The Channel

Let’s learn Google forms

Cari Teske, AEA 267 Integrated Learning Specialist, will be hosting sessions for staff members to improve their skills and confidence in using Google Forms. Participants will learn how to create a form and use it in a variety of ways. Register online through My267 for course #15404. See dates and locations below:

Google Apps for education training

Cari Teske will be conducting training sessions for Google Apps in March and April. Participants will learn how to create and organize files, as well as working through a Google document. Staff may sign up through My267 for course #15360. Dates and locations are listed below:

Online communities and learning networks are helping educators create innovative solutions to age-old problems, and fulfill the promise of today and tomorrow’s educational landscape. Because online learning is evolving quickly, it is especially important for online teachers to connect and collaborate.

 Educators at all levels and those who support them are encouraged to participate.  The first step is to join the community, which can be done in seconds at http://bit.ly/1wWps6k.  Once you’re signed up, you’ll get regular announcements about:

•       Webinars
•       Forums on topics related to teaching and learning online
•       Activities that you can be part of
•       Resources that are available
•       Badges you can earn
•       And much, much more!

The 28 days of OLLIE is an excellent opportunity for online teachers to benefit from each other’s ideas and experiences, as well as gain some insight into the newest innovations in online learning.

The AEA 267 Flex Room in the Cedar Falls Conference Center.

AEA 267’s Flex Room is a space for AEA and LEA learners to experience and experiment with student-centered, creative, and collaborative learning environments in a space designed to be flexible to meet the diverse needs of students during the learning process. The Flex Room draws its name from the flexibility that is required of today’s teachers and learning environments to meet the needs of today’s students and prepare them for tomorrow’s world.  To help accomplish this, different technologies were chosen for the Flex Room than found in our other available conference and meeting rooms. Anyone can use the Flex room for basic screen sharing but to take advantage of the full capabilities of the technology in the Flex Room formal training is required. You can sign up for these trainings through True North Logic, course number #15399.

Upcoming trainings:

• Feb 9 from 9 am-noon
• Feb 26 from 1-4 pm

For most of us, wearing a fragrance makes us feel good and can be uplifting. Unfortunately, for those with sensitivities to smell, working around others who are wearing scented products can create strong and unpleasant reactions. For this reason, we ask that you please be considerate and refrain from wearing scented products while at work which may include perfumes, lotions, etc. In addition, please do not use scented oils or melt (such as Scentsys) in your office or work area.  

Questions? Contact Kathy Enslin in Human Resources.

With the new year comes several reminders from the AEA 267 Business Office. The following information is available on the portal, which is where you can make any needed changes.

• W2s: Paper copies were mailed on Jan. 28, 2016. The information is available in the iVisions portal under the My Compensation menu item > Employee W2 > 2015 W2 Information.
• Tax withholding changes: Changes to your tax withholding can be done in the iVisions portal under the My Compensation menu item > Employee Tax Forms > Fill out Tax Forms.
• 1095C: This is the statement that all eligible employee will receive from AEA 267 as required by the Affordable Care Act documenting the offer and/or election of health insurance coverage. The Affordable Care Act requires AEA 267 to offer affordable health insurance coverage to those eligible and requires  we send the 1095-C form. This form will be mailed and posted in the portal prior to the federal law due date of March 31, 2016.   
• Additional life insurance options…..It’s time to enroll:  Through Feb. 14, 2016, you may apply in the iVisions portal for specific dollar amounts of Additional Term Life Insurance on a guaranteed issue basis. This means you do not have to provide evidence of insurability (answer health questions). Guaranteed issue amounts will be effective on 3/1/2016. If interested, go to the iVisions portal under the My Benefits menu item > Benefits Enrollment. Already enrolled and do not wish to make changes? If you do nothing, your current elections will remain as they are.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, February 3, 2016 in the Cedar Falls AEA 267 Conference Center at 6 pm for a public hearing on the AEA 267 Proposed Budget for 2016-17. Immediately following, the board held their regular meeting. Some board members attended via Zoom.

The agenda for the February 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.

A new administrative role has been developed which was designed specifically to ensure a more purposeful integration of the three service areas. The role of “Regional Administrator” will replace the role of “Special Education Coordinator” effective July 1, 2016. Regional Administrators will oversee a team of staff members from all three service areas who are assigned to deliver service to a handful of districts.

The new role will have eight distinct responsibilities, including:

1. Participating as a member of the AEA 267 leadership team and promoting AEA 267’s vision and core values in daily work.
2. Serving as the administrative liaison between the AEA and local school districts and participating in local school administrative team meetings.
3. Supporting local school districts in the development and implementation of school improvement plans.
4. Supporting local school districts in the development and implementation of school technology supports.
5. Supporting AEA staff and local school districts in implementing special education procedures to ensure appropriateness of services for students requiring special education.
6. Aligning and allocating resources to ensure the delivery of quality agency services.
7. Establishing, implementing and evaluating agency activities in response to best practices and changing client needs.
8. Managing, supervising and evaluating effectiveness of AEA staff assigned to local school districts within a designated region.

The map above shows the original four sectors, the new regions, and the Regional Administrator who will be leading each at the start of the 2016-17 school year. Between now and July 1, leadership team members will be receiving training and refining how the new role fits at AEA 267.

While the change is an exciting one, it also undoubtedly brings with it many questions for staff members. For the most part, implementation of the new role will not bring with it many changes for staff in their daily work in the short term aside from which Regional Administrator they may be assigned to beginning July 1. In the coming months, team lists will be shared along with other details that will be of interest. Later this week, the news will be shared with superintendents, principals and other LEA administrative team members.

In the meantime, if you have questions, please post them here or contact your Service Area Director.

iVisions portal to have a new look and feel

Beginning January 15, the iVisions portal will take on a new look and feel designed to streamline functions and make the online resources more intuitive. Get ready for some great changes!

W-2 to be mailed later this month

The Business Office will be mailing W-2 and 1095-C tax information to all employee’s homes toward the end of the month. Please verify your address information in the iVisions portal under the My Personal Information menu item then Contact Information. The forms will also be available through the iVisions portal under the My Compensation menu item. The 1095-C is a new tax form that reflects yearly insurance coverage. It is required as a part of the Affordable Care Act. Please save and share with your tax preparer.

Life insurance provider change

Effective November 1, 2015, our life insurance carrier changed from Mutual of Omaha to Voya.

With this change, there will be a special open enrollment for optional (voluntary) life coverages. Dates for this are January 25, 2016 to February 14, 2016. Selected changes will be effective March 1, 2016. More information will be forthcoming.

403B retirement participation

For 2016, we will continue to use the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, Retirement Investors Club (RIC) for our 403b retirement plan administration.

The 2016 contribution limits are the same for 2016 as they were for 2015.

More information can be found in the iVisions portal under the My Benefits menu item, Information Center, scroll to Retirement Planning.

(L to R) Jennifer Zitelman, Sara Youngblut and Tiffany Zilka.

Over the past few months, we introduced you to the newest members of AEA 267 on the agency Facebook page. Recently, we profiled the last three participating team members:

• Jennifer Zitelman, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, earned her degree from the University of Iowa and prior to joining AEA 267, worked in pediatrics.
• Sara Youngblut, COTA, received her degree from Hawkeye Community College and in her free time enjoys photography, crafting, and sewing.
• Tiffany Zilka, School Psychologist Intern, is completing her internship with us, serving as a Team Representative. She spends her spare time watching Netflix and hanging out with her dog.

Be sure to like the AEA 267 Facebook page so you do not miss out on our next featured series coming soon!

In recent years, smaller numbers of staff have been actively using the Grinnell and Charles City Offices. Each of the office spaces have become increasingly expensive to maintain which is why the AEA 267 Board of Directors will take action in the near future to officially close both on June 30, 2016. Staff members currently assigned in the Charles City or Grinnell offices will have an opportunity to work remotely or office out of a local school district they are currently serving. While the decision was a challenging one, the change will help to redirect more resources to keeping staff in the field in a time of decreasing financial resources.