Category: Uncategorized

Please note that summer hours will end on August 14. Normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. will resume on Monday, August 17.

Plans continue to move ahead to begin upgrading the Clear Lake office facility in early fall. Remodeling is slated to begin in early October and be concluded by April 1, 2010 if not before. Over the summer months, Jan Alger, AEA 267 Secretary to Communication/Administration began the process of finding outside locations for all AEA 267 events previously booked in the affected conference rooms. If you have not heard from Jan about your event and believe you should have, please contact her.

If you are scheduling new meetings during our remodeling and need suggestions for locations, please contact Jan. A directory is also available on the staff website although not all locations and information are listed.  (To clarify, for new meetings being scheduled, your service area is responsible for ordering and taking care of all food needed and using your service area account code to pay for the room.)

The new rooms under construction will be labeled A, B & C. If you need to schedule a room after April 1, 2010, you may do so as the new rooms are now online (with descriptions) and available for reservations. Events that need to be scheduled in September can be held in the Community and Federal rooms. Please schedule them directly through Leah Peters, AEA 267 Receptionist in the Clear Lake office.

Questions? Contact Dr. Sara McInerny, Service Area Director at 1-319-273-8260.

Betty Westmeyer, a long-time advocate for students with special needs, is stepping down from the AEA 267 board when her term ends in October. Westmeyer has been a member of the AEA board since 1982 when her son was a student at River Hills.

When asked about the highlights of her tenure as an AEA board member, Westmeyer cited her advocacy for a formal graduation ceremony at River Hills School. “Prior to that, there had not been a ceremony,” she said. “I’ve attended every ceremony since 1984 when they started and I’ve shed tears every time. It’s a very moving experience.”

Westmeyer was also instrumental in the transition from three Area Education Agencies (AEAs 2, 6 & 7) to one in 2003. “It was a time of great uncertainty and fear of the unknown. I feel very good about how things have turned out.”

Although her accomplishments are many, Westmeyer feels a tinge of regret about the fact that her advocacy for lengthening the school year has not resulted in real change in the state. She has been a long-time proponent of a longer school year to retain and advance student learning. Still, she feels the time is right to step down.

“The friendships I have made while on the AEA board have been wonderful,” said Westmeyer. “This closes an important chapter in my life. My advice to any new board member is to speak up and let people know how you feel…being a board member is very rewarding.”

In her capacity as an AEA 267 board member, Westmeyer has represented Director District 4 which includes the school districts of Charles City, Denver, Janesville, Nashua-Plainfield, Sumner, Tripoli, Wapsie Valley, and Waverly-Shell Rock. A search for a candidate to fill Westmeyer’s vacancy is pending.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 6 p.m. on August 5, 2009, in the AEA 267 Conference Center for their regular meeting.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a review of the work and experiences of the AEA 267 Crisis Response Team from Stan Hanus (team leader) and other members of the team regarding their recent work in Aplington-Parkersburg.
• Accepted with regret the resignation of Andrew Meister, Teacher of Behavior Disorders (Devonshire), effective immediately.
• Motioned to hire Jon McEwan, Jr., Teacher of Multi Disab/Severe & Profound (Mason City); Rebecca Eness, Speech-Language Pathologist (TBD); Cam Turner, School Social Worker (Castle Hill School); Jared Pospisil, Teacher of Multi Disabilities/SCI (Union High School); Farrah Olson, Work Experience/Transition Specialist (Sectors 1,2,4); Jeanna Cripe, Teacher of Behavior Disorders (Devonshire).
• Approved 2009-2010 master contract with the AEA 267 Education Association.
• Heard the second reading of board policies #405.1 (sick leave) and #405.2 (vacation leave).
• Approved the contract with Pruckler Physical Therapy.
• Approved the 2009-2010 contract for Adaptive P.E. Services with Marshalltown CSD.
• Accepted with gratitude a memorial gift to AEA 267 from the family of Deb McGowan. An outdoor bench will be placed near the front entrance of the AEA 267 Marshalltown conference center.
• Approved the consortium agreement between Mid-Iowa School Improvement (MISIC) Consortium and Bremwood providing access to MAP tests.
• Approved the transportation agreement between EPI, INRTC and AEA 267.
• Approved the agreement with Iowa Falls Community Schools for lease of office facilities in Iowa Falls.
• Approved the contract with the Iowa Juvenile Home to purchase psychologist services from AEA 267.
• Reviewed the mileage reimbursement rate. The board elected to maintain the current mileage rate.
• Approved contracts with North Iowa Community Action for Project Child Care and Head Start.
• Approved the contract with Iowa State University for LEA Administrator Technology Professional Development for 2009-2010.
• Approved renewal of the partner contract with Exceptional Persons for provision of Early ACCESS services.
• Approved the architectural contract and authorized preliminary window and door projects for the Clear Lake remodeling work.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Nine AEA 267 staff members will represent the agency throughout the day on August 13 at the state AEA booth in the Varied Industries Building at the Iowa State Fair. Staff members will give out AEA logo tattoos to children, talk about AEA services and gather AEA success stories from those who stop by.

This is the second year the AEA system has had a booth at the State Fair. Last year’s booth was a huge success resulting in thousands of contacts with Iowans throughout the state.

For those staff members coming back from extended time away from the office over the summer, please remember to update your voice mail greeting and any automated email responses you set prior to leaving for the summer. Remember that the agency requires that all voice mail greetings be current for the day or week. If you need assistance, please see the help guides and scripts posted on the staff website.

Hats off to AEA 267 Devonshire students for raising over $400 for the Waterloo Canine Unit through their “Caring Coins” program. Students presented their donation to the chief of police and others from the department (including drug dog, Spike) at a special ceremony Thursday, June 4. The event is set to receive positive news coverage from both KWWL-TV and the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.

This project is one of many AEA 267 Devonshire students take on to contribute positively to the community. Thanks for doing such a great job! Special thanks to Cindy Lang and Paula Goetz for their leadership.