The Channel

The Area Education Agency 267 (AEA 267) Francis Lauer Youth Shelter is one of over 56,000 schools and public libraries across the nation awarded the Picturing America program. Picturing America is a free initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) that helps teach American history and culture by bringing some of the country’s great art directly to classrooms and libraries.

“We applied for this as a way to enhance our curriculum,” said Eve Marie Zimmerman, AEA 267 Francis Lauer Youth Shelter teacher. “We try very hard to include things that connect learning to the real world and get students interested in learning. I think that bringing in the humanities often can reach some students who otherwise think history and culture is boring.”

The shelter was awarded 40 large, high-quality reproductions of great American art and a comprehensive teachers resource book to facilitate the use of the works of art in core subjects. Picturing America’s resources are designed to allow each work of art to enhance the study of American history, social studies, language arts, literature, and civics.

“The Endowment is delighted that so many students and citizens across the nation will be benefiting from Picturing America,” said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. “Picturing America helps us understand our democracy by bringing us face to face with the people, places, and events that have shaped our country. It provides an innovative way to experience America’s history through our nation’s art.”

First piloted to 1,500 schools in January 2008, the program was launched nationally in February 2008 and awarded to over 26,000 schools and public libraries across the country in the first application period. During the second application period from August 4 through November 14, 2008, over 29,000 schools and public libraries received Picturing America awards. In addition to schools and public libraries, through a partnership with NEH, the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Head Start has made Picturing America available to the 20,000 Head Start centers across the nation. To date, over 76,000 schools, public libraries, and Head Start centers nationwide have been awarded this free education resource.

Picturing America recipient schools and public libraries are located in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. Territories. District-wide applications during both application periods have brought Picturing America to major public school districts in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and San Francisco, as well as to school and library districts in Washington, DC.

The comments in this article are focused on one of the little things we can do to serve our customers well. I was reminded of this as I visited a local retailer and noticed all the employees’ cars parked at the back of the lot, leaving the best parking spaces for the customer. It is one of those little things, but a nice thing to do as we serve our partners at AEA 267. I’m not suggesting we always need to use the parking space that is farthest from the building but to at least allow the first few rows for those that come to the AEA as our customers and partners. 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.

The Iowa Department of Education (DE) will begin AEA 267’s accreditation visit on March 10-11, 2009 with a document review. The DE team will follow up with LEA and AEA interviews on April 14-16 and on May 12-13, the team will conclude follow up activities. All activities will take place on the Cedar Falls campus.

The DE accreditation team will be comprised of staff from the DE, other AEAs and our local districts. The accreditation process is based upon a triangulation of evidence that includes written documentation and interviewing a representative sample of local district and AEA personnel around our three goals specific to the standards. The standards represented are school community planning, professional development, curriculum, instruction and assessment, special education/diverse learning needs of all children, multicultural gender-fair, media services, information school technology, and leadership. Accreditation cycles for AEAs are on a five-year schedule.

A special section of the AEA 267 website has been established for accreditation documents and information. Use the pull down menu under “About Us” on the front page of the agency website and go to “accreditation.”

The 2008 Annual Progress Report, which details the agency’s progress toward meeting established goals, is now available. In addition to being available here, it can be accessed on the accreditation section of our agency’s website.

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Team members at AEA 267 Bremwood donated over $600 to the United Way in lieu of having a Secret Santa Exchange this year. The goal was to raise $550 and in exchange team members would get to wear jeans for two weeks. According to Justin Stockdale, AEA 267 Bremwood Principal, “our team exceeded the goal and will be sporting their best denim February 16th-27th. Considering the tough financial times we are experiencing, this was a fantastic gesture on behalf of our team at AEA 267 Bremwood. It was a complete team effort!”

Congratulations to everyone involved.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 6 p.m. on February 3, 2009 at the AEA 267 Conference Center in Cedar Falls for a public hearing on the 2009-10 AEA 267 proposed budget. No visitors were present for the hearing.

The board convened for their regular meeting after the public hearing. During the regular meeting, the board:

• Heard and accepted the 2007-2008 Audit Report. Auditor Dennis Muyskens, of Hogan-Hanson, commended the business office for the excellent work they are doing.
• Heard a review from Dr. Jon McKenzie on the accreditation site visit process and the agency’s preparation. (See related story with dates and details.)
• Accepted with regret the resignation of Sarah Wakefield, School Psychologist (Marshalltown) at the end of the 2008-09 school year. Approved the retirement of Susan Rittgers, Teacher of Multi Disabilities/Resource (Dike-New Hartford High School), effective March 31, 2009, and resignation of Larry Bradley, Special Ed Consultant (Iowa Juvenile Home), effective January 31, 2009, pending suitable replacement.
• Reviewed the 500 series of board policies.
• Approved the office calendar for 2009-2010.
• Approved the 2009-2010 AEA 267 budget.
• Approved the second reading of the 300 series of board policies.
• Reviewed and approved the AEA 267 Annual Progress Report. (See related story.)
• Approved the application for a Roy J. Carver grant in the amount of $156,500 to support promotion of scientific inquiry and as well as a Marshalltown Community Foundation grant for $5000 to translate a career readiness DVD from English to Spanish.
• Discussed staff reduction considerations. (See related story.)
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Want to help your local school district earn money? U.S. Cellular is offering a contest where the public is invited to vote for their favorite school district. The school with the most votes will receive a cash prize.

Stop by a U.S. Cellular store or U.S. Cellular Authorized Agent before January 15, 2009 and receive one entry form to vote for your favorite school. Vote for the school of your choice by completing the original entry form with all requested information and mailing it to U.S. Cellular (“Sponsor”) at the address provided on the entry form. You may choose any school (excluding home schools) located in the 50 United States or D.C., whether public or private, that serves any grades between kindergarten and twelfth (12th), as a potential prize recipient. You must name a specific school; the name of a school district, alone, or other general description of a school that does not contain the school’s actual name and location, or the names of more than one school on an entry form, will not be accepted, and will invalidate the entry. All entries must be postmarked by January 15, 2009 and received by January 23, 2009.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 6:00 p.m. on January 7, 2009 at the AEA 267 Conference Center in Cedar Falls for their regular meeting.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a review from Christine Mangrich regarding the Iowa Core Curriculum and our involvement with the roll-out of this initiative
• Reviewed and approved the new AEA 267 Professional Development Plan
• Approved the 2009-10 proposed budget for publication
• Reviewed the 300 series of the AEA 267 Board Policies
• Approved the second reading of the following policies: 201.1 Name of organization; 201.4 Elections to the board; 201.5 Membership of the board and term of office; 202.4 Secretary of the board
• Approved the contract for E2T2 (Enhancing Education Through Technology) services with Grant Wood AEA
• Approved the agreement with Drake University for college credit courses offered by AEA 267
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Need quick and easy access to board policies? They can now be found on the agency’s website by searching under “About Us” from the main page.

An article in the Sunday, December 28 edition of the Des Moines Register made some interesting claims regarding the Iowa AEA system. For one, the article claimed that Iowa AEAs are more top-heavy and now have four times as many administrators as five years ago. In fact, during the last five years most AEAs, and especially those that have merged, have actually decreased the number of administrators or stayed relatively the same. No one has a four-fold increase. At AEA 267 we have reduced the number of administrators by 27.3% since our merger.

The reporter also claimed that the AEAs cost taxpayers more. It implied that AEA budgets have grown faster than appropriate. In fact, AEA 267’s general fund budget has grown less that the State of Iowa’s revenue. Declining enrollment continues to reduce the allowable growth rate of our general fund budget as does the limited growth and freezes in federal funding. Declining enrollment affects all but a couple Iowa AEAs. The federal limitations and freezes affect all AEAs.

The article further criticized AEAs for promoting from within or at least criticized those people for getting salary increases in relation to their new positions. Dean Meier, Mary Stevens and Paula Goetz were singled out because of their promotions to new positions. The AEA 267 Board and Administration has made a concerted effort in the past six years to develop in-house leadership opportunities and promote current staff to positions of greater responsibility. Salaries for promoted individuals are in line with the positions they hold according to corresponding positions within the Agency and according to market comparisons.

The article seems to have missed the point of mergers. AEAs 2, 6, and 7 merged to enable us to reduce from three chief administrators to one, to be able to consolidate human resources, payroll, business services, etc. in order to protect and even increase direct services to students, families and educators. At AEA 267 we can well document the savings in the above listed functions and the redirecting of those savings to direct services.

It is important to note that some side articles in the paper shared very positive information about Iowa’s AEAs. It recognized that the “demand for the agencies” work is higher than ever. In the last few days, many words of appreciation and support have been voiced from the superintendents of AEA 267. Our customer satisfaction survey scores are excellent. As we provide equitable, efficient, and effective services to our many partners, rest assured they appreciate our work. They appreciate our work because you, our staff, do good work.

The Register story may give you an opportunity to tell our AEA story to others. You, our staff, are the best ambassadors for AEA 267. As you tell our story, remember our promise:

We will provide educational leadership, services, and support to the children, families, and educators we serve to build their capacity to positively impact and increase student achievement.

As we fulfill our promise, we can work with the full realization that the customers of AEA 267 value and appreciate the equitable, efficient, and effective services we provide.

Four Oaks staff members, in partnership with area businesses, provided over 75 students the opportunity to holiday shop for family members and others as part of the Giving Is Fun Too (GIFT) program. Staff members and businesses like Dollar General, Kraft, and even a local church provided over 650 gifts that students could purchase for $.25 each.

“This is a whole staff effort,” said Stacey Wirtz, Teacher of Behavior Disorders. “It gives us a great excitement to give students this opportunity.”

Last week brought our first opportunity to test the agency’s new weather announcement system. While the system worked well, here are a few reminders for next time. (And since this is Iowa, we know there will undoubtedly be a next time!)

1. If you want to receive automated email/text messages about AEA 267 office closings or PD cancellations, register at Snowcap. You will need to follow the process through to the end by confirming your registration with the confirmation ID sent to you. Without this step, your registration won’t be complete and messages won’t arrive. This is a great system that works well for those who want the information instantaneously.
2. The AEA 267 announcements line is up and running. Announcements for the Clear Lake, Cedar Falls and Marshalltown offices are available by following the prompts. Call 1-866-923-1089.
   
3. Decisions about closings or PD cancellations are made as quickly as possible in the morning. Please be patient as conditions are monitored.

“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day you bet on people, not strategies.”

–Larry Bossidy, former Chairman and CEO, Honeywell

Organizational effectiveness at AEA 267 demands that we have the resources (Capacity) to deliver our corework. That Capacity centers on the knowledge, skill and time of all people in our agency. Hiring, supporting, coaching and development are major emphasis for seeing that our Capacity is good and always getting better. After several years of study, the Agency selected PI Worldwide and it’s Predictive Index (PI) tool/survey processes as the vehicle to assist all of us with improving organizational effectiveness.

Predictive Index measures behavioral tendencies, providing quick, accurate, objective, reliable, specific and valid information. It’s a tool/survey used by organizations around the world for over fifty years. Currently, five other AEA’s in the State of Iowa are utilizing PI. PI is a thinking tool. It’s a survey, not a test. There are no right or wrong responses.

As we move forward with agency-wide implementation of PI, it will impact our Culture (how things work in AEA 267) in a very positive manner. This System (PI) will assist all of us with more effective communications, building stronger team interaction and more effective relationships.

Let’s take a quick look at how PI is already impacting our Culture. First, some input from Justin Stockdale, Special Education Principal at Bremwood and second, input from Karen Aldrich, Sector 6 Special Education Coordinator.

The PI helped reassure and further identify where my own behavioral talents and tendencies lie. The PI helps to improve relationships! I understand others better. Through the conversations I’ve had I feel a personal connection with every team member on staff. The PI helped me recognize others’ talents and how those talents can be used in moving our organization forward “Give others what they need.” That’s the PI way. The saying “Do unto others as you’d have done unto you” is out! I have found others don’t want what I need. The conversations I’ve been able to have with team members regarding their PI results have been incredible. I simply better understand where others are coming from and can now adjust my behavior to better accommodate every person on our team.

—Justin Stockdale

I have been using PI’s since this summer. This tool has helped me a great deal. First, it has helped me develop a deeper understanding of myself and why I act and react the way I do in the workplace. This insight has helped me be more effective with the people I interact with on a regular basis. Secondly, my relationship with staff members is enhanced when I analyze their PI and share mine with them. Because there is no good or bad, or right or wrong with the PI data, it is non-threatening. We are able to use the information to help us work as effectively as possible. I really like the PI – it’s great!

—Karen Aldrich

Considering retirement on or before July 1, 2009? Please contact Shirley Horak, Personnel Coordinator, as soon as possible by calling 319-273-8245.