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

Coming Tomorrow to Your Inbox: Provide Input on Our Agency Workspaces in Workplaces Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us with many new experiences, challenges and opportunities in both our personal and professional lives. Heartland AEA is an organization that believes in continuous improvement, so we don't want to miss the chance to learn from you about your work this past year. Your input is vital to our planning about agency workspace and the supports you need to be successful in your work.

Please watch your email tomorrow, April 26, for a Workplace Survey that will allow you to provide feedback on our agency workspaces and your work practices during the pandemic. The survey will be open through May 3.

Thank you for engaging and helping us continue to have a high-performing workplace culture in our agency!

Reminder: Have You Received the COVID Vaccine? If So, Let Us Know!

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 if you are not done with your entire vaccine series. 

Access the survey here: Heartland AEA Vaccine Survey

Don’t Forget All Staff Need to Complete ALICE Training by the End of Each School Year

As Heartland AEA continues to make improvements in our agency’s safety and security, all staff are required to complete the online ALICE training once each school year. 

By the end of the 2020-21 school year (June 30, 2021), all Heartland AEA staff members should take the hour-long online training to become familiar with the ALICE program and the techniques it teaches in response to an armed intruder event. 

ALICE stands for: 

• Alert: Get the word out! “Armed Intruder in building” instead of “Code Red,” or “Bring the purple folder to the office.” Use clear, concise language to convey the type and location of the event. 
• Lockdown: Good starting point. We will continue to lockdown in secure areas. 
• Inform: Communication keeps the intruder off balance and allows for good decision-making. Counter: Apply skills to distract, confuse and gain control. 
• Evacuate: Reduce the number of potential targets for the intruder and reduce chances of victims resulting from friendly fire when help arrives. 

In short, using the ALICE method will give you more tools to use in the event of an armed intruder/active shooter. We want to provide you with the knowledge that if faced with a life or death situation there are methods that can be applied to enhance your chance of survival. 

 

 

 

Again, you are expected to complete the ALICE online training by the end of June 2021. 

The training has been assigned to all Heartland AEA employees in the AEA Learning Online Learning System. 

To access the training: 

Visit the AEA Learning Online training site. Enter the email and password used for your AEA Login and click log in. 

Assistance 

• If you need assistance accessing the site, contact Dawn Peitzman, Professional Learning Assistant
. 
• If you have any questions about the training or the ALICE program in general, contact Dustin Gean, Operations Manager, Emergency Response & Safety Team Lead and Certified ALICE Trainer.

Reminder: 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.

You Have Until Friday to Make 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. (Note: This enrollment period is not for the Dependent Care Plan, which is done in November.)    

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 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.   

Benefits Enrollment User Guide  

Health Insurance


Health insurance premiums will remain unchanged for 2021-22. The monthly insurance premium rates for the $1,000 and $2,000 deductible Blue Choice health plans will be as follows:

   

$1,000 Deductible Blue Choice 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 $1,000 deductible plan

 
 

$2,000 Deductible Blue Choice Plan
  

• Single - $551.10 (Paid in full by the Agency)
• Family - $1,377.75 (Agency pays 60% of the premium, so you owe $275.55 per pay period) 
 
• Annual Health Reimbursement Arrangement for taking $2,000 single plan coverage - $900.00 ($225.00/quarter)

 
• Annual Health Reimbursement Arrangement for taking $2,000 family plan coverage - $1,920.00 ($480.00/quarter)

 

Dental Insurance
 

No change in dental rates for 2021-22.  

• 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 Union 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 their paycheck an annual maximum of $2,750 ($114.58/pay period) regardless of how many family members you have or whether your spouse is able to contribute at their place of employment. As in the past, you may submit claims for eligible expenses for you, your spouse and your eligible children. 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 $550 from the 2021-22 plan into the 2022-23 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. 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 about your enrollment options, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist.

FYI: Do You Know What a School Counselor in Today’s Schools Does?

If you’re wondering how the “guidance counselor” of years past is different from today’s “school counselor,” this video is for you! This video explores the role of the transformed school counselor and how they could/should be used in the school setting. 

The Transformed School Counselor 

If you have any questions, contact Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, and the Agency’s school counselor consultant.

Reminder: 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 -- 12:00-4:00 p.m. 

Open only to Heartland AEA employees 

Registration