The Channel

As an AEA employee, we’re sometimes asked questions that we may have NO clue how to answer. Or we’ve heard something about that topic in one of our meetings but don’t have a clear answer.

One topic that continues to bubble up is the line item in a school district budget that indicates AEA flow-through dollars. Since AEA funds appear in the local district’s Aid and Levy Worksheets, it has led some people to the mistaken belief that these funds belong to the local school district.

When the Iowa Legislature created Iowa’s Area Education Agencies in 1975, it also created a separate funding stream for the AEAs specifically to fund its services. No school district dollars were ever reduced or reallocated in the creation of the AEA system funding.

With no direct taxing authority, AEA funding had to appear on some other entities’ books for accounting purposes. Because AEA funding is based on per pupil allocations tied to local district enrollments, funding shows up as flow-through funds from each individual district in the area. The AEA budget in total was, and still is, intended to be used to provide mandated services throughout the region for all of the public and private schools not for individual school purposes.

In February 2009, the Fiscal Division of the Legislative Services Agency issued this statement after its review of AEAs: “the method of distribution of AEA funding is strictly for accounting purposes, the school district budget is not impacted.”

The AEA flow-through money is intended to equalize, as much as possible, educational opportunities for all schools, both public and accredited nonpublic, within an AEA region. Without the cooperative services of the AEAs, inequities between school districts would increase and learning opportunities for students would vary greatly. AEAs require the allocated funds to provide equitable educational opportunities. Any reduction in funding would impact the ability of the AEA to provide mandated services to the districts.

The flow-through money is not, and has never been, district money. To allow those dollars to be “rolled-over” into a single district budget would result in harm to the group.

As ambassadors of Area Education Agency 267 and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies, please feel free to share this information when the situation arises.

The front page of the AEA 267 website will have a new appearance come Monday, December 7. While all your favorite links to the best instructional content will still be visible, they may be in a new spot to accommodate more space devoted to news, professional development offerings and AEA 267 service features. The new front page was developed in response to agency needs assessment data that show that educators want more information about what the agency has to offer and how services can meet their needs. Take a sneak peak at the new site today at http://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/new/

The 2009 AEA 267 River Hills School Holiday Program will take place on Friday, December 11, at 9:30 a.m. In the event school is cancelled, the rescheduled date will be Monday, December 14, at the same time. The school is located at 2700 Grand Boulevard, Cedar Falls. AEA 267 River Hills School is a public sponsored special school for students with moderate, severe, and profound development disabilities. The school serves students from birth through age 21. It is operated by Area Education Agency 267 and funded through participating local school districts.

Please change your voicemail greeting and set an away message to your email during the holiday breaks so that callers and/or e-mailers will know when they can expect to hear from you.

Voicemail Example:

“Hello, this is (your name).  Our office will be closed beginning Friday, December 25 and reopen on Monday, January 4.  Please leave your name, telephone number and a detailed message and I will call when I return.  Thank you!”

Email Away Message Example:

Thank you for your email.  I will be out of the office beginning Friday, December 25 and return Monday, January 4 and will respond to your email upon my return.

If you need assistance with either task, please visit with your administrator.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 6:00 p.m. on December 2, 2009 in the AEA 267 Conference Center for their regular meeting. (The board met at 3 p.m. for a retreat to discuss the budget, progress on the AEA 267 Clear Lake Office remodeling project and the AEA 267 River Hills boiler repair project.)

During their regular meeting, the board:

• Heard an update from Dr. Jon McKenzie, Director of Assessment and Comprehensive Improvement; and Dr. Carol Sensor, Special Ed Coordinator of Services Improvement and Special Programs, on the support programs provided by AEA 267 to Schools in Need of Assistance (SINA) and Districts in Need of Assistance (DINA).
• Motioned to hire Brynn Brass, Teacher of Multi Disab-SCI/Teacher of Early Childhood Sp. Ed. (Castle Hill).
• Approved the lease/purchase agreement with Larson Construction for the Clear Lake remodeling project.
• Approved the second reading of Board Policy No. 801.2: Use of Copyrighted Material Policy.
• Approved the second reading of Board Policy No. 703.1: Gifts to the Agency.
• Approved the purchase of a replacement boiler system for AEA 267 River Hills School.
• Approved the renewal of the agreement between the Early Childhood Programs of Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NICAC) and AEA 267.

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

Want more interesting trivia about our agency staff?

• We have approximately 175 vacancies a year.
• Women outnumber men in the Agency 7:1
• There are 46 certified staff with either a Doctorate or Ed Spec.
• 127 classified staff either have their BA degree or a Para Educator License

Jamie Osterbuhr, AEA 267 Teacher of Multi Disab SCI

AEA 267 Teacher of Multi Disab SCI, Jamie Osterbuhr, was among nearly 80 Iowa educators nominated for an Excellence in Education Award sponsored by the Iowa State Education Association, the Farm Bureau, WHO Radio, Staples, and KDSM Fox 17.

According to the Allison Bristow CSD & Greene CSD newsletter, “The Bearcat Clause”, Osterbuhr was recognized as an educator who “goes above and beyond and touches her students lives in ways that she will probably never know.”

AEA 267 employees are eligible to receive a personal cell phone discount as part of a State of Iowa contract with four wireless service providers: AT&T, Sprint-Nextel, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. Eligibility, discounts, and identification requirements vary with each cellular provider. For details go to the Iowa Educators Consortium (IEC) website and select Teacher and Student Discounts and see which provider has the best discount for your cell phone needs.

If you have already applied for a discount from U.S. Cellular and your e-mail address has come back as “invalid,” you can call (800) 819-9373 and reference the discount code you used when you applied for the discount (PED1008 or 4AB90). Contact Sue Hotzel at 319-268-7659 for further information.

Sarah Knudsen, Dr. Mary Stevens, Justin Stockdale and Beth Strike at the IMT Des Moines Marathon on October 18.

Four AEA 267 employees ran in the IMT Des Moines marathon last month as part of a team that raised over $25,000 for the Ed Thomas Foundation. Thomas, a teacher and coach with the Aplington-Parkerburg Community School District, was gunned down in June, allegedly by a former student. The team, known as Team Thomas, was coordinated by AEA 267 Bremwood principal, Justin Stockdale, and his brother, Matt. Over 30 runners took part including Dr. Mary Stevens, AEA 267 Area Director of Special Education; Sarah Knudsen, AEA 267 Special Education Coordinator; and Beth Strike, AEA 267 Communication Specialist. Stevens, Kundsen and Strike participated in the half-marathon while Stockdale ran the full marathon. (Amazingly, Matt Stockdale ran the marathon twice within a nine-hour period as part of a promise to the team to motivate fund raising efforts!)

Colleagues and friends of the late Deb McGowan, former AEA 267 InfoTech employee, recently completed the installation of a memorial bench in her honor. The bench was purchased through private donations and was installed with help from employees’ family members.

A dedication ceremony will be held on Friday, November 6 at 10:15 a.m. Former AEA 267 van driver and now Hospice chaplin, Greg Boyle, will conduct the ceremony.

A partnership between AEA 267 Devonshire School and the Wise Guys program, a male responsibility program sponsored by the Family and Children’s Council Together for Youth, was recently featured in the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. The program features weekly sessions that focus on helping teen males develop healthy relationships, sound decision making skills and sexual responsibility. This is the second year it has been at Devonshire. The program is taught by Bob Tyson and Bob Wright, coordinators.

“We really appreciate everything they have done for our students,” said Paula Goetz, AEA 267 Devonshire principal. “I’ve seen these guys learn skills that will help them for the rest of their lives.”

Although we’ve already had a taste of it, the full brunt of winter is just around the corner. Take some time now to review the inclement weather and emergency closing information (username: aeastaff/password: aea267ia) implemented in October of 2008 and be sure you are familiar with how decisions and announcements are made.

The 2009-10 United Way campaign has begun. Pledge sheets were sent to each AEA 267 employee this week and will be accepted in the AEA 267 Business Office until December 4, 2009. Please send completed pledge sheets to Betty Beauregard, AEA 267 Benefits Specialist, in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Administrative Services Building.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 6 p.m. on November 4, 2009 in the AEA 267 Conference Center for their regular meeting.

During their regular meeting, the board:

• Heard a review from Early Childhood consultants about the support AEA 267 provides to preschool programs utilizing the Quality Preschool Program Standards.
• Approved the E2T2 agreement with Grant Wood AEA.
• Heard an update on the Clear Lake Remodeling Project.
• Heard a First Reading of Board Policy No. 801.2: Use of Copyrighted Material Policy.
• Heard a First Reading of Board Policy No. 704.1: Gifts to the Agency.
• Approved the Orientation and Mobility Services and Itinerant Teacher Services agreements with Statewide System for Vision Services (SSVS).
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

A Foundation Meeting was held immediately after the regular Board meeting. During their meeting the board:

• Heard a report from the River Hills Committee on fund raising.
• Heard an update on the River Hills Playground Project.
• Reviewed and approved the Black Hawk County Gaming Commission Application.

As you have probably heard, the Governor issued a 10% across-the-board cut late last week.  For AEA 267, the reduction means a loss of approximately $1.5 million in state funds.  While we had anticipated an across-the-board cut for some time, it turned out to be quite a bit larger than the 5-6% we were predicting.  With State revenues predicted to fall 8-9% short of prior expectations, including a 19% shortfall in August, the Governor’s response was inevitable.

Of major concern is how does this affect the Agency; and based upon questions I’ve received, how does this affect me?  I do not have clear answers at this time.  While we know the size of the cut, we also have property tax dollars, federal dollars, and one time ARRA funds to mix into the equation.

What is very likely to happen:

• Except where judged to be critical, unfilled positions will not be filled.
• New capital and equipment expenditures will be sharply curtailed, except where commitments have already been made.
• We will increase our efforts to use technology to reduce travel expenditure, turn out lights, lower thermostats, etc.
• We will have fewer employees in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 and beyond.
• Our commitment to children, families, and educators will be as strong as ever.

What might happen:

• Retirements and resignations will cover the vast majority of anticipated needs to reduce the number of staff at AEA 267 due to long term funding cuts.
• Our assignments and work may need to be reviewed as we serve our schools within the confines of our resources.

What will most likely not happen:

• Immediate and massive lay-offs.  (We can use reserves for the short-term.)
• Status quo.  (We anticipate State revenues will be limited for a number of years.  We will need to adjust accordingly.)

I will keep you posted as developments take place. As always, thank you for your ongoing commitment to children, families and educators.

Recently, the novel H1N1 influenza, also known as the swine flu, has heightened the focus on preparing a response during an influenza outbreak. This steps below outline procedures to follow when a staff member becomes a victim of an influenza outbreak.

Personal Illness
A staff member with symptoms of influenza, such as fever and/or respiratory illness, should immediately consult a medical doctor for treatment. Anyone with a fever should take sick leave according to the prevailing procedures and should not come back to work. If it is confirmed that a staff member has contracted novel H1N1 he/she should take sick leave and notify his/her supervisor immediately. The supervisor then contacts Personnel who will move forward with additional leave options & Family Medical Leave Act notification, if necessary.

Caring for a family member who is ill
If a staff member’s family/household member has contracted H1N1 flu but the staff member concerned does not have symptoms of the influenza, he/she should notify his/her supervisor immediately. While the staff member concerned will not be required to provide a doctor’s note, he/she may be required to provide supporting information, such as the name of the infected family/household member, and the date when the infected family member was confirmed to have contracted swine flu. The staff member should apply for family sick leave following under the normal procedures. Personnel will move forward with additional leave options & Family Medical Leave Act notification, if necessary. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Personnel Office at 319-273-8245.

All staff members are asked to review the agency’s comprehensive H1N1 plan now available on the staff website under Health and Wellness Resources (user name: aeastaff/password: aea267ia).