Year: 2015

Nearly 55 new AEA 267 staff members took part in this year’s New Employee Orientation which was held on August 10 at the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Conference Center. Sam Miller and Kathy Enslin, along with other central office support representatives, helped welcome new team members and orient them to the agency and our work.

All of us remember what it was like to be “new” to the organization. As you go about your daily work, please reach out to any of the following new staff members you may come in contact with and help them to become better acquainted with the agency:

• Briana Backer, SLP-Northeast Sector
• Kathy Barfels, Admin Secy-HR/Receptionist-Cedar Falls
• Taylor Baumgartner, Assessment Intern-Cedar Falls
• Melissa Blohm, Consultant for Reading/Lang Arts-Cedar Falls
• Jay Boens, Ed Asst-Pinecrest
• Allison Burchland, Sp Ed Consultant-South Sector
• Marie Butenhoff, Sp Ed Secretary-Marshalltown
• Megan Cole, Teacher of Behavior Disorders-Pinecrest
• Angie Condon, Early Childhood Sp Educator-Marshalltown
• Holli Counsell, Early Childhood Sp Educator-East Sector
• Anna Crenshaw, Teacher of Hearing Imp-Cedar Falls
• Sydney DeMaris, SLP-Northwest Sector
• Carrie Downs, Sp Ed Consultant-South Sector
• Jamie Granzow, Ed Asst-Central IA Juvenile Detention Center
• Courtney Gross, Ed Asst-River Hills
• Leigh Ann Hansen, SLP
• Patricia Heisterkamp, School Social Worker-East Sector
• Phil Hendricks, Web Developer/Designer I-Cedar Falls
• Krysta Hofler, Ed Asst-Pinecrest
• Rebecca Jenkins, SLP-NE Sector
• Kristy Johnson, Ed Asst-River Hills
• Lora Kester, Cons for Reading/Language Arts-Marshalltown
• Heidi Knoblock, Sp Ed Secretary-Grinnell
• Kristi Krmpotich, Sp Ed Consultant-Northwest Sector
• Kristin Langman, Clerk-Tech Library-Marshalltown
• Lisa Litterer, OT-Northwest Sector
• Kelcy Madison, Audiometrist-Marshalltown
• Alison March, PT-Northwest Sector
• Paul McNamara, Ed Asst/Intervention Spec-Bremwood
• Julie Miller, Sp Ed Consultant-East Sector
• Christina Smock, Assessment Intern-Cedar Falls
• Katherine Owen, Teacher of Deaf & Hard of Hearing-Cedar Falls
• Anna Phalen, Early Childhood Sp Educator-East Sector
• Sara Phillips, Ed Asst-River Hills
• Amber Post, OT-Northeast Sector
• Jennifer Poulter, Ed Asst-Pinecrest
• Katie Reed, Early Childhood Sp Educator-East Sector
• Dustin Reese, School Psychologist-Northwest Sector
• Rebecca Rother, Teacher of Behavior Disorders-Pinecrest
• Amanda Sanderman, Science Consultant-Cedar Falls
• Jennifer Schmitt, Sp Ed Consultant-Northwest Sector
• Ellen Schulz, SLP, South Sector
• Amy Sehi, SLP-Northwest Sector
• Angela Sorensen, Admin Asst for Assess/Comp Imprv-Cedar Falls
• Karen Springer, Early Childhood Sp Educator-Northwest Sector
• Brenda Streets, Clerk-Tech Library-Marshalltown
• Nicole Stucker, SLP-South Sector
• Dawn Swehla, Sp Ed Consultant-Northeast & East Sectors
• Cari Teske, Integrated Learning Specialist-Cedar Falls
• Larissa Treloar, SLP-Northeast Sector
• Andrew Voss, Teacher of Mental Disabilities S&P-River Hills
• Sarah Wessels, Sp Ed Consultant-Northwest Sector
• Sara Youngblut, COTA-NE Sector
• Tiffany Zilka, School Psychologist-Northeast Sector
• Jennifer Zitelman, COTA-East Sector

Nearly 100 staff members were recognized during the all-staff meeting for their years of service to children, families and educators served by the agency. Staff members receiving recognition included those staff members who had reached five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35-year milestones.

While these important staff members should be recognized, special thanks to Melissa Clark and Robert Hirst for achieving 40-year milestones with the agency!

A complete list of employees who were recognized, along with all the materials from August 12, is available on the staff website under Sector Resources and 2015 Kick-Off Meeting. (Remember to use your email login and password to access the staff website.)

Congratulations to all!

Please help us welcome these new superintendents to districts served by AEA 267. For a current directory of all school administrators in both public and non-public schools served by the agency, check out out the “schools” directory on our website.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, July 1, 2015 and again on Wednesday, August 12 at 6 pm in the Cedar Falls AEA 267 Conference Center. Both the official minutes of the July meeting and the agenda for the August meeting can be found on the agency website under About Us>Board of Directors>Board Meetings & Agendas.

Thank you to everyone for participating in the all-staff meeting held on August 12! It was great to reconnect, learn together and prepare for the school year ahead. Photos from the week will be available to view on the AEA 267 Facebook page later this week.

Celebrate American Education Week and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies’ 40th anniversary with discounted Iowa football tickets to the Iowa vs. Minnesota night game in Iowa City on Saturday, November 14. Tickets are available to employees in any AEA and this was offered at NO cost to the AEA system.  To order your tickets and for more information follow this link:  https://bravosportsmarketing.com/product/iowa-aea-iowa-football-tickets/

We’d welcome this opportunity from other colleges and universities. At this time, the University of Iowa is the only one who has reached out.

Please take note of the following reminders from the Human Resources (HR) office:

• September 15 is the deadline for notifying HR of intentions to change lanes on the salary schedule (certified staff).
• All professional licenses must be kept current. Professional licenses renew on the last day of the month of the individual’s birthday. To check the status of your license, please go to:  https://www.iowaonline.state.ia.us/boee/.  Please remember to send a copy of your license to the HR office.
• Unpaid days will not be granted except under unique circumstances at the discretion of Human Resources.

It is with a great amount of mixed feeling that I sign off on our times together working for this great organization. On the one hand, and selfishly, I am sad to be leaving AEA 267 as I have very much enjoyed working with you on behalf of the wonderful children we serve, and I admire so much all that you do to help them, their families, and the districts that serve them. On the other hand, I feel like I am leaving an agency that has overcome many major obstacles and, through your tremendous effort, has come out the other side somehow even better than before. I am also very excited about your new chief administrator! As I have gotten to know Sam through various orientation activities over the last several months I have become even more impressed with the talents, skills, abilities, and leadership that he brings to you. And that is saying a lot, because I was already an admirer and a huge fan of his work prior to his getting this job. He rose to the top of what may be inarguably one of the most competitive processes in the history of Iowa educational leadership (and I am depending on our years together for you to know that I am not given to over-exaggeration), and you will see why as soon as you get a chance to meet him and work with him. All that we have done together over the last five years will continue to move forward on a great trajectory, because that is who you are, and that is who he is – the perfect union at the perfect place at the perfect time. Oh, and it should not surprise you that the process was so competitive, as your reputation across the state is what attracted that great field of applicants! I will look forward to continue to serving you and the whole AEA system from my new role – I think having a strong advocate for the AEAs at SAI can and will continue to enhance the opportunities we get to have to help children. So … you may have noticed that I never say goodbye in our conversations. It is always “see you later” or “see you soon,” because this is not really goodbye – it truly is ‘until we meet again.”

See you later,

Always,

r.

Dr. Roark Horn and Dr. Mary Stevens were the featured guests on the May 31 edition of KWWL’s “The Steele Report” hosted by anchor Ron Steele. The 30-minute show provided an excellent opportunity to educate the public about the historical impact of Iowa’s AEA on children, families and educators as well as examine current trends.

The Steele Report: 40 Years of Iowa’s AEAs (videos)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3