The Channel

The agency’s two new Site Superintendents have had a busy summer orienting to their new positions. Both Julie Davies, AEA 267 Site Superintendent for the Clear Lake Office, and Kim Neal, AEA 267 Site Superintendent for the Marshalltown Office, are working hard to get to know staff, the facilities they serve and be of service to both internal staff and external partners. Stop by and say hello if you have a chance! Formal introductions will take place at the all-staff meetings later this month. (See related article.)

Profiles for both Julie and Kim are available on the staff website.

(Login: aeastaff/Password: aea267ia)

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met August 10, 2011 at 4 p.m. in the AEA 267 Administrative Service Center for a closed session of the Annual Professional Growth Conference with the Chief Administrator. The Audit Committee met at 5:15 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m. at the Conference Center.

During the meeting, the board:

• Viewed a video presented by Beth Strike, AEA 267 Communication Specialist, aimed at new teachers. The video was produced to raise the awareness among new teachers about AEA 267 services.
• Motioned to accept a variety of resignations, retirements and hires.
• Decided to keep the current mileage reimbursement rate of $.37/mile as it is competitive with other AEAs and public agencies.
• Approved the Physical Therapy contract with Pruckler Physical Therapy.
• Accepted the Excellence in Education Enrichment Grant of $25,730 from R.J. McElroy Trust.
• Approved the transportation agreement between EPI, INRTC and AEA 267.
• Reviewed Board Policy 405.8 – Personal Business Leave and heard Dr. Anne Sullivan’s presentation of recommended changes per master contract negotiations.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

An AEA 267 Foundation meeting was held immediately following the AEA 267 regular board meeting.

Iowa Valley Community College District (IVCCD) will ask voters to renew its $.20¼ Plant Levy on the Sept. 13, 2011, school election ballot.  According to IVCCD Chancellor, Dr. Chris Duree, this is not a new tax but a 10-year levy, which has been in place for 32 of the last 35 years.  All of the 15 community colleges in Iowa currently have this levy, including Iowa Valley.

“The Plant Levy provides funding primarily for utility costs and for maintaining, remodeling, improving and expanding community college facilities,” says Duree. “The levy is for 20¼ cents per $1,000 taxable assessed valuation. That means, for example, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 would continue to pay about $20.25 per year, or about 5 cents per day if the levy is renewed.  The levy impacts property owners in all of the high school districts we serve.”

Voters approve this levy for a 10-year period.  The levy is paid by property owners in Marshalltown, West Marshall, East Marshall, BCLUW, AGWSR, GMG, Iowa Falls-Alden, South Hardin, Hubbard-Radcliffe, Gladbrook, South Tama, Grinnell-Newburg, BGM, and Montezuma school districts.

Iowa Valley Community College District operates Marshalltown Community College, Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa Valley Continuing Education, and Iowa Valley Grinnell.

(This message published as a courtesy to Iowa Valley Community College Districts as a public information service.)

While we wish we had more to report to you regarding legislative action and education funding, there still has been little progress down at the state capitol. The following report from Wayne Haddy, Iowa AEA Government Relations Specialist, provides the latest:

“It has been awhile since a report was sent out and in reality there has been very little to report.  I’d like to say there is an end in sight, but unless something changes quickly it does not appear that there is.

On June 8, House Republicans are bringing forward an omnibus bill that includes all legislative determined budgets and language dealing with what would be considered “social issues.”  The bill will provide for a two-year budget and included in that budget is a growth factor of 0% for the next fiscal year and 2% for FY 2012-13. Unfortunately, the bill also includes a $20 million cut to AEAs for each of the next two years. Unless something unexpected occurs over the next day or so, we fully expect the bill to pass.

We have met with legislative leaders and have prepared a great deal of information detailing the impact of such cuts.  It does not seem to have made any difference on the House side as they continue to pursue the Governor’s recommendation of $20 million.

We are also assuming at this point that the Senate will either refuse to consider this bill or will take it up, reject many parts of it and send back to the House.

Also, on Monday, Brent Siegrist made a presentation on the impact of the cuts to the Senate Education Appropriations sub-committee.”

Wayne Haddy, AEA Government Relations, 515-249-0740, whaddy@gwaea.org

The AEA 267 Personnel Office appreciates any updates from you regarding home address, phone number, etc. so that the staff database remains current. Please contact Shirley Horak at 319-273-8245.

Although this is the last official Intersections until August, you can keep up with AEA 267 news by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook! (Please remember that when you “Like” AEA 267 on Facebook, it does not mean that the agency Facebook page manager can view your Facebook site, thus your summer vacation pictures are completely private!)

The sunshine and warmer weather have arrived and so have summer hours. As of Monday, June 6 AEA 267 will observe summer hours in all agency offices. Hours will be 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. until August 12.

Please keep in mind that the office will be closed on July 4th in observance of the July 4^th holiday.

If you are going off contract for a length of time this summer, please be sure that your voice mail telephone greeting and email account vacation message indicates to callers and senders when they can expect to hear back from you and who to go to for immediate assistance.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met June 1, 2011 at 6 p.m. in the AEA 267 Conference Center for their regular meeting. Prior to the meeting, the board met for a work session to learn more about the school visits made by Dr. Roark Horn during the 2010-11 school year as well as the 2011 AEA/DE Customer Feedback Survey results.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a presentation from Dennis Sinclair and Dr. Carol Sensor on the process used to assist our LEA Partners during their special education compliance review.
• Accepted with regret the retirements of Dr. Sara McInerny, Service Area Director Educational Services, effective December 31, 2011; and Christy Schmitt, Teacher of Multi Disabilities/Resource (Hudson), retiring December 20, 2011.
• The board accepted the resignations of Nancy Appletoft, Speech-Language Pathologist (Clear Lake); Andrea Skopec, Teacher of Mental Disabilities/S&P (AEA 267 River Hills School); and Amanda Backstrom, Teacher of Multi-Disabilities/Resource (Reinbeck). All resigned at the end of the 2010-11 school year.
• Motioned to hire Tyna Andorf, Teacher of Early Childhood Special Education (AEA 267 Castle Hill School); Samantha Brandel, Teacher of Mental Disabilities (Waverly); Abigail Flieher, Teacher of Art (Bremwood); and Stephanie Zeschke, Teacher of Early Childhood Special Education (AEA 267 Castle Hill School).
• Approved the Professional Development agreement with Morningside College.
• Approved the Professional Development agreement with Viterbo University.
• Renewed the agreement with Iowa Falls CSD for Sector Office lease.
• Renewed the agreement with Eldora-New Providence Schools for rental space.
• Approved the Ladders to Learning Agreement with Marshalltown Community Schools.
• Approved the 28E agreement with IAEP for food services at River Hills School.
• Changed the date of the August board meeting from August 3 to August 10, 2011.
• Approved a Lease/Purchase agreement for construction projects for 2011-12.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.
• Ratified the Collective Bargaining Contract for 2011-2012 with CWA.
• Ratified the Collective Bargaining Contract for 2011-2012 with AEA 267 Education Association.
• Held an exempt session to discuss non-union support staff salaries for 2011-2012.
• Set non-union support staff salaries for 2011-2012 as recommended.

(See related story in the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.)

Following a multi-step interview process that concluded on May 3, the agency has secured two outstanding educators to fill the Site Superintendent openings in the Marshalltown and Clear Lake offices.

Julie Davies, currently the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment with Western Dubuque Community Schools, will become the Site Superintendent serving the Clear Lake office effective July 1. Davies, who has also served as the Director of Curriculum with Okoboji Community Schools along with having served as a business education teacher in Storm Lake, will replace Tom Fey, who will retire effective June 30.

Kim Neal, currently a Special Education Consultant with AEA 267, will become the Site Superintendent serving the Marshalltown office effective July 1. Before coming to AEA 267, Neal served as Director of Special Programs with Ankeny Community Schools. She also served as the Director of Special Education for ESU#1 (an intermediate service unit similar to an AEA) in northeast Nebraska. The position is new in the Marshalltown office due to retirements and restructuring.

Please welcome both Julie and Kim to their new roles this summer!