Year: 2015

Are you on Facebook? Please “like” the AEA 267 Facebook page so you can keep up with daily news regarding the agency. Here are two stories we recently shared that you may have missed.

“Education vs. Domestic Violence” event deemed a huge success

Representatives from Waterloo Community School District, Cedar Falls Community School District, Cedar Valley Catholic Schools, the University of Northern Iowa, Sylvan Learning Center, Kaplan University, AEA 267, and Upper Iowa University participated in a wing eating contest to raise money for the Cedar Valley Friends of the Family domestic violence shelter. AEA 267’s own Rod Ball put up a valiant effort eating 44 hot wings in eight minutes, bested only by Henry Shepherd of Waterloo Community School District. The event was a lot of fun for a great cause! Thanks to everyone who donated and supported the event.

Horn, Vincent present to Senate Education Committee

Dr. Horn and Dr. Paula Vincent (Heartland AEA Chief Administrator)  presented to the Senate Education Committee the week of February 16 in Des Moines. Their mission was to help those in the legislature come to an even better understanding of  the critical mission of Iowa’s AEAs in helping the state’s students, families, and school districts. By all accounts this was a highly successful presentation. Senators were particularly interested in the work that AEAs are doing with some recent focus issues such as dyslexia and autism, and seemed pleased with the response.  Pictured with Horn and Vincent is Dr. Tom Lane, AEA 267 Legislative Liaison for Iowa’s AEAs.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 6 p.m. in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a program review from Dr. Jerry Schnabel and Michelle Cowell on Robots in Education.
• Approved the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan goals for 2015-16 through 2019-20.
• Approved the Extended Year Program Calendar for 2015.
• Awarded the contract for the Cedar Falls Conference Center remodeling project.
• Rejected all bids for a lease agreement for copiers as recommended.
• Approved April 6, 2015 for a joint Board of Directors meeting at Hawkeye Community College.
• Set a date of April 6 for the April AEA 267 Board of Directors meeting.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

The AEA 267 Foundation Meeting was held immediately following.

Not doing anything on Friday, February 27 at 8 p.m.? Make a trip to Beck’s Sports Grill in Cedar Falls to support our very own Rod Ball who will represent AEA 267 in the first annual “education vs. domestic violence” fundraiser to support Cedar Valley Friends of the Family. For eight minutes, Ball will compete against representatives from Waterloo Community Schools, Cedar Falls Community Schools, Cedar Valley Catholic Schools, UNI, Kaplan University and Upper Iowa University to see who can eat the most buffalo chicken wings. Each representative will seek donations (per wing or in a lump sum) which will go directly to benefit the Cedar Valley Friends of the Family domestic violence shelter.

Interested in supporting this great cause? Download the donation form and send your donations directly to Rod Ball/Keri Hudson in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Special Education Building.

As part of their February board meeting, the AEA 267 Board of Directors engaged the services of G. Tryon & Associates, a professional search firm based out of Des Moines, to lead the search for a replacement for Dr. Horn. The board established a rigorous timeline for the process, with the expectation of securing a new leader by April 8 (to officially begin work July 1). Staff will be invited to serve on focus groups to assist the board in the final stages of selection.

“The board takes this process very seriously,” said Dr. Deb Rich, AEA 267 Board President. “Given the reputation of the agency, we are confident that we will have many talented candidates to choose from.”

Updates on the process will be provided monthly via Intersections.

In the spring of 1974, the Iowa Legislature passed House File 1163 establishing Iowa’s 15 area education agencies with the same service areas as the merged area schools (community colleges). The AEAs, as they came to be called, began operating on July 1, 1975. So if you do the math, that means the AEAs will be celebrating an important anniversary in 2015 – 40 years!

With the establishment of the area education agency system, Iowa became a national leader in providing regional, intermediate educational services. Our Iowa system continues to be among the most respected in the country. Though 44 other states have some kind of educational service agency, the scope of those agencies varies from state to state. None have the unique partnering relationship that Iowa’s AEAs have with local districts.

The AEAs are planning ways to observe this milestone year throughout 2015. If you have feedback or memories to share, don’t hesitate to contact Beth Strike.

One of the first fun ways we’ll celebrate is by doing a selfie social media campaign! We hope you will join us and encourage your co-workers to take part in the fun. Each service area director and office has two signs (ask to use them!), one saying “We are AEA” and the other “I am AEA.” Hold one of these signs as you take a selfie or a group photo in the office, in a meeting, in a school, on a home visit – wherever! Post your photo on Twitter and/or Facebook with the hashtag #iowaaea and email your photo to Beth Strike. (Please remember that signed consent forms are needed if you post any photo with a child.)

We hope this will be a fun activity to kick off our celebration. Be watching for other 40th anniversary ideas we’ll be sharing soon!

AEA 267 is looking at bringing Weight Watchers to our workplace. Weight Watchers at Work gives you access to weekly meetings at your workplace or in your local community and includes the Weight Watchers suite of digital and mobile tools along with 24/7 Chat.

This 17-week plan offers a great opportunity to have the motivation needed for a healthy lifestyle with guidance from a leader who has faced the same challenges. Twenty participants are needed for the meetings to be held at any one of our three office locations.  Any location with less than 20 can still benefit from the workplace rate with the same eTools available and staff are able to attend meetings in their local communities.

The cost is typically $186 payable upfront or in three monthly payments of $62 each. However, during the month of February, Weight Watchers at Work is offering a special offer providing two weeks free (approximately $22 off the regular price) of the 17-week program. Under certain circumstances, you may be allowed to use flexible spending dollars to pay for weight loss programs. Please visit with your doctor and consult with WageWorks if you are considering this benefit. The required medical necessity form can be found in the iVisions Portal under My Benefits>Information Center>Flexible Spending>Healthcare.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity please sign up by February 16 on this Google document. Once we have a minimum of 20 people, a local Weight Watchers leader will come out to give an overview of the program, answer questions and help those who are interested to register for the program.

Any questions can be directed to Beth Strike or Lori Thomas in the Clear Lake office.

In an effort to ensure consistent information regarding special education procedures, there is now an additional resource available to you.  The AEA 267 Special Education Procedural Q & A is intended to be used in combination with the Statewide Special Education Procedures Manual, What Forms to Use When, and your sector Beginning of Year Information.  This resource is accessible from the AEA website by clicking on ‘Special Education’ from the home screen, then ‘Procedures and Forms’ on the right hand column under ‘Procedures’, then ‘Special Education Procedural Q & A’ on the left side under ‘Procedures’.  This document will be periodically updated by the special education administrative team as procedural questions continue to be posed and clarified. For additional support or clarification regarding procedures beyond the available documents listed above, please contact your coordinator.

Letters of advocacy from staff, LEA partners, parents, and even students to local legislators are always encouraged, especially letters of support regarding our AEA legislative priority areas for 2015.  We have created a flyer that lists legislators serving AEA 267 school districts. You can search by senate, house representative or by school district. This is a convenient way to find a particular legislator and his or her contact information.

Please remember when sending messages to legislators that it is important for you to personalize emails or letters and send them from your personal email account or stationary. It is against the law for us to lobby the legislature using agency email or stationary. Also, do not send any such messages during agency work hours, as that would also be a violation of the law.

Need help drafting an advocacy letter or have questions? Contact, Dr. Roark Horn, AEA 267 Chief Administrator.