Month: April 2011

Nearly 1,700 teachers and administrators responded to the annual Iowa Department of Education AEA Customer Feedback Survey administered this spring. While responses are down slightly from a high of approximately 1,900 last year, the information will provide an abundance of quality feedback from which to continually refine and improve our programs and services. More details to come regarding results!

Guided by suggestions from staff members and AEA 267 administration, the agency will pilot two new programs which will provide eligible employees with an opportunity to work from their home on a temporary or more permanent basis.

The Remote Work Site (RWS) program is designed for those employees whose responsibilities are suited to conducting all of their office work at a remote site, such as their home office. In this type of arrangement, the employee retains access to shared AEA 267 office space when needed rather than maintain an assigned office.

The Temporary Work Site (TWS) program provides eligible employees with the flexibility to work remotely on an intermittent basis either because of inclement weather (when the employee had planned to work in the office) or to accommodate work on a special project.

Both programs are voluntary. A group of employees will participate in pilots based on their interest and eligibility.

For more information visit the RWS/TWS page on the staff website (login: aeastaff/password: aea267ia).

 

There appears to be some internal confusion around the concept of the new Site Superintendent position. Please accept this as our effort to fully inform you about the position and to collectively address the questions that have been raised.

How the concept evolved

Very early on in Roark’s visits with our partner districts, he ascertained that one of the major issues facing us was clear and easy access to information about our services. On almost every visit he was told that LEA’s chose to not fully explore AEA opportunities because they were either unaware of those opportunities or, if they did try to explore a bit, the complexity of figuring out ‘who to contact for what’ was daunting. He was expressing to them that he wanted our agency to be the first place they called for help; they told him if that was the goal, we needed to provide procedures so they could access our system quickly and effectively.

The answer to this dilemma was to find some way for them to have one person to call for their needs; it would be ideal if this person were someone who they had a prior relationship with, or someone they could build a relationship with quickly.

Additionally, recent retirements at the administrative and management levels had resulted in changes in coverage with the Area Director duties. This factor supported the design of a new model to address these responsibilities. This new model needed to be responsive to a combination of onsite building issues, district services, and AEA staff needs, with the ongoing goal of maintaining a continuity of services to our educational partners and AEA 267 staff.

Knowing that resources were tight and getting tighter, it made sense to look at these as two parts of the same problem, as opposed to two different problems. The challenge was to improve our accessibility to our LEA partners, while at the same time providing everyday decision-makers on site.

That was the birth of the Site Superintendent concept. We were able to implement this on a pilot basis in Clear Lake starting January 1, and we have received such strong feedback that the board decided in March to make that position permanent and establish a similar position at the Marshalltown office. Both positions will be funded by a portion of the dollars saved through attrition and reduction in administration and management personnel.

What is a Site Superintendent?

A Site Superintendent is a ‘one call’ access point for our LEA partners with any questions or issues they have for the AEA. While requests can still be made through individual staff members, this position offers a quick way to get information and assistance when others are out in the field. In a sense, a Site Superintendent serves as a liaison between LEA partners and our services. The person also assists districts with management needs such as transportation training, OSHA questions, and buildings and ground issues.

At the same time, the person is on site to serve as a daily presence in the building and to provide the day-to-day decision-making service necessary to allow our sites to work with maximum efficiency.

Executive leadership experience is sought for this position so that service can be provided at all levels. In other words, if administrators in our partner districts need help, they are going to want to speak to or work with someone who has experience with the issues they are dealing with. There are also elements of facility management associated with this position in the sense that major contracted work for our property is sought and funneled through the Site Superintendent. Also, experienced decision-makers are optimal for helping staff with the complexity of their issues; most often this will occur using a consultative model.

It would be impossible to give a full listing of how a Site Superintendent will serve the Agency, as during our pilot in Clear Lake we have seen uses and support not even dreamed of when the position was conceived. Having said that, some very apparent advantages include: someone on site to consult, someone who will listen to your issues and provide support and guidance, someone who will be able to help clarify procedures and expectations, and someone who will make decisions on practical matters such as weather calls. A Site Superintendent is not charged with evaluating certified staff, but may be responsible for evaluation and management of clerical and custodial staff at each site.

This concept and position is truly an effort to serve both our partners and our internal staff, and to solve the dual problems mentioned above.

 

Mark your calendar to attend one or more of the upcoming retirement celebrations honoring our colleagues. These celebrations present a wonderful opportunity to congratulate and recognize those retiring for their dedication and years of service.

 

 

Tuesday, May 17—Cedar Falls Conference Center
Wednesday, May 18—Clear Lake Conference Center
Friday, May 20—Marshalltown Conference Center

Each celebration will begin at 3:30 p.m. and end around 5 p.m.

Those being honored include*

Cedar Falls

• Peggy Aarhus, Educational Assistant, AEA 267 River Hills School
• Connie Cizek, Educational Assistant Sign Language Interpreter, West High School, Waterloo CSD
• Connie Collins, Teacher of Multi Disabilities, Durant Elementary, Sumner CSD
• Dianne Deike, Educational Assistant, Irving Elementary, Waverly CSD
• Pat Hagerstrom, Special Education Consultant
• Joan Greenlee, Teacher of Behavior Disorders, Carey Elementary, Waverly
• Joan Lentz, Speech-Language Pathologist, Cedar Falls office
• Sharon Lynn, Educational Assistant, AEA 267 River Hills School
• Judy Miller, Educational Assistant, AEA 267 Bremwood School
• Janice Moser, Sign Language Interpreter, Waterloo West High School
• Mary Nichols, Special Education Consultant, Cedar Falls office
• Linda Williams, Principal, Castle Hill School
• Wendy Wilson, Educational Assistant, Sign Language Interpreter

Clear Lake

• Carolyn Borger, Lending Library Coordinator, AEA 267 Clear Lake office
• Dr. Bruce Jensen, Area Director of Special Education, Clear Lake office
• David Kobes, School Psychologist, Belmond-Klemme Jr./Sr. High School
• Patricia Notestine, Speech-Language Pathologist, Clear Lake office
• Sandra Pippert, Teacher of Behavior Disorders, AEA 267 Four Oaks School
• Bill Schutz, Manager for Facilities Program, Clear Lake office
• Lorna Schutz, Admin Secretary-SPED Systems, Clear Lake office
• Tom Fey, Interim Site Superintendent, Clear Lake office

Marshalltown

• Tom Adams, School Social Worker, Lenihan Intermediate School, Marshalltown CSD
• Judi Barber, Speech-Language Pathologist, Grinnell office
• Diane Eilers, Itinerant Teacher of Hearing Impaired, Marshalltown office
• Terry Eygabroad, Consultant for Math, Marshalltown office
• Keith Greufe, Lead Custodian/Maintenance, Marshalltown office
• Carolyn Maschmann, Speech Language Pathologist, Grinnell
• Jacquilyn Mason, SLP, Marshalltown
• Janis Smith, Speech-Language Pathologist, Eldora office
• Arlys Stevens, Physical Therapist, Eldora office

*known as of April 8, 2011

 

The Board met April 6, 2011 at the Ellsworth Community College Campus in Iowa Falls for a Joint meeting of AEA 267, North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) and Iowa Valley Community College. The regular board meeting was held at 7 p.m. after the joint meeting.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a program review by Julie Graber, Consultant for Technology and Learning, on Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW). The goal of this professional development initiative is to increase student learning by engaging students in authentic intellectual work. Authentic Intellectual Work is defined by three criteria: construction of knowledge, through disciplined inquiry, to produce discourse, products, and performance that has value beyond school.
• Accepted with regret the retirements of Judy Barber, Speech-Language Pathologist (Grinnell); Jacquilyn R. Mason, Speech-Language Pathologist (Marshalltown); Carolyn Maschmann, Speech-Language Pathologist (Grinnell); Mary Nichols, Special Education Consultant (Cedar Falls); Patricia Notestine, Speech-Language Pathologist (Clear Lake) all retiring end of 2010-11 school year.
• Accepted with regret the resignations of Eric Doyle, Technology Systems Specialist (to become non-union employee for 2011-12); Julie Duer, Speech-Language Pathologist (Marshalltown); Susan Jarnagin, School Psychologist (Clear Lake); Shawna Perry, Speech-Language Pathologist (Waterloo); and Virginia Warner, Teacher of Behavior Disorders (AEA 267 Bremwood School), all resigning end of 2010-11 school year.
• Motioned to hire Melissa Hesner, Consultant for Science (Cedar Falls).
• Authorized purchase of a 19-passenger bus for pre-school programs.
• Approved purchase of two Info Tech delivery vans.
• Authorized the administration to purchase computers for the 2011-12 school year.
• Approved resolution for Iowa School Cash Anticipation Program (ISCAP) participation.
• Approved resolution for Iowa Schools Finance Information Services (ISFIS).
• Renewed the lease with North Iowa Community Action Organization for the Charles City sector office.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.
• A Board Strategy Session for Collective Bargaining was held immediately after the Board meeting.