The Channel

Do you ever wonder how your other Central Rivers AEA co-workers spend their work life? 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, will spend time with a Central Rivers AEA employee and learn 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.

This month? Dawn Jaeger, School Social Worker and member of the agency well-being team.

The 2020-21 office calendar has been approved by the board and is now available to view/download on the staff website under Resources > Meeting Dates & Office Calendar.

While it’s been a pretty mild start to winter so far, undoubtedly, a major weather event is in our future. This is a good time to review the inclement weather and emergency closing information, which can be found on the staff website under Resources > Inclement Weather and Emergency Closing Information and also on the portal under My Toolbox. 

Be sure to read through the weather FAQs as several different scenarios are addressed.  Remember that for those serving local school buildings directly, our priority is to be in schools and calendar adjustments need to be submitted to your supervisor in a timely manner.

Please keep in touch with your supervisor when weather-related issues arise and share any questions that may come up.

At roughly the half-way of the year mark, 411 of 545 staff earned dollars through Navigate.  We will be paying out $47,565 on January 23 and this incentive you have earned will be a separate/additional deposit from your monthly paycheck. 

The next agency-wide challenge, Spring into Shape, begins February 3. Here’s to a happy and healthy 2020!!

The CRAEA Board recently approved moving to a new phone system with Zoom.  Our current phone systems located at each office will be phased out by March 2020.  If you will be impacted by this change, you will be contacted via email from Zoom when your phone number has been established.  Below are scheduled training and telephone system cutover dates for each region. As we move forward migrating each region we will be sending out communication via email and The Channel with detailed instructions.

The dates and locations for training are as follows:

Clear Lake: December 19th

Marshalltown: January 14th

Cedar Falls: February 17th

River Hills: February 17th

Questions? Contact Bryan Knecht.

by Karl Kurt, Assistant Chief Administrator and Director of Human Resources

In November, Central Rivers AEA hosted a Zoom “Lunch and Learn” meeting with an IPERS representative who did a great  job of reviewing important information for those interested in starting the discussion around retirement. (You can view the PowerPoint here)

We know that IPERS is a “defined benefit” plan and retirement income is determined by a formula based on your years of service and salary earned.  Although, IPERS is an excellent plan, it is often unable to meet the level of income that you receive as a full-time employee. 

One key action you can take to improve your financial future is by taking additional steps to save for your retirement.  A Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan (VRSP) allows you to save additional before-tax and/or after-tax money for retirement. Central Rivers AEA offers a 403b voluntary retirement savings plan through the State of Iowa Retirement Investors Club.  The salary reduction form and more information can also be found on in the iVisions portal.  

Before tax: By participating in a VRSP with before-tax contributions (i.e. 403b), you lower your federal and state taxable wages, but not Social Security or Medicare taxable wages. The contributions and any earnings become taxable when a qualified withdrawal is made in retirement.  

After tax: By participating in a VRSP with after-tax contributions (i.e. Roth), you won’t lower your federal and state taxable wages, but qualified withdrawals will not be taxable in retirement and any earnings are tax-free.

In an effort to be fully financially prepared for retirement, we encourage all of our staff to go beyond IPERS, and contribute to a secondary retirement vehicle (i.e., 403B, IRA).

Please let the HR/Business Office know if we can assist you in any way.

(Disclaimer: The content above is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.)

Effective January 1, 2020, the contribution limits for Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are increasing as outlined in the table below:

Take advantage of this pre-tax benefit and save for future medical expenses or your retirement. You may change your contribution to your health savings account at any time during the year by contacting Betty Hesseling.

The Iowa Retirement Investors’ Club (RIC) is our voluntary retirement savings program that allows you to set aside a portion of your salary for use as income in retirement. Through automatic salary reductions, you choose how much to save per paycheck up to the IRS maximum annual limits.  Complete the RIC 403b Salary Reduction Form to enroll or contact Betty Hesseling for more information.

IRS 403b maximum contribution limits are:

Existing participants – You may make changes to the amount of your contributions at any time by completing the RIC 403b Salary Reduction Form and submitting it as instructed on the form.

New to RIC? Check out the great benefits and find out how to enroll by visiting the RIC website.

At roughly the half-way point, a preliminary report has been generated and to date, the agency will be paying out over $40,000 to staff who have completed challenges through December 29, 2019.

Anyone who has earned incentive dollars will automatically receive a separate electronic direct deposit on January 23, 2020.  It’s also a great time to start thinking about your New Year’s Resolution and your dedication to earn more money.

Remember to log your final entries for any ongoing challenges into the Navigate system by December 29, 2019.  

Fiducius provides relief to agency employees to improve their student loan situation. Click on this flyer for additional information to learn more about your potential savings options!