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Given scheduling conflicts, the date for Office Support Professionals’ Day has been moved from November 6 to April 29 in the AEA 267 Clear Lake Office. The new date will coincide with Administrative Professionals’ Week which means prizes, learning and lots of fun! Please mark your calendar for this date. Official invitations and a full agenda will be available in the spring.

The Iowa Department of Education/AEA Customer Feedback Survey will be administered to all licensed educators in accredited public and nonpublic schools on October 19. The survey will be open through November 25 and serves as a chance for those we serve to share with us their feedback regarding AEA 267 services. Please promote participation with those you serve!

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at 6 pm in the Cedar Falls AEA 267 Conference Center. The agenda for the October meeting can be found on the agency website under About Us>Board of Directors>Board Meetings & Agendas. Official minutes will be posted the following month after board approval.

Iowans who make up the Council on Educator Development have spent the past two years studying teacher and administrator evaluation practices and professional development. This document represents their preliminary recommendations. The council now needs feedback on these recommendations from Iowa’s education community, including superintendents, principals, teachers, AEA professionals, and school board members.

The following link leads to an online survey, which includes instructions for submitting feedback:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CEDRec1015. The survey will be open through November 30, 2015. All survey feedback will remain anonymous.

Gathering input is critical not only to this process, it is required by law. The council was formed in the fall of 2013 in response to an education reform package adopted by Iowa lawmakers that year. The legislation, House File 215, calls for a period of feedback beginning October 1, 2015. Once the feedback is collected and analyzed, the council will use it to develop a final report in November 2016.

The council has carefully studied Iowa’s current system of evaluation in Iowa Code Chapters 284 and 284(a), as well as research and practices across the country.

The term “teacher” in the bill refers to certified staff and includes AEA staff.  AEA administrative staff are also welcome to give feedback.

Shared on behalf of Ryan Wise, Ed.L.D., Director, Iowa Department of Education. Phone: (515) 281-3436.

One of the little things we can do to serve our customers well is to park in the back of the lot, leaving the best parking spaces for visitors to our building. It is one of those little things, but a nice thing to do as we serve our partners at AEA 267. Are there exceptions? Of course. When you are arriving just to run in and out before you are on the road again, taking advantage of a great parking space only makes sense. When you are arriving with a load of easels, boxes, stacks of books, etc. it is easier to park close to the door. But when you are arriving to stay for the day, combine a healthy walk with a courtesy to our customers.

As you arrive for work in the morning, park in the lot assigned or designated for your building, and leave the best and closest spaces for our guests. If you are unsure whether you have a designated parking spot, contact your supervisor for further information.

From Sam Miller, AEA 267 Chief Administrator:

Thank you to the nearly 350 of you who participated in the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) survey last month. Your input, along with that of the AEA 267 Board of Directors and Ad Cabinet, is truly meaningful as we take a collective breath and analyze what our agency is doing well and where we have opportunities for growth and improvement.

In the coming weeks, I will be analyzing the information and identifying themes for reflection and action. It is my hope to share those in a summary report with the board in October and potentially through office visits and other communication channels with all of you in the weeks following. Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

It’s official! Starting this month, we will officially accept your nominations for the AEA 267 “Hall of Fame” award. Each month, we will recognize one or more staff members who do a great job demonstrating what our Core Operating Principles look like in action. Those chosen will have a feature story written about their work which will be shared both internally and externally through various agency communication channels. In addition, they will be treated to lunch with our new Chief Administrator, Sam Miller. (Sam promises to make it a fun, light-hearted luncheon!)

Use this nomination form to nominate a fellow staff member who you think deserves to be recognized!