The Channel

In 2019, HF 731 modified the requirements for mandatory reporter training for child and dependent adult abuse. The Iowa Department of Human Services is now providing the training online for free. The AEA is providing the same training online for a fee. If it is time to update your training, be sure to complete both child and dependent adult abuse training. Mandatory reporter training completed prior to July 1, 2019, will still be valid for five years from the date of completion. Trainings after July 1, 2019 are valid for three years.

You may submit reimbursement for postage expenses during the office closure through My Toolbox > Expense Reimbursements on the portal.  Please do not use the mileage/travel reimbursement spreadsheet, simply enter a separate request using the Postage Reimbursement expense type and attach all receipts documenting the requested amount.  Submit one request per month and summarize the total amount on one line. 

Although we will not be meeting as a large group on August 18, the agency plans to hold virtual meetings that day by region and department.

Each Regional Administrator or Director will be responsible for setting the schedule and agenda for the day and will be in touch soon with details. Essentially, each meeting will begin with some agency-wide updates with additional time being spent discussing regional protocols for returning to work safely (for those employees coming back on contract) as well as district “Return to Learn” plans. Time will also be devoted to discipline-level conversation.

Please put August 18 on your calendar with a plan to say “welcome back” to your colleagues virtually! We look forward to connecting with you.

Although the agency has a plan for phasing staff back to work (see “Returning” to Work – A message from the Chief) the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors passed a Pandemic Pay Resolution during this week’s board meeting to acknowledge that some staff members on contract through the summer months may not be working a 40-hour work week due to uncontrollable circumstances related to the demand for service. We continue to extend our gratitude for the support and wisdom of the board in caring about our staff during these challenging times. 

Please be sure you are in touch with your supervisor related to the work expectations and timelines during this time.

Angela Sorenson

Please join us in welcoming Angie Sorenson to the Business Department as Accounts Payable Specialist, Angie is replacing Cindy Fry who is retiring at the end of June. Please direct all questions related to mileage, travel reimbursement, vendor invoices, and other bills to Angie for assistance.

Summer hours were set to begin on June 8 and end on August 10.  Due to the office closure to the public through July 31, office hours will not change for the summer months.

Due to the risks associated with Covid-19, all professional learning scheduled for June, July and August will remain virtual with no face-to-face option. A decision about September professional learning will be made at a later date when we have more information. Please reach out to the Professional Learning department if you’d like additional support in leading or participating in a virtual setting.

Congratulations to Glenn Maring, Telecommunications Support Technician, and Sandy Kruse, Early Childhood Special Educator, who recently announced their retirement. We wish both Glenn and Sandy well and extend our appreciation for their dedicated service!

Applications for Remote Work Site (RWS) will be accepted through June 19 for the 2020-21 year. Only those working RWS on a regular basis need to fill out the application form. Applications and details can be found on the Portal under My  Toolbox > Remote Work Site Program.

May is set aside as School Board Recognition Month and is the perfect time to thank our dedicated board members!  Serving over 62,000 students, 5,000 educators, and approximately 500 staff members, these nine committed volunteers are the backbone of the agency, setting the course for our work!

• Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson, Director District 1 – Districts represented: Central Springs, Clear Lake, Forest City, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, Lake Mills, North Iowa, Northwood-Kensett, St. Ansgar, and West Hancock.
• Dr. Debra Rich, Board President, Director District 2 – Districts represented: Charles City, Dike-New Hartford, Dunkerton, Nashua-Plainfield, Sumner-Fredericksburg, Tripoli, Wapsie Valley, and Waverly-Shell Rock.
• Kathryn Enslin, Director District 3 – Districts represented: AGWSR, Alden, Aplington-Parkersburg, CAL, Clarksville, Eldora-New Providence, Grundy Center, Hampton-Dumont, Hubbard-Radcliffe, Iowa Falls, and North Butler.
• Dr. Darshini Jayawardena, Director District 4 – Districts represented: Belmond-Klemme, Mason City, Osage, Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock, and West Fork.
• Dr. Mary Stevens, Director District 5 – Districts represented: BCLUW, East Marshall, GMG, Marshalltown & West Marshall.
• Maureen Hanson, Board Vice-President, Director District 6 – Districts represented: BGM, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Grinnell-Newburg, Hudson, Montezuma, North Tama County, South Tama County, and Union.
• Dr. Tony Reid, Director District 7 – Districts represented: Cedar Falls, Denver, and Janesville.
• Bryan Burton, Director District 8 – District represented: Waterloo.
• Dennis Craun Jr., Director District 9 – Districts represented: East Buchanan, Independence, Jesup, and Waterloo.

Do you ever wonder how your other Central Rivers AEA co-workers spend their work life? (Okay, we mean when we aren’t safe at home during a pandemic!) On the Job @Central Rivers AEA is a monthly series we’ve just launched to give you a peek into the work of others in the agency. Each month, Chief Administrator Sam Miller spent time with a Central Rivers AEA employee and learned more about the work involved in their position. These highlight videos will also be shared on our website and social media sites to help educate the public about the work of an AEA.

Up this month? Holly Ritter, Consultant for Reading/Language Arts.

This year’s retirement celebration was a virtual celebration held on May 15.  A recording of the celebration and the text chat are available to view online.

If you wish to personally congratulate our retirees, please send your cards and notes to their home addresses while the offices remain closed.

• Nancy Conner, 1606 N 8th Place, Clear Lake, IA  50428  (nconner@centralriversaea.org)
• Cindy Fry, 1880 250th Street, Denver, IA 50622
  (cfry@centralriversaea.org)
• Peggy Gannon, 205 Kaspend Pl, Cedar Falls, IA  50613
  (pgannon@centralriversaea.org)
• Gina Greene, 140 Montrose Rd, Waterloo, IA 50701
  (ggreene@centralriversaea.org)
• Sandy Kruse, PO Box 445, Janesville, IA 50647
  (skruse@centralriversaea.org)
• Glenn Maring, 801 Loretta Ave, Waterloo, IA 50702
• (gmaring@centralriversaea.org)
• Dr. Jon McKenzie, 3806 Panther Lane, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
  (jmckenzie@centralriversaea.org)
• Dixie Opperman, 145 7th Street, Jesup, IA 50648
  (dopperman@centralriversaea.org)
• Elizabeth Przybylski, 4702 Quesada Ave, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
  (eprzybylski@centralriversaea.org)
• Sandy Raney, 917 Glendale Park Dr, Hampton, IA 50441
  (sraney@centralriversaea.org)
• Pat Rzepny, 1620 W 7th Street South, Apt. #6, Newton, IA 50208
  (przepny@centralriversaea.org)
• Dr. Carol Sensor, 117 19th Ave NE, Hampton, IA 50441
  (csensor@centralriversaea.org)
• Miriam Simpson, PO Box 258, Ventura, IA 50482
  (msimpson@centralriversaea.org)
• Cindy Skopec, 508 Toledo Street, Traer, IA 50675
  (cskopec@centralriversaea.org)
• Kim Swartz, 502 Highland Dr, Marshalltown, IA 50158
  (kswartz@centralriversaea.org)

Applications for Remote Work Site (RWS) are being accepted through May 22 for the 2020-21 year. Only those working RWS on a regular basis need to fill out the application form. Applications and details can be found on the Portal under My  Toolbox > Remote Work Site Program.

The Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE) no longer provides districts with access to a reporting system that allows Human Resources (HR) to search for expiring licenses. Therefore, we now rely on staff to provide HR with a copy of/or notification of an updated BoEE license. In turn, we will still be able to send out notifications that your license is coming up for renewal.

In order to see what is on file in the HR office, please check your status in the Portal under My Personal Information > Personal Information. Since many staff have not provided HR with a copy of their license, we are in the process of updating these licenses from the BoEE website. However, if the dates are not up-to-date, it could mean your license is current but HR was not given a copy of your renewed license. We will continue to update the portal with the BoEE website as time permits but it is an employee responsibility to keep his/her license up-to-date. Reminders are sent out as a courtesy. If you have any questions, please contact the HR office.

The open enrollment for benefits will close on May 10. All benefits-eligible employees must complete this process even if declining insurance, making no changes, resigning, or retiring.

To complete enrollment, access the Portal and go to My Benefits > Benefits Enrollment.

Zoom recently released an update on April 27 to Version 5.0. To benefit from these updated features, you will need to ensure that you are logged into your Zoom account and your account is up to date.

If you need assistance, Central Rivers AEA Technology Support Services  provide a wide range of support to staff during office closure. There are three ways to request IT support:

• Call: 319-273-8231
• Email: helpdesk@centralriversaea.org
• Chat: Visit the homepage of the agency website, click on the Chat feature and choose the Technology department option.