Author Archives: cvanbuskirk

The Open Enrollment period* for insurance begins Monday, April 29 and ends on Friday, May 24. *All benefit-eligible employees must enroll or waive coverage, even if you have no changes or are resigning/retiring! Some important details to note: If you … Continue reading →

While we say farewell to Executive Director of Educational Services, Jen Sigrist, and Executive Director of Special Education, Amy Knupp, we want to welcome Tesha Moser and Annette Hyde from Keystone AEA, who will be stepping in as interim directors … Continue reading →

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! The Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit is now available for download. May is Mental Health Awareness Month: Wear Green Day is May 16 Central Rivers AEA is a Make It … Continue reading →

Registration for the full-day Disrupting Bias learning session, offered by Gina Weekley and MaKenzie Hakeman, is now open and will be offered at each Central Rivers AEA office location. Register online through the AEA Professional Learning system. Course Description: Join … Continue reading →

Our 2024 retiree celebration will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, May 22, beginning at 9 am. (Regional meetings will not be held following the celebration this year.) HR will be creating, organizing and hosting the virtual retirement presentation. While … Continue reading →

Take time on April 24 to recognize our outstanding office support team during Administrative Professionals’ Day! This group of staff working in our offices are instrumental in keeping the agency running smoothly and ensuring all staff have what they need … Continue reading →

Part II: Bringing Purpose Mindset Zoom, Friday April 19, 8 – 9 am Are you interested in continued learning to enhance your mindset and improve your life satisfaction? If so, join Central Rivers AEA colleagues on Friday, April 19, from … Continue reading →

Exciting news for Iowa’s educators and AEA staff! Iowa’s AEAs and AEA Learning Online are collaborating to move our professional learning courses to a brand-new registration system! You will soon enjoy an upgraded, more user-friendly interface, making it easier to … Continue reading →

Good news! The Board of Education has approved employment contracts for all staff categories (Certified, Classified, NUSS, and Admin) for the 24-25 school year. Here’s a quick summary: Important note: We are committed to competitive compensation and plan to revisit … Continue reading →

Did you happen to catch the results of Sunday’s Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll? For the first time in the poll’s history, a question about Iowa’s AEAs was included. Here’s a snapshot of the results: Given how complex our work … Continue reading →

The Central Rivers AEA board of directors announced this week that Amy Knupp, Executive Director of Special Education, will be retiring in December 2024. “It is hard to leave such a wonderful and dedicated organization! The past 24 years working … Continue reading →

Congratulations to the March Central Rivers AEA staff who were nominated for a Difference Maker Award by our LEA partners (school administrators, superintendents, principals, teachers, etc.) For our March nominees, here is what our LEA partners that nominated you had … Continue reading →

Our Empowered students have created, “Red 4 Ed,” apparel items for all Central Rivers AEA staff to support us during our efforts to advocate for education! Check out the Empowered students’ storefront to order yours today. A message to help … Continue reading →

March is here and it’s time to celebrate Spring! For each weekday, a new prompt (saying/theme) will be shared, and we encourage you to post a GIF to the padlet link (or scan the QR code below to access the … Continue reading →

Bringing Purpose Mindset Zoom March 22, 8:00-9:00 am Are you interested in continued learning to enhance your mindset and improve your life satisfaction? If so, join Central Rivers AEA colleagues on March 22, from 8 – 9:00 am, to explore … Continue reading →

Plan now to join your colleagues for the all staff retirement celebration in May. Keep an eye out for more details, such as the list of retirees and the date/time of the celebration, that will be available in next month’s … Continue reading →

W-2s for the calendar year 2023 were handed out to office staff or mailed to your home during the week of January 22. If you need another copy, please visit the Web Link portal under Employee Information > Payroll and … Continue reading →

While we regret that we can’t provide staff with assurances of a quick solution or a guaranteed outcome, we know that our collective work continues to matter. Stay engaged in the process and with our advocates. Remember, our mantra around … Continue reading →