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
On April 10, the second semester A-87 certification will be emailed to federally-funded employees. The Business Office is following the same process it’s used for previous certifications. The email will come from heartlandworkflow with the subject A87 Certification Notice - Action Required. There will be a link in the email for employees to follow to complete the certification.
If you have questions or problems with accessing the link, contact Brian Whalen, Business Manager, at ext. 14005. The Business Office appreciates your prompt completion of the certifications and your assistance in helping us maintain compliance with this reporting requirement.
Each year, both the U.S. Congress and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) recognize April as National 9-1-1 Education Month. In Iowa, the month-long campaign is aimed at helping Iowans of all ages recognize the importance of 9-1-1 and the role they play in ensuring effective and efficient emergency response in times of crisis.
As consumers utilize new communications technologies and devices, 9-1-1 education takes on an increased importance. Another reason for 9-1-1 education is that as people get older, they tend to forget how and when to use 9-1-1.
Learn more about when to call, how to call and what to do when you call 9-1-1 from Be Ready Iowa.
The April 2019 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is available.
You can check your biometric screening off of your list! But, what's next? Hy-Vee Registered Dietitian Ashley Danielson will walk us through a breakdown of the numbers you received during your screening. She will cover how you can improve those numbers with food, exercise and stress reduction.
April 24, 2019
11:30 a.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Room 152
Available via Zoom and will be recorded
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 – take a moment to complete it today!
This year Iowa’s AEAs again will subside the cost for schools to upgrade their DE-provided FAST subscriptions to include math and behavior assessments for the 2019-20 school year and are expanding the potential grades available for schools.
This year schools will have the option to use the expanded assessment suite in math and behavior for K-6 and will have the additional option to include grades 7 and 8. This option is available both to schools that purchased the expanded assessment suite in 2018-19 and those that want to use for the first time in 2019-20.
Read full article…
The agenda for the April 9, 2019, Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting is available.
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.
