The Channel

Purchasing supplies for the agency? Remember to check first with the Iowa Educators’ Consortium (IEC) or our own internal co-op before purchasing from another vendor. In most cases, co-op prices are lower and can save the agency money.

One of the original Area Education Agency 7 staff members, Karen (Garvin) Wente, passed away due to sudden illness on November 3. Although officially retired after 35 years of services to the Area Education Agency system, she was active as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Parent Information and Resource Center (PIRC) grant received by Area Education Agency 267, School Administrators of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Education.

Karen’s contributions will be sorely missed. Click here for complete details.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 6:00 p.m. on November 5, 2008 at the AEA 267 Conference Center in Cedar Falls for their regular meeting.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a review from Dr. Sara McInerny and Dr. Dean Meier of the Iowa Superintendents Network (the Elmore Project), a professional development opportunity for AEA 267 superintendents
• Approved the renewal of lease for classrooms on the Bremwood campus.
• Approved reciprocal transportation agreements
• Approved an Orientation and Mobility Service Agreement and an Itinerant Teacher Service Agreement with the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School.
• Approved a GASB 45 Service Agreement with IASB.
• Approved the following agreements for Early Childhood and Headstart Programs: Mid-Iowa Community Action; Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation; North Iowa Community Action; and Tri-County Child and Family Development Council, Inc.
• Approved the 2009 Iowa Drug and Alcohol Testing Program (IDATP) Annual Participation Agreement.
• Approved the Mental Health Agreement with Early Childhood Programs (ECP) of Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation.
• Reviewed the 100 series of AEA 267 board policies.
• Approved the purchase of a pick-up for maintenance and snow removal.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

The AEA 267 Business Office is in the process of organizing informational meetings regarding 403b plans in response to recent changes in legislation. An announcement with dates, locations and times will be sent via the all staff listserv in the coming weeks. For those interested, please plan to attend.

Watch your van mail in the next few weeks for a United Way campaign pledge card. The AEA 267 campaign will run through November 14, 2008. Given Mother Nature’s rath this spring and summer, needs are great for many Iowans. To learn more, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwnaIDSbVVA.

Giving is soley up to your personal discretion.

Anne Magnuson, Speech-Language Pathologist, and Deb Price, Early Childhood Special Educator, have received the Bingham Innovation Award from the Iowa Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation.  The mission of the Innovation Award is to stimulate Speech-Language Pathologists’ and Audiologists’ evaluation of current practices and encourage design of new replicable approaches to clinical services.  Anne and Deb were awarded $500 to use to purchase materials to support their work in training and implementing the use of Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDI’s) at http://ggg.umn.edu in all preschool settings in the Forest City School District.

Congratulations to Carol Hunchis, Speech-Language Pathologist, who was selected as one of the four runner-ups in the Excellence in Education Award program sponsored by ISEA, WHO radio, KDSM FOX 17, and Iowa Farm Bureau. Carol, along with the other honorees will be honored on Monday, October 16 at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines.

In case you missed it, the following editorial, by Dr. Dean Meier, Chief Administrator, ran in the Mason City Globe Gazette, Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier and Marshalltown Times-Republican recently.

When was the last time you heard a piece of really good news? If it’s been awhile, then this column is for you.

Over the summer, Iowa received some great news about how students are performing. On August 13, Governor Culver’s office announced that Iowa students ranked second in the nation in ACT scores. ACT is an achievement test designed to measure the skills and knowledge that are taught in schools and deemed important for first-year college students to possess. It is administered in all 50 states and is widely regarded as a key indicator of a state’s education success. Roughly 60% of graduating Iowa seniors took the exam in 2008.

A few weeks later, it was announced that Iowa students ranked first in the nation on the SAT. While fewer students take the SAT (roughly 3%), the results indicated that especially in areas like reading and math, Iowa students are outperforming their peers.

If that isn’t enough for you, you should note that in June, the United States Department of Education determined that Iowa is meeting all of the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B and Part C, which is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to the 72,000 plus eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. Iowa was one of only eight states to receive the “meets determinations” requirement. Each Area Education Agency in Iowa also gets judged on specific indicators, and Area Education Agency 267 (AEA 267) met and passed the test with flying colors.

What does all of this have to say about Iowa education? Clearly, schools in Iowa are meeting the challenges of today’s student and should be applauded for their efforts. Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are standing firmly in partnership with Iowa’s children, families and educators providing leadership and support to assist in making it happen. Based on an Iowa Department of Education survey of educators given last spring, nearly 80% said AEA 267 staff members provide services that directly improved the achievement of their students. That’s proof enough for us.

While there will always be room for improvement, there is plenty to celebrate in our state’s education today. Share the good news!

Another ordering opportunity for AEA 267 clothing is now available. New styles and colors have been added and the ordering process is easier than ever. Check out the catalog and download an order form from the staff website today if you are interested. (Login: aeastaff/Password: aea267ia)

AEA 267 Educational Directories continue to be distributed. Watch for the spiral bound booklet with the purple cover! Please note that in the school district directory section, Woden-Crystal Lake Elementary School was inadvertently omitted by the district when they submitted their contact information. While the online searchable schools directory is correct, if you are using the hard copy directory, you will want to add the following information in the margin somewhere:

Woden-Crystal Lake Elementary School

120 5th Street East
Crystal Lake, IA 50432
Phone: 641-565-3211
Fax: 641-565-3320
Dwight Widen, Principal
dwiden@woden-crystallake.k12.ia.us

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The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 6:15 p.m. on October 1, 2008 at the AEA 267 Conference Center in Cedar Falls for their regular meeting. Prior to this meeting the Board met to formally retire the 2007-2008 Board of Directors.

During the meeting, the board:

• Elected Charlotte Upah as board president and Darrel Lind as board vice president.
• Appointed Kerri Wilson as board secretary and Dennis Scudder as board treasurer.
• Approved the appointment of Charlotte Upah to the AEA Legislative Committee (also serving as representative to IASB Delegate Assembly) with Darrel Lind as alternate and Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson to the AEA Executive Committee with Susan Grimes as alternate. Approved the appointment of Richard VandeKieft, Charles Vaughn and George North to the Audit committee.
• Approved Wells Fargo Bank as a depository of AEA funds with a $10,000,000 limit and the F & M Bank as a depository of AEA funds with a $3,000,000 limit.
• Appointed Steve Weidner as legal counsel for 2008-2009.
• Accepted with regret the retirement of Susan Gerken, School Psychologist (Castle Hill) effective June 30, 2009 and the resignation of Sara Johnson, School Psychologist (Castle Hill) effective as soon as suitable replacement is found.
• Motioned to hire Laura Ross, Teacher of Mental Disabilities (River Hills); Caleb Wallace, Teacher of Behavioral Disorders (Devonshire); Anne Berthelsen, School Psychologist (Marshalltown); and Katherine Anderson, Early Childhood Special Educator (Sector 8).
• Approved the lease of the Coop Warehouse in Marshalltown.
• Approved the reciprocal transportation agreements between Allison-Bristow and Aplington-Parkersburg; Allison-Bristow and Greene; Forest City and Lake Mills.
• Reviewed the GASB 45 Compliance Services Program developed by IASB to see whether this is a viable way to meet GASB 45 requirements.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Congratulations to new River Hills principal, Mike Lonning, for being featured in the September 2 Waterloo Courier. Thank you for representing AEA 267 and River Hills School so positively.

There is a major rearrangement taking place in the Clear Lake Special Education area. The staff will now be arranged by discipline. It has been a huge undertaking for all of the affected staff, as well as for the custodial staff, technology staff, and even the local telephone company. Staff have been patient while dealing with interrupted telephone and voice mail service as well as being displaced while carpets are cleaned and furniture is relocated. Since a few of the staff have relocated from the Clear Lake office to a location in one of their schools, and while all of the telephone work is being completed, please don’t hesitate to check with the receptionist or any of the Special Education secretaries in Clear Lake who will be happy to assist anyone having trouble reaching staff members.