The AEA 267 Board of Directors met Wednesday, March 2, 2016 in the Cedar Falls AEA 267 Conference Center at 4:30 p.m. for a work session. The regular meeting was held at 6 pm with the AEA 267 Foundation meeting immediately following.
The agenda for the March 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.
Sam Miller, AEA 267 Chief Administrator
During my first several months on the job, I spent a lot of time just listening. Listening to you, to superintendents, to principals, to board members, and to others that we serve. As I reported during my presentations this fall, what became clear from all that listening is that your services are greatly appreciated. If those we serve had any complaint, it was that they needed more of your time and expertise.
My leadership challenge during the second quarter of this year has been to look for ways to make that happen. How could I get more expertise into the field and better utilize our current resources?
First, we’ve chosen a new role for leadership known as a “Regional Administrator” to be implemented next year. (See last month’s edition of Intersections for a full description.) The Regional Administrator approach is used successfully by at least three other AEAs and purposefully integrates our three services areas. Here are some other benefits of this move:
Along with the announcement of the Regional Administrator model, you are also no doubt curious about the closure of the Charles City and Grinnell offices and how that decision fits with the other changes that are occurring.
As we reported last month in Intersections, making the decision to close these two offices made good financial sense. It’s no secret that funding for AEAs is stagnant; and simply put, we have to make decisions between people and buildings in cases like this. We are also studying the space in our Cedar Falls, Marshalltown and Clear Lake offices. While we remain committed to having a presence in these three regions, we are studying whether the spaces we currently occupy makes sense for our needs now. Could we operate more efficiently with less space? Could we redirect saved resources back out into the field? I expect to be able to share the results of the facilities study we are conducting (with the help of Struxture Architects) in late spring.
Bundled with the changes described above is the recent announcement of the transition of oversight of the Bremwood and Pinecrest Schools. A decision was made by the Iowa Department of Education that special schools with a residential component (thus excluding River Hills) are best operated by the resident school district and a consortium of other schools whose students attend. And, although difficult to accept on many levels, it makes sense when you think about it. Even this transition is yet another example of how we are directing our resources where we can have the biggest impact and better align to our mission–even if budget wasn’t the main driver.
Still, all this change can feel a bit unsettling and I fully acknowledge that. Our agency is no stranger to transitions and those who have been here for many years can share many stories that underscore the evolution and continuous improvement of not only this AEA, but the system in general. Continuously improving is our responsibility as stewards of taxpayer dollars and although it isn’t always comfortable, we owe it to those we serve to make the best decisions we can to ensure that we are providing the highest quality service both now and for years to come. I am honored to walk side-by-side with you as we do this important work on behalf of children, families and educators.
Feel free to call, email or stop in my office if your travels bring you to Cedar Falls. Your thoughts and ideas matter.
Yours in education,
Sam
The AEA 267 “Hall of Fame” recognition program honors one or more individuals who do a great job demonstrating what our Core Operating Principles look like in action.
Do you work with someone you consider to be the best-of-the-best? Submit your nominations for the the AEA 267 “Hall of Fame” recognition program. All nominations will remain on file for consideration during future months.
Please join us in congratulating Amy Harmsen, Amy Thoms-Starr, and Rick Pearce, our latest honorees!
Amy’s day to day work is a blend of applying her knowledge of technology to troubleshoot issues that arise in districts and in our agency. Her focus is on encouraging schools to use technology to equip learners with skills necessary to advocate for themselves and others, to inspire educators to re-imagine teaching and learning, and to motivate schools to adopt effective and secure technology.
Amy believes it is very important that anyone working in education keeps in perspective that the goal is always to foster environments that prepare students to go on to be the best version of themselves.
Along with her consultant position, Amy serves as a member of the Brain Injury Resource Team, is a resolution facilitator, provides professional development, and served as a compliance coach. Her days are diverse and afford her the opportunity to serve in many capacities.
Amy told us she strives to remain student focused as it helps her find value in all tasks and remain optimistic about our youth.
Rick’s position with the agency calls on him to handle a variety of situations. He is responsible for all maintenance issues in the Clear Lake Office and on the grounds, as well as spearheading major facility projects. Not only does Rick do an awesome job for our agency, but he has also served his community as a firefighter for the past 26 years and as an EMT for 30 years.
When asked what advice he would give to others, Rick said he believes in remaining positive and upbeat. He keeps his job fun and realizes each day that it is never too late to learn something new.
Please join us in congratulating our honorees on the great job they do every day demonstrating what our Core Operating Principles look like in action!
Given scheduling conflicts, the date for Office Support Professionals’ Day has been moved from April 29 to April 22 (still to be held in the AEA 267 Clear Lake Office). The new date will coincide closely 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. Thanks for your patience as the date has shifted.
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:
| Date | Time | Location | Room |
| Feb. 16 | 9-12 | Cedar Falls | Room G |
| Feb. 24 | 9-12 | Clear Lake | Room F |
| March 2 | 9-12 | Marshalltown | Room G |
| March 15 | 9-12 | Cedar Falls | Flex Room |
| April 8 | 9-12 | Clear Lake | Room C |
| April 21 | 9-12 | Marshalltown | Room G |
| May 4 | 9-12 | Clear Lake | Room C |
| May 17 | 9-12 | Cedar Falls | Flex Room |
| June 8 | 9-12 | Marshalltown | Room G |
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:
| Date | Time | Location | Room |
| March 2 | 9-12 | Marshalltown | Room G |
| March 9 | 9-12 | Cedar Falls | Room G |
| March 17 | 9-12 | Clear Lake | Room C |
| March 22 | 1-4 | Marshalltown | Tech Classroom |
| April 5 | 9-12 | Cedar Falls | Room G |
| April 14 | 9-12 | Clear Lake | Room C |
| April 18 | 1-4 | Marshalltown | Room G |
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:
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:
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.
