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
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| Kristi Upah |
Heartland AEA is pleased to announce the hiring of Kristi Upah as the Agency’s new Chief Student Services Officer. Kristi, a 26-year Heartland AEA staff member, will replace Randy Allison, who has served as the Acting Director of Special Education for the past two years.
As the Chief Student Services Officer, Kristi will advocate for an appropriate and effective education for all children and youth while fulfilling the responsibilities of the Heartland AEA Director of Special Education. She will collaborate with all work groups at Heartland AEA and with the families, schools and communities Heartland AEA serves, will be the Agency’s liaison to the Iowa Department of Education for special education and related services, and will represent Heartland AEA in the statewide AEA Special Education Directors’ Network. She will also be a member of the Heartland AEA Agency Planning Council (APC).
Kristi has devoted her career to serving students and educators in the Heartland AEA service area. Since 1993, she has served in the following positions:
- School Psychologist, 1993 – 2005
- Staff Development Specialist for School Psychology, 1998 – 2005
- Supervisor of School Psychological Services, 2006 – 2007
- Assistant Director of Innovation & Accountability, 2007 – 2010
- Regional Director, 2011 – present
As a regional director, Kristi has provided coordination and leadership for the provision of AEA services to districts and schools within Boone and Story counties. Other responsibilities she has had during her time as a regional director have included coordination of special education job-alike groups and providing direct support to job-alike facilitators and lead teams, facilitation and participation in professional development design and delivery workgroups (PBIS, Behavior Capacity Building, Math Capacity Building, Child Find Professional Learning Cadre) and participation in agency special education leadership workgroups.
Kristi earned her PK-12 Administrator/Supervisor of Special Education Endorsement from Drake University, a Ph.D. in psychology with a school psychology emphasis from Iowa State University, a specialist degree in school psychology from Iowa State and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Iowa State.
Please join us in congratulating Kristi on her new role with the Agency.
Last week, members of the State Board of Education adopted new physical education and health standards for students in kindergarten through high school.
The board adopted, based on an Iowa team’s recommendations, statewide standards that will provide a foundation for Iowa school districts to implement high-quality health and physical education programs. The standards are optional for Iowa schools.
"Physical education and health are an integral part of a full education," said board president Brooke Axiotis. "Academic standards in these two disciplines strengthen instruction and help students build knowledge and skills to be healthy and active for life."
The Physical Education and Health Standards Review Team, comprised of Iowa health and physical education teachers, administrators, teacher leaders and community organizations, recommended that Iowa’s standards come from the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America standards and the National Health Education Standards.
"Physical education and health are an important part of academics,” said Brian Rhoads, a West Des Moines physical education teacher, teacher leader and co-chair of the standards review team. “They relate positively to increased academic performance and affect the lifelong health and well-being of the whole child. This makes physical education and health essential for all."
In addition to input from team members, public input was sought through a series of public forums and an online survey.
The health and physical education standards indicate what a student should know and be able to do at each grade level.
“Quality instructional programs in physical education and health are essential for building skills, advancing knowledge and contributing to dispositions toward physical activity at all stages of life,” the report states. “In addition, physical education and health programs provide the knowledge and skills to support the development of social-emotional learning.”
Health and physical education will join other academic disciplines that already have both voluntary and required standards. Standards are required in science, social studies, English language arts, mathematics and 21st Century skills (employability skills; and civic, financial, health and technology literacy). Voluntary standards include fine arts and computer science.
For more information, visit the Physical Education and Health Standards Review Team’s webpage.
Our annual benefits enrollment is open to all full-time and 96-day employees from April 1 through April 30, 2019, at 4 p.m. for the 2019-20 benefit year, which begins July 1, 2019. Full-time employees may enroll in health and dental insurance and medical flex spending plans, while part-time staff (96-day) may enroll in the medical flex spending plan. (Note: This enrollment period is not for the dependent care plan, which is done in November.) You will need to make enrollment selections even if you choose not to make any changes to your benefits for next year.
This is the time you can add and/or drop family members to your health and dental plans without a life event or change of status. Annual enrollment time is also the only time during the year you can change your deductible—you aren't able to do that during the year, even with a life event or change of status.
How do I enroll?
Enrollment can be completed through the Employee Online tab of your Employee Dashboard. If you have any issues enrolling, first try logging out of the Employee Dashboard and then logging back in. You can also use these enrollment instructions, which include instructions on how to print your benefit statement.
Health Insurance
Health insurance premiums will remain unchanged for 2019-20. The monthly insurance premium rates for the $750 and $1,500 deductible health plans will be as follows:
$750 Deductible Plan
- Single - $617.57 (Paid in full by the Agency)
- Family - $1,543.94 (Agency pays 60% of the premium, so you owe $308.79 per pay period)
- No Health Reimbursement Arrangement with the $750 deductible plan
$1,500 Deductible Plan
- Single - $540.28 (Paid in full by the Agency) – Annual Health Reimbursement Arrangement is $681.96 ($170.49/quarter)
- Family - $1,350.71 (Agency pays 60% of the premium, so you owe $270.14 per pay period)
- Annual Health Reimbursement Arrangement for Classified and Certified Union taking $1,500 family plan - $1,053.00 ($263.25/quarter)
- Annual Health Reimbursement Arrangement for Non-Union taking $1,500 family plan - $1,794.96 ($448.74/quarter)
Dental Insurance
Dental rates will increase slightly for 2019-20.
- Single rate is $36.44 monthly. (Paid in full by the Agency)
- Family rate is $114.46 per month. (Agency pays single rate of $36.44 for Classified and Certified Union employees towards the premium, so you owe $39.01 per pay period)
Medical Flex Spending Plan
Each employee may choose to deduct from his/her paycheck an annual maximum of $2,700 ($112.50/pay period) regardless of how many family members you have or whether your spouse is able to contribute at his/her place of employment. As in the past, you may submit claims for eligible expenses for you, your spouse and your eligible children. For those couples where both spouses work at Heartland AEA, each spouse may elect up to $2,700 for the plan year. Reminder: If you enroll in the medical flex spending plan, and you can’t get all of your money spent in your account, you will be able to roll over up to $500 from the 2019-20 plan into the 2020-21 plan.
VOYA Life Insurance Enrollment
During our annual benefits enrollment, employees who didn’t opt for additional life insurance coverage through VOYA can also enroll. Complete the enrollment form and submit it to Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist. Existing employees who are enrolling for the first time will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form. Existing employees who are already enrolled but who want to increase their coverage may also do so at this time. Existing employees may increase your coverage, but if you choose to increase it over $10,000, they will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form. Enrollment will be during April but will be effective on July 1, 2019.
Annual enrollment is open now – take a moment to complete it today!
As you may recall, in 2017 the Heartland AEA Board of Directors approved a three-year agreement with the Heartland Education Association (HEA) to expire in June 2020. The transparent and interest-based approach has allowed union representatives and management to continue to collaborate monthly, and as a result, successfully negotiate an extension of the current contract through 2022. At the same time, we have continued to collaborate, we acknowledge the change in the collective bargaining law in the state of Iowa.
The Agreement acknowledges that certain items are now prohibited to bargain under the revised state law and need to come out of the contract. Prohibited topics of bargaining include the following:
- Retirement systems
- Dues deductions
- Insurance
- Payroll deductions or leaves of absence that are political in nature
- Supplemental pay
- Transfer procedures
- Evaluation procedures
- Procedures for staff reduction
Current contract language will be moved to the Staff Handbook or be added to Board of Directors’ policy. The link below outlines which articles were removed or modified from the current contract to the new contract and where that language will go in the future.
Certified Union (HEA) Agreement highlights:
- A 2.72% average salary increase.
- Duration of the contract will be extended until June 30, 2022, the maximum length permissible under law.
- A new salary schedule is available and archived on the Intranet > Human Resources > HEA Agreement & Information > Salary Schedule (2019-20).
- The new agreement is also available and archived on the Intranet > Human Resources > HEA Agreement & Information > Comprehensive Agreement Between HEA and Heartland AEA (2017-22).
If you have any questions, contact your HEA representative Tyler Higgs, Dirk Swanson or Vicki Sanders or Tony Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources.
There was an error in the article last week, Gearing Up for Annual Enrollment: How Do I Decide if I Should Participate in the Flex Medical Plan?
A sentence stated: “Also, new this year (beginning July 1), Heartland AEA will pay the monthly flex medical account fee ($43.20) for employees.” Correction: The $43.20 fee is an annual fee, not a monthly fee.
We apologize for the error.
Registration is now open for the Hit Your Stride Challenge. This 45-day team wellness challenge is focused on increasing the number of steps you take. No matter your current fitness level, Hit Your Stride is a fun way to connect with your co-workers while increasing your activity level. Whether you create your own team or join an existing team, you can expect 45 days of motivational tips, new friendships, increased activity and lots of fun!
Register for the challenge today!
Last Challenge of the Year!
Note that Hit Your Stride is the FINAL challenge offered for the 2018-19 Wellness Program, so if you have two challenges completed, you will need to complete this challenge or the Money Makeover challenge (if you haven't completed the MM already) in order to complete the three-challenges requirement. If you have only completed one challenge to date (and as long as it is NOT the Money Makeover challenge) then you can still complete this challenge AND the Money Makeover challenge in order to complete the three-challenges requirement.
Each week during the Iowa legislative session, we will bring you an AEA Legislative Update from the Iowa’s AEAs legislative advocacy team.
March 29, 2019 Legislative Update
Heartland AEA is pleased to introduce the new statewide AEA Professional Learning Registration System to you!
As you’ve heard, this system is a one-stop shop to register for all the professional learning activities available through all nine of Iowa’s AEAs. As Heartland AEA transitions to this new system, we will be running two catalogs for a short time: a Spring Catalog and a Summer Catalog. After summer, all courses will be listed in the AEA Professional Learning Registration System.
- Courses beginning prior to June 1, 2019, are listed in our Spring Catalog in the Universal Registration System (old Heartland AEA system).
- Courses beginning after June 1, 2019, can be found in the Summer Catalog in the new AEA Professional Learning Registration System.
Heartland AEA employees are still able to take Heartland AEA courses for license renewal credit at no cost; however, the registration process has changed in the new AEA Professional Learning Registration System.
How do I login to the new Statewide Professional Learning Registration System?
To login, your AEA Login is the same email and password you use to login to the AEA Learning Online Learning System (e.g. Mandatory Reporter, Bloodborne Pathogens).
How do I register for Heartland AEA courses that have a license renewal credit fee?
Since this is a statewide system, all Heartland AEA course titles start with the AEA Code “HL.” To register for a Heartland AEA course, you will select “Purchase Order - HL” on the Payment Selection page. In the Purchase Order Number field, enter HEART (all capitals) and complete the required fields on the form. Please note: You do not need to request a purchase order through the Purchase Requisition System.
How do I register if I want to move on the salary schedule for Certified staff?
If you intend to use the credit for a course to move on the salary schedule, you must receive approval for the course from your supervisor prior to enrolling in a class, and the course must be directly related to your job assignment. You are responsible for paying the registration fees if the course is to be applied toward salary advancement. Courses may not be taken during the working day if you are paid during that time. (See Article 8 of the HEA Contract.)
How do I register for courses offered by other AEAs?
If you are registering for a course offered by another AEA, you will need to obtain a purchase order through the Agency’s Purchase Requisition System or pay with a credit card.
New Statewide Refund Policy
To receive a full refund, you must withdraw at least eight calendar days before the first day of class. After that, there will be no refunds. To withdraw from a course, click on the withdrawal icon next to the course under “My Courses.” If there are extenuating circumstances, contact the sponsoring AEA’s Professional Learning Office.
If you have any questions about registering in the new system, contact the Professional Learning Department at ext. 14701.
Beginning this week, Google will be launching a new “Priority” page in Google Drive as a new way to help you stay focused and get work done. This page will help you access the files you need through a combination of suggestions and workspaces. With the new Priority page, not only are the most relevant files served up to you, but you can take action on them, as well as sort them into workspaces.
This new feature should make accessing your most important files easier and help you work more efficiently.
You can access the Priority page from the left-hand navigation panel in Drive. Some features you’ll see on the Priority page include:
Priority
- Here you’ll see the documents Google thinks are most relevant to you right now. These machine-learning-powered suggestions are based on various signals from your activity. On each suggested document, you can also take actions in line, without navigating to the doc in question, like replying to a comment or reviewing recent edits.
Workspaces
- In Workspaces, you’ll be able to see intelligent suggestions of related content to group together for easier access—like multiple files related to the same project.
- You can also create your own personalized Workspaces collecting any files you have access to, including content stored in your My Drive and various Team Drives.
- Right-click on any file and select Add to Workspace to dynamically group files as you work.
