The Channel

As of July 1, 2025, van delivery service became a purchased service under the full implementation of HF 2612. This means some school districts have opted to continue the service for their teachers and schools, while others have not. If you serve districts in your role at Central Rivers AEA, here’s what you need to know to navigate this change.

Check the participating district list

Wondering if a district you serve has purchased van delivery? A regularly updated list of participating districts is available and will reflect changes made during the first quarter of the school year.

Deliveries/pick-ups for AEA staff

For AEA staff working in a school building, items will still be delivered to the location you’ve designated inside the school – regardless of whether the district purchased van delivery service. If you have something you need to send back to one of our three main offices, whether it’s adaptive equipment, test kits, Creative Services orders or interoffice mail, email delivery@centralriversaea.org. The delivery team will work with you to arrange pickup or determine the best method to return items.

Creative Services and equipment repair orders

Even if a district did not purchase van delivery, they can still place orders with Creative Services or request equipment repairs. Once the order or repair is ready, the item will be sent to the nearest Central Rivers AEA office for pickup. School district staff will receive an email notification when items are available.

When in doubt, ask!

If you have questions about delivery routes, schedules or special arrangements, simply email delivery@centralriversaea.org.

The board of directors have approved an increase to the agency’s mileage rate in order to be more in line with the other AEAs. The new rate of $0.46 per mile took effect on July 1, 2025. 

Submitting Mileage Claims

• Per board policy, mileage claims should be submitted on a regular, monthly basis. .  
• Submitting multiple months of reimbursement at one time is unacceptable, as it creates significant processing delays and adds undue strain on multiple departments within the agency.

Daily Commute Mileage

• Staff’s non-reimbursable daily commute mileage is listed in the staff directory and can change each year. Please verify you are entering the correct amount before submitting any reimbursement requests.

Updated Spreadsheet Required

• All mileage must be submitted using the updated mileage submission spreadsheet.
• Be sure to download and use the most current version each time to ensure accuracy and compliance.

If you have questions about submitting a mileage reimbursement sheet, please review this slidedeck or reach out to your region’s designated administrative assistant.

• Northwest/Northeast Sector: Laura Rinnels
• East Sector: Lori Thomas
• South Sector: Stella Pint

To ensure clear boundaries between professional and personal communication and to uphold data security practices, all Central Rivers AEA staff who have been assigned a Zoom Phone number – including those in special education, educational services, administrative support, media, IT and other roles – must use their CRAEA Zoom Phone account* for all work-related calls and text messages. This requirement applies to communication with families, school staff, external partners, and fellow CRAEA colleagues.

*Please note: New Zoom Phone numbers will be assigned in the next several days.

Please note: The use of Google Voice for work communications is no longer supported by Central Rivers AEA. All staff with a Zoom Phone assignment must transition to using Zoom Phone exclusively.

Using your CRAEA Zoom Phone number:

• Keeps your personal number private.
• Ensures communication records remain accessible to CRAEA in compliance with legal requirements (e.g., subpoenas).

To support you in effectively using Zoom Phone, please refer to the CRAEA Zoom Phone Tutorial and FAQ, which includes:

• Step-by-step instructions for using the Zoom Phone desktop and mobile apps.
• How to access and use the staff directory.
• Sending and receiving text messages (SMS).
• Transferring calls, setting up voicemail and switching to Zoom meetings.
• Advanced features like call recording, call handling and AI Companion tools.
• Troubleshooting tips and frequently asked questions.

You can access this resource at any time and are encouraged to reach out to the Tech Help Desk at 319-273-8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org if you need assistance setting up or using your Zoom Phone account.

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Updates with CRAEA Special Education doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel and important mid-month information)
• Special Education Updates

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Updates with CRAEA Ed Services & Media doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel and important mid-month information)
• Ed Services/Media Updates

By law, Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) are required to deliver approved professional development (PD). We’re committed to supporting district needs within these guidelines. Here is the list of Approved PD. If you have specific questions regarding the approved PD, please see your RA. If there are still questions after discussing with your RA, please reach out to Tesha Moser-Zimmerman.

The 2025 All-Staff Kickoff meeting will be held on Monday, August 18. Please add this date to your calendar. The meeting will take place at the Cedar Falls office, and all Central Rivers AEA employees are required to attend. More details will be available in August’s edition of The Channel.

Summer office hours went into effect on Monday, June 2 and offices will be open 7:30 am – 4:00 pm. A reminder to all Central Rivers AEA staff that all CRAEA offices will be closed on Fridays in June and July. Regular office hours of 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, will resume on Monday, August 4.

As decisions are made over the summer, we’ll share updates as needed. Please be sure to check your email at least once a week to stay informed and respond to any requests in a timely manner. Also, don’t forget to update your voicemail and email with an out-of-office message or note about limited availability if you’ll be away. Enjoy your summer!

As an agency, we want to communicate with our staff as efficiently and effectively as possible. As we wind down the school year and begin planning for next year, we would appreciate your feedback* on this brief survey – *responding should take less than 10 minutes! Results will be used to refine our communication practices going forward. Please reach out to Beth Strike, Director of Communications & Creative Services if you have questions.