Author: Beth Strike

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met on November 2, 2011 at 6 p.m. in the AEA 267 Clear Lake office for their regular meeting. Substitute board secretary, Beth Strike, administered the Oath of Office to the newly elected board members: Darshini Jayawardena, Dr. George North, Bernice Richard, David Giese and Charlotte Upah.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a review of the AEA 267 Mentoring and Induction program from Marcia Knupp.
• Motioned to accept a variety of resignations, retirements and hires.
• Approved a contract with Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc. (MICA).
• Approved a lease with Community United Child Care Centers (CUCCC)
• Approved a reciprocal transportation agreement between:

1. Central Springs and Forest City
2. Central Springs and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock (RRMR)
3. Osage and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock (RRMR)
4. Mason City and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock (RRMR)
5. Mason City and West Fork

• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Dr. Roark Horn, AEA 267 Chief Administrator, recently sat down to share his perspectives regarding the recently released Education Reform Blueprint shared by Governor Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, and Iowa Department of Education Director, Dr. Jason Glass. In this podcast, Roark provides his perspectives on the plans in the reform, and more importantly, how he views the agency’s role in supporting it.

Along with addressing educational reform, Roark shares information about a white paper he recently developed with the help of Dr. E. Robert Stephens (widely considered to be the “father of Iowa’s AEAs” for his role in designing the system in the 1970’s) that addresses what would happen if AEAs were not in existence to provide services to the schools of Iowa. The document uses concrete evidence and statistics to illustrate the value of the AEA system and success of the “flow-through” model of funding. In the podcast, Roark sumarizes six “conjectures” that are supported by fact in the report:

Conjecture #1 – Most districts with enrollment of less than 2,500 would have great difficulty in replacing the level of support services and technical assistance they currently receive from their respective AEA’s. Approximately 90% of the districts in Iowa who enroll approximately 50% of the total student population would be included in this category.

Conjecture #2 – The options available to districts, who would be required to maintain these services, are limited; the few options available would likely require an added cost for those districts, as they would lose the efficiencies of the current system.

Conjecture #3 – The effect on Iowa’s accredited nonpublic schools would be similar to the effect on the state’s public schools – limited options that require an added cost, with the additional burden that they have no taxing authority to generate funds to support their efforts.

Conjecture #4 – The collective intellectual capital of the AEA State System, its shared competencies and skill sets, would be severely lessened, greatly diminishing opportunities for innovation, and handicap current AEA state-wide initiatives that already exist in the state.

Conjecture #5 – Iowa’s Department of Education would continue to be charged with state and federal mandates, but would not have the capacity of a regional system to provide support and technical assistance to local districts to help meet those mandates. No option available to them to do this would be as efficient and effective as the current AEA State System that is already in place.

Conjecture #6 – Long-held state goals for education, such as having an equitable, efficient, and effective state system for all of Iowa’s children, would be undermined.

Area Education Agency 267 (AEA 267) is pleased to announce that Darshini Jayawardena, currently a board member with the Mason City Community School District, has been elected to serve on the AEA 267 Board of Directors.  Darshini will succeed Darrel Lind serving Director District 2. She will represent the districts of  Central Springs (portion that was Nora Springs-Rock Falls CSD), Mason City, Osage, Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock (RRMR) & St. Ansgar .

Darshini and her family have lived in Mason City for the past 12 years. Of those 12 years, she has served on the Mason City Community School District Board of Education for the past five years, and was just recently re-elected for another four-year term. She has also served on the board of the United Way of North Central Iowa as well as the Foundation Board of North Iowa Area Community College.

Darshini holds a Master’s degree in International Economics and is currently working on her Doctorate in Public Administration through Capella University in Minnesota. She will be sworn in at the AEA 267 Board of Directors’ meeting on November 2.

In past years, the agency cell phone directory has been distributed in hard copy form. However, given the ongoing changes that occur with individual phone numbers, staff resignations and hires, etc. it has been challenging to print and distribute a paper directory that is current for any length of time. Please be aware that although a printed directory will not be officially distributed, a current version of the cell phone directory is always available on our staff website at http://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/staff/index.php?page=phonedirectory (login: aeastaff/password: aea267ia). If you print one from this site, please remember to periodically go back and seek an update as the information is constantly changing.

For more information, contact Sue Hotzel in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Administrative Services Building. Sue coordinates all cell phone related information for the agency.

We are in the midst of many transitions in education which affect us and our jobs each day.  With transitions come new learning, anticipation and uncertainty which can cause additional stress and concern.  Not to mention, we have personal obligations with family, church, community, etc., that can cause us to feel a little overwhelmed at times.  Most of the time we can endure and handle the additional pressures, but sometimes we all need a little help in coping with the day-to-day challenges of life.  Please do not forget that AEA 267 is one of many employers that takes part in the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

The EAP can aid in finding solutions. The EAP offers a confidential place to find the answers that work for you. Whether the issue is depression, stress, anxiety, family conflict, or financial difficulties, trained counselors are available to assist. For more information, download the EAP brochure today. Please remember that when you reach out to the program, it is kept in the strictest confidence and the contact is not reported back to the agency.

At noon today, Iowans from all walks of life participated in the “Start Somewhere Walk” to kick off Governor Branstad’s “Healthiest State” initiative. Several employees from the AEA 267 Cedar Falls campus took a break from vigorous strolls around campus to pose for a photo. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Joni Puffet and Kerri Wilson; (second row, left to right) Jennie Miller, Roxanne Colling, Shirley Horak and Cynthia Fry; (back row, left to right) Dan Dreyer, Shane Wolf, Sue Hotzel and Betty Beauregard.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met October 5, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. in the AEA 267 Conference Center for their regular meeting. During the meeting, board members were recognized for their time, energy, commitment and dedication on behalf of the agency and directing it through another successful year of operation. The “old” board then adjourned the final meeting of the 2010-2011 Board of Directors.

Immediately following the meeting, an organizational meeting of the “new” board was convened during which time the board:

• Elected Charlotte Upah as the new President and Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson as the new Vice President for 2011-12. Kerri Wilson administered the oath of office to each newly elected officer.
• Appointed Kerri Wilson as board secretary and Dennis Scudder as board treasurer. The board president administered the oath of office to each of them.
• Heard a presentation regarding a “white paper” developed by Dr. Roark Horn and Dr. E. Robert Stephens regarding the value of the AEA system. Watched and reacted to a new advocacy video and hypersite created by the AEA Communications Committee.
• Motioned to accept a variety of resignations, retirements and hires.
• Set meeting dates and times for 2011-2012 board meetings.
• Approved appointments to the AEA Legislative Committee and the AEA Executive Committee.
• Approved Wells Fargo Bank as a depository of AEA funds with a $10,000,000 limit and the Great Western Bank as a depository of AEA funds with a $3,000,000 limit.
• Appointed Steve Weidner as legal counsel for 2011-2012.
• Approved reciprocal transportation agreements between:
• Belmond-Klemme and Clarion-Goldfield
• Forest City and Central Springs
• Central Springs and Mason City
• Forest City and Clear Lake
• Approved both the Orientation and Mobility Services agreement and the Itinerant Teacher Services agreement with Statewide System for Vision Services (SSVS).
• Approved the agreement with Four Oaks Independence Facility.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Following the AEA 267 regular October meeting, a River Hills Foundation Board meeting was held and members elected the new President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer and heard a River Hills Committee Fundraising update.

The United Way provides support and assistance to a multitude of worthy causes in all of our communities–including our own River Hills Foundation! Each year, the agency provides staff members an opportunity to donate to the United Way either through payroll deduction or one-time donation. Donating is purely a personal choice. If you are interested, please download the 2011 United Way pledge form, complete it, and send it to Betty Beauregard in the AEA 267 Business Office in Cedar Falls by December 13, 2011.