handles your Personal Information. 

Keeping your health information secure is as important to Wellmark as it is to you, so take a minute to read the Privacy Policy before you use WebMD tools or services including the Wellmark Wellness Center. 

Please note: If you do not accept the terms of the Privacy Policy, you will not be able to use WebMD tools and services, and where applicable, rewards cannot be redeemed.

David Ludwig Named New Executive Director for Iowa’s AEAs

David Ludwig

This message was emailed to staff on Feb. 22 and is being repeated here for your information. 

Iowa’s AEAs have selected David Ludwig to be the AEA system’s next Executive Director. Ludwig has over 30 years of experience as a school administrator in Nebraska, with the past five years serving as the State Executive Director for the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council (ESUCC) of Nebraska. 
 

Today, the Iowa Association of AEAs (IAAEA) Executive Board approved a two-year contract with Ludwig, and he will begin his duties on July 1, 2019. He will be based out of the Heartland AEA office in Johnston. 
 

In his new role with Iowa’s AEAs, Ludwig will facilitate and coordinate Iowa's nine AEAs in working collaboratively to support and provide services to the children, families and educators served by all of Iowa’s 333 public schools and 182 accredited, non-public schools. The AEA system also provides direct services to nearly 56,000 students who receive special education services. 
 

"We are extremely proud to offer the position to someone with the leadership and experiences that Mr. Ludwig has,” said Jim Green, president of the IAAEA Executive Board. “David’s experience with rural and urban districts, legislative advocacy, along with his leadership at local and state levels, are a perfect fit for the AEA system." 
 

Ludwig began his education career as a special education teacher and coach and has also been a special education director, principal and ESU (Educational Service Unit) Administrator. A graduate of Midland College with a bachelor’s degree in special education, elementary education and physical education, Ludwig earned a master’s degree in school administration and an education specialist degree from Wayne State College. He is currently working on a doctorate degree in education at the University of Nebraska Omaha and is expected to complete that work in May 2021. 
 

"I’m excited to begin the next phase of my professional career with an organization known nationally for its focus on student learning and outcomes, quality people and programs and attention to providing equitable services to all Iowa children, families and educators,” Ludwig said. 
 

Dr. Tom Lane, who has served Iowa’s AEAs since 2013, will retire on June 30, 2019.

Iowa’s AEAs Legislative Update Available

Each week during the Iowa legislative session, we will bring you an AEA Legislative Update from the Iowa’s AEAs legislative advocacy team. 
 

Feb. 22, 2019 Legislative Update