The Channel

As part of the spectrum of health and wellbeing support the agency is offering staff, a cadre of administrators with advanced training in the INspired Leadership model have agreed to serve as coaches to agency staff. Coaching is available to work through challenging situations, process your own energy/thinking, and self-identify forward moving actions to ensure better results for both yourself and those the agency serves.

Learn more about the Internal Coaching program, including how to access coaches, today!

The Equity Committee met on November 4 and December 6 to continue with our equity audit work. Prior to the meetings, committee members completed a survey to identify potential priority areas for our audit.  The committee reviewed the survey results and engaged in small group discussions to take a deeper look into root causes, discuss what areas members felt would have the greatest impact, our current levels of readiness, and potential long-term implications.

The committee determined that our two focus areas will be: 

• Infrastructure/Resources—The organization has committed resources and structures to support equity work.
• Professional Development—The organization fosters ongoing equity learning and growth for its staff and stakeholders.

As part of this audit, we will be collecting staff feedback through a series of focus groups, as well as gathering the perspectives and input of all stakeholders through an anonymous survey.  

Focus groups will…

• Take place during the span of January 5 -19  (8:30 – 10:30 am or 2 – 4 pm)
• Be conducted via Zoom
• Consist of 10 – 12 participants per focus group – that’s 100+ participants! 

If you are interested in participating in a focus group, please sign up on the CRAEA Equity Audit: Focus Group interest form no later than December 17.

In the survey above, please select all times that would work for you. All feedback will be reported anonymously and will greatly inform our understanding of the work the agency needs to do to become a more equitable organization. 

Please understand, we will be prioritizing participants who represent varied roles and populations which have been traditionally underrepresented within the organization. We will notify you by email if you have been selected for participation by Dec 23. 

If you choose not to participate in focus groups, or if you are not selected based on availability or other determining factors, we would encourage you to provide feedback in survey form. A link to the survey will be emailed to all staff the first week of January. 

 We greatly value your input and strongly encourage you to consider participating. As we aspire to be a more equitable and inclusive Agency, we are seeking your insights and feedback.  

Please reach out to Karl Kurt if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding our Equity Audit and/or the process. 

It is that time of year to remind staff of the procedures for office closures due to inclement weather.  This FAQ document provides a lot of information and specific examples for your reference.  However, in the interest of hitting the main takeaways, we offer the following condensed version:

All-Staff

You may arrive up to an hour late for work without using leave time or making up the time within the week if you find yourself in a unique weather circumstance that causes your delay.

It is expected that you will make contact with your supervisor to let him/her know your situation immediately upon knowing that you will be delayed so that s/he is assured that you are safe and an adjustment to your day can be made if necessary. 

260-Day Staff

*For 260-day full-time staff, if the office is closed or has an early out due to inclement weather, the time will be paid but you may be required to work or choose to work, for all or part of the day, based on your role, responsibilities, supervisor, and deadlines.  

*For 260-day full-time staff, scheduled leave will not be granted back to you during inclement weather, except in extraordinary circumstances.  

Certified Support Staff and Non-Instructional Staff (less than 260 days)

If I’m an hourly employee (less than 260-day) assigned to an AEA office and there is an office closure, how is my time impacted?

• Early Dismissal (AEA Office): The rest of the day will be forgiven (paid). Hourly staff must clock out at departure. The supervisor will make the time clock adjustment using the Inclement Weather job code for the actual time missed.   However, you may be required or choose to work, for all or part of the day, based on your role, responsibilities, supervisor and deadlines.  
• Office Closed: You must make up the day. Please submit a Work Year Calendar Adjustment to your supervisor no later than the Monday following the pay week. Once approved, it is routed to the Business Office to change your calendar in TimeClock Plus.

What happens if I am a certified support staff employee and there is a closure at your assigned AEA office and assigned school?

• Early Dismissal: The rest of the day will be forgiven (paid).  However, you may be required or choose to work, for all or part of the day, based on your role, responsibilities, supervisor and deadlines.  
• Office and Assigned School Closed: You must make up the day. Please submit a work calendar adjustment. (Note: If your assigned school is open, you must work.)

Hourly Staff

Hourly staff do NOT need to clock in/out when working remotely during inclement weather, except for maintenance/custodial staff.  The supervisor will make the time clock adjustment using the Inclement Weather job code for the actual time missed.  

The FAQ document was produced to assist in clarifying the agency’s procedures for inclement weather questions.  Please reference as needed and contact your supervisor if you have any questions.

We want to share an important update about your Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP can help you with your day-to-day concerns or provide guidance through a challenging situation. The EAP includes no-cost confidential help, referrals, and resources for issues like depression, stress management, financial or legal concerns, marital difficulties, anxiety, eldercare, and more.

The provider of your EAP service has recently changed their name and logo to LifeWorks. They are still the same company bringing you the same no-cost confidential help you need – just with new branding. Their phone number and website address will remain the same.

And don’t forget that your EAP also has a virtual fitness platform called LIFT. It’s an accessible, effective, and affordable way for you to reach your fitness goals.

For more details, download the Updated EAP Employee Packet (includes updated flyer, LIFT, and telemedicine information).

Holiday giving opportunity for the shelters
If you would like to donate funds to purchase holiday stockings filled with goodies for each student and a special catered holiday meal at each shelter location (Four Oaks, Woodhaven & Francis Lauer Youth Shelter), simply click on the ”GoFundMe” account. The deadline for giving is Monday, December 13.  Any excess funds will be used to purchase classroom games, books, supplies and personal items.

Coffee with the Chief recording available
A recording of today’s Coffee with the Chief is available to view for those who were not able to join us.  (Passcode: q6AG8@r9)

The next opportunity to visit with Sam and agency directors will be on Friday, February 4, at 8am via Zoom: https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/81908784702.

Weather notifications
With winter weather right around the corner, be sure you are signed up to receive Central Rivers AEA weather alerts via text, call, or email regarding office closings or professional learning cancellations. Staff members can contact Shirley Horak, Human Resources Coordinator for assistance on signing up.

Holiday break – December 24-January 2
Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed for the Christmas holiday break, beginning Friday, December 24. Offices will reopen on Monday, January 3. Don’t forget to change your voicemail greeting and schedule an “away” message to your email so that callers and/or e-mailers will know when they can expect to hear from you. Detailed instructions can be found in last month’s edition of The Channel. 

The week of Christmas, office staff may dress a bit more casually (nice jeans, festive shirt/sweater), if desired.  Please keep in mind that your attire needs to be based on your role and responsibilities during that week.

Iowa public money can’t pay for rooms at non-certified hotels
We recently learned that any hotels we reserve for staff, beginning next month, need to have their employees trained in recognizing human trafficking. Below is the information received from the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS).  Per the new Iowa Code section, 80.45A, effective January 1, 2022, for any public money to be used at a lodging provider, the lodging provider must certify with DPS that all of its employees have received approved human trafficking training. Further information is available at stophtiowa.org. A list of certified hotels is posted at stophtiowa.org/certified-locations. If rooms are already booked at hotels not on the list, DPS suggests calling the hotel to ensure it plans on becoming certified before the date of the stay. 

Health Savings Account (HSA) Calendar Year Maximums
The Health Savings Account (HSA) calendar-year limits are set for 2022.  Please email benefits@centralriversaea.org, if you would like to change your HSA contributions. We will create a life event on the Portal that will allow you to change your monthly contribution. 

403b Calendar Year Contribution Maximum
As we look forward to 2022, it’s a great time to review your retirement plan.  Employees contributing to a 403b will want to double check to make sure their contributions do not exceed the maximum contribution limit for 2022.   Please complete the salary reduction form found on the Portal > My Benefits > Retirement and submit to benefits@centralriversaea.org.

If you don’t have a retirement account such as a Roth IRA or a pre-tax 403b account, maybe this is the year you consider saving a little extra for retirement.  (Note: Those of you on our $3,500 High Deductible Health Plan could consider maximizing contributions to a Health Savings Account as part of your retirement plan as well).

Questions can be directed to Michael Kalvig, Chief Financial Officer or Pam Morrissey, Accounting Manager

As we reported last month, the Information Technology (IT) department sent out “fake” emails to staff in an attempt to collect data on what specific phishing emails trip staff up the most so that we can develop future training.  The following slide presentation and video screencast contain the results of our experiment. Please view the preferred format below:

• Screencast
• Slides

If you have any questions regarding the experiment, please contact Sarah Nelson, Director IT/Special Programs.