Year: 2016

Please note that summer hours are coming to an end. Normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. will resume on Monday, August 15.

AEA PD Online finished its annual update to the training system on Friday, July 8.

The most important change of note is that all staff will need to reset their passwords the first time they log-in. This adds an additional layer of encryption for extra security.

Visit the AEA PD Online blog for specific information regarding the password reset process and other training system updates.

IPERS is coming to an area near you to provide individual counseling sessions.  Get detailed information about your retirement account. Learn about possible retirement dates, benefit option payouts, and service purchase options.

Individual Appointments  can be made on October 10,11, 12, & 13, 2016 at the Country Inn & Suites located at 2910 South Main, Cedar Falls, IA. Pre-registration is needed to attend an individual appointment. To schedule an individual appointment, contact IPERS at 1-800-622-3849.

To maintain a consistent look on all AEA 267 documents and presentation materials, the agency has a customized guide for your use in understanding how and when to use the agency logo as well as other graphic and communication elements. This guide can be found on the Staff Website>Communication and Technology>Communication Guides and Templates. You will also find an array of templates for meeting agendas, faxes, handouts, letterheads, and PowerPoint.

Many people have certain sensitivities to strong odors and working around scented products can create unpleasant reactions. For this reason, we ask that you please be considerate and refrain from wearing or using heavily scented products. These may include perfumes, lotions, scented oils, sprays, or melts (such as Scentsys) in your office or work area.  

A revised agency release form for video and photography can be found on the staff website under Communications & Technology>Digital Resources>Guidelines, Releases and Request Forms (use your email and password for login). Completed forms should be kept on file with the Creative Services by sending them to Lori Thomas. Please also keep a copy for your own records with your project.

Good news Hawkeye and Cyclone Fans! Bravo Sports is offering discounted tickets to both Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones select football games. Discounted tickets are available to employees in any Iowa AEA at no cost to the AEAs. Quantities are limited so order soon.

• Purchase Iowa Hawkeye tickets

• Purchase Iowa State Cyclone tickets

As the end of the 2015-16 school year draws to a close, this is a great time to take stock of all that we have accomplished together this past year. Over the course of the last 12 months we have taken an already strong and thriving agency and moved it even further forward. We’ve done this through our collective courage to challenge the status quo on important and often sacred topics such as leadership structure, divisional silos, the future of our facilities, budget allocations, and various roles within our agency. To be clear, none of this was easy. Change requires a willingness to scrutinize current practice and ask truly tough questions. In doing so, egos can get bruised and organizational climate can temporarily dip. Some people become so uncomfortable with the process of change that they make the decision to leave the organization. And then something incredible happens–people begin to see the positive results of the change and they understand the sacrifice.

I want to applaud each of you for hanging in there this past year and doing your best despite some challenging times. I can say with confidence that the changes we have made this year will ultimately pay great dividends for those we serve and solidify our value in the education system.

This summer, take some time to reflect on all that we have accomplished together. I trust that each of you will seek time for family, friends, recreation, vacation…whatever it is that rejuvenates you for the year ahead. We have a lot to accomplish for adults and students in the coming year!

In case our paths don’t cross before, I look forward to seeing each of you on August 11 at the all staff meeting in Marshalltown. We have a great day planned for you with lots of fun, learning and reconnecting. Until then, enjoy the summer. And thanks.

As of July 1, 2016 the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners will no longer print and mail licenses. This is part of our transition to the online licensing system. The online version of the license is always the most accurate, as a license may have had a sanction or change since the last printed copy.

Local district central office personnel records required for Iowa Department of Education accreditation should still contain a printed screen shot of the most recent online licensure viewing.