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: Let the Agency Know Your Vaccine Status

So we can get as close as possible to having all staff complete the vaccine survey, we will include a link to the survey in The Connection today and through the month of April. A reminder of the message that was included in an agency COVID-19 update on March 31: 

In order to help us make the most informed decisions for the agency regarding our COVID-19 safety and support efforts, Heartland AEA is surveying our staff about your COVID-19 vaccination status. This survey is anonymous.  

You will only complete this survey ONCE:  

• To indicate you have completed the entire COVID-19 vaccination process OR 
 
• To say you do not intend to receive the COVID-19 vaccine 
 

You do not have to fill out the survey at this time if you are unsure about getting the vaccine or have not been fully vaccinated. You will have additional opportunities to complete the survey in the coming days if you are not done with your entire vaccine series. 

Access the survey here: Heartland AEA Vaccine Survey

Governor Reynolds Designates $11.5 M in COVID-19 Relief to Support Mental Health Services in PK-12 Schools, Help More Iowans Retrain for In-demand Careers

Last week Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education announced that more than $11.5 million in federal relief funding is available to assist public school districts in providing mental health support and other wraparound services to PK-12 students, and support community college efforts in expanding programming to help more Iowans earn short-term credentials needed for in-demand careers.    

The $11.5 million is Iowa’s share of more than $1.3 billion in discretionary funds provided through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II Fund), which is part of the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act passed in December 2020. Governors in each state were granted a share of discretionary dollars to address critical needs resulting from the COVID-19 crisis.     

“While the true cost of this pandemic is yet unknown, we’re already aware of the devastating mental health effects on our young people,” said Gov. Reynolds. “Expanding mental health services in our schools is critical to their overall recovery. When we care for the whole child, we secure better outcomes for them and their families.”      

The funding announced today will support the following initiatives:  

• Up to $8.67 million in competitive grants to help PK-12 school districts coordinate and deliver mental health services and wraparound support to students, youth mental health first aid training and implementation, and suicide prevention services and programming. 
 
• Up to $2.89 million in competitive grants for Iowa’s community colleges to supplement the state’s GAP Tuition Assistance Program, which will help more Iowans whose jobs were impacted by the pandemic to enroll in short-term training and credential programs leading to high-demand jobs in fields like advanced manufacturing, commercial truck driving, information technology, health care and welding. 
  

“Iowa was not immune to the economic cost of the COVID 19 pandemic and it’s vital to our continued recovery that we offer opportunities for Iowans to retrain and gain the skills needed for rewarding, high-demand careers that promote job growth and fuel our state’s economy,” Gov. Reynolds continued.      

“These additional resources will help schools expand services to address growing social-emotional-behavioral health needs and support the overall well-being of students affected by the pandemic,” said Ann Lebo, director of the Iowa Department of Education. “In addition, increasing financial assistance through the GAP Tuition Assistance Program will help more Iowans gain the skills needed for good-paying, high-demand jobs in Iowa, both today and in the future.”   

Last fall, Iowa received $26.2 million through the first round of GEER funding within the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Gov. Reynolds designated to expand broadband access and increase internet connectivity for students for the 2020-21 school year.    

More information on the process for school districts and community colleges to apply for this round of funding will be provided soon.

2021-22 Work Calendars are Available and Ready to Complete

2021-22 work calendars have been added to the Employee Dashboard for all staff who need to complete a work calendar. The link to this function is found in the Personal Calendar app on the Employee Dashboard. 

Once logged in to the personal calendar, click on the “Calendar Entry” link to modify and submit your calendar. 

The calendar presented will be the default calendar based on your individual pay assignment. You can modify this default calendar by clicking on the days you wish to modify. 



Each time a day is clicked, it will change to one of the following:

 

• Blue X – represents a non-working day 
 
• Green / – represents a half working day 
 
• White Space – represents a full working day 
 
• A yellow H represents unpaid holidays and a yellow H followed by an asterisk (*) represents paid holidays. Sundays and holidays cannot be changed. 
• At the top of the screen, two numbers will be presented. 
• The number on the left is the number of working days based on the days selected as such—in other words, the total of the white spaces (full days) and green slashes (half days). 
• The second number is the number of days expected to work based on the pay assignment. These two numbers must match when the calendar is submitted.
• When the calendar is submitted, it will be routed to your current supervisor just as a leave request would be. And, just as with a leave request, the supervisor will review and can approve or reject the calendar. Applicable emails are sent to you and your need-to-know person as well. A help doc named “Calendar Online Entry Documentation” is available on the Help tab. This document describes in detail all the functions of the interface. 




 
• If you are transferring regions, please work with your new supervisor to fill out your calendar. It will still go to your current supervisor for approval but check with your new supervisor on specific days. 
• Once approved, your 2021-22 calendar can be viewed by you, your supervisor and your need-to-know person. 
• Also, all subsequent changes to the 2021-221 calendar must be submitted via the Calendar Exchange Online request system after July 1, 2021. 
• The working days calendars are due before summer break or June 4, 2021, whichever comes first. 
• As a reminder, your calendar will need to be submitted and approved in order to take leave for the next fiscal year in the new leave system. 
 

If you have any questions, contact Britini Jones, Human Resources Assistant.

April 30 is Right Around the Corner; Have You Made Your Benefits Selections for 2021-22?

The Agency’s annual benefits enrollment is open to all full-time and 96-day employees from April 1 through April 30, 2021, at 4 p.m. for the 2021-22 benefit year, which begins July 1, 2021. 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. 

Important Points to Note

• You are required to make enrollment selections for health and dental coverages during annual enrollment, even if you don’t have any changes to your benefit coverages for next year. 



 
• This enrollment period is not for the Dependent Care Plan, which is done in November.
• 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. 



 

Compare Plans 

$1,000 Deductible Plan Summary of Benefits & Coverage 

$2,000 Deductible Plan Summary of Benefits & Coverage 

If you have any questions about your enrollment options, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist.

Have You Thought About Additional Life Insurance Coverage? If So, Now is the Time to Enroll

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. Current employees who are enrolling for the first time will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form. Current employees who are already enrolled but who want to increase their coverage may also do so at this time. Current employees may increase their coverage, but if they choose to increase it over $10,000, they will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form. Enrollment/changes will be during April but will be effective on July 1, 2021. 

If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist.

Reminder: What You Need to Know About Scheduling Summer Professional Learning in Agency Offices

Agency offices will be used this summer in a limited capacity to offer professional learning opportunities. Virtual or district-based trainings are still the Heartland AEA-recommended method of delivery and should be considered the first option whenever possible. 

The process to determine what will be offered in agency offices this summer and how those decisions will be made are outlined in this Scheduling Summer 2021 PL Learning at Heartland AEA document.

New Online Workshop Introduces Participants to Relationship and Community Building of Restorative Practices

"All humans are hardwired to connect. Just as we need food, shelter and clothing, human beings also need strong and meaningful relationships to thrive. Restorative practices is an emerging social science that studies how to strengthen relationships between individuals as well as social connections within communities." (IIRP.edu) 

Have you been hearing about restorative practices? Are districts you serve implementing restorative practices in their buildings? Are you interested in learning more? Check out this video from the International Institute for Restorative Practices and join us for this new workshop!  

In this workshop, participants will learn fundamental theory and practices for engaging in a restorative way. Topics include setting high expectations while being supportive, providing direct feedback, asking questions that foster accountability and effective methods to resolve common conflicts. 

This workshop will provide participants with 

• knowledge of the key concepts of restorative practices,
 
• an opportunity for participants to reflect on how restorative practices may impact their professional and personal lives and 
 
• practice applying strategies from the restorative practices continuum. 
 

The workshop will be provided through Zoom over 2 half-day sessions. Additionally, participants will be asked to engage in approximately 2 hours of individual learning (watching videos, reading book excerpts) prior to the start of the section.  

May 12 & 20, 2021 

May 12 -- 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., May 20 -- 12:00-4 p.m. 

Only open to Heartland AEA employees 

Registration

Reminder: FYI: SEBMH Teams Shift Their Focus to Complete Mental Health

 Heartland AEA’s SEBMH Development Teams have been working to expand our understanding and practices to effectively promote Complete Mental Health for all children, youth and adults. Our definition of Complete Mental Health includes positive and negative indicators that contribute to mental wellness or mental distress. It includes promotive and preventive approaches that are commonly used within schools to promote well-being. In addition, these approaches are aligned and integrated with Heartland AEA's SEBMH Pyramid and local education agency practices. The purpose of this work is to shift the paradigm from focusing on mental illness to promoting complete mental health.    

In this voiceover presentation, applications to various roles within Heartland AEA and local education agencies as well as connections to one’s own complete mental health will be made. We will continue to provide opportunities to discuss our expanded definition of Complete Mental Health and to provide application to your role within the Agency and the children, youth and adults you serve.