The Channel

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors met on Wednesday, July 24. This was the July and August meetings combined. Board agendas and minutes can be found online. The next scheduled meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 4 in the Cedar Falls Conference Center.

Mark your calendars now for the all-staff meeting being held on Tuesday, August 13 at the Cedar Falls Conference Center. Registration and social time will begin at 8:30 am with the meeting to begin at 9:00 am. The keynote presenter in the morning will be Tamara Konrade from INspired Leadership.

Regional and departmental meetings will take place in the afternoon and lunch will be on your own. A food truck from Chick-fil-A will be on site for your convenience or you can enjoy one of the many nearby restaurants.

More information and a detailed agenda will be sent closer to the date. Be sure to check your email.

There are new legislative changes coming to the Mandatory Reporter training. We will be adopting curriculum from the Department of Human Services for training starting this summer.

• The Child Abuse and Dependent Adult Abuse trainings will be separated and updated information from the BoEE clarified that educators will need to take BOTH the Child Abuse and Dependent Adult Abuse trainings.

• Each of those trainings will move to a three-year expiration. Currently, it is five years; however, current valid certificates are not affected. If a person took a training yesterday, his/her certificate is still valid for five years from completion. At that point when he/she renews, this next certificate would be valid for three years.

The changes went into effect on July 1. Please reach out to Shirley Horak in Human Resources if you have questions.

As we look to the future for the 2019-20 school year, our EQ process will change. A couple of years ago, we had a large surplus in EQ, and we worked with the EQ committee to create a plan that would enable us to support professional development and “spend down” the balance. This was the time when we added the ability to submit individual hours. Since we have achieved our goal of spending down the balance, this will no longer be an option.

Hopefully, you understand that although the 16 hours is no longer available, that nothing is being taken away. When we crafted this plan, we knew it would have a limited life and eventually come to an end.  Hopefully, the hours these past couple of years provided a little boost in some pay, and an opportunity to grow professionally.

Executive Directors Dr. Julie Davies and Amy Knupp worked with Regional Administrators and Discipline Leads to identify needs and to allocate EQ dollars that support our agency directives and initiatives. They presented their plan to the EQ Committee, and it was approved. Please review the identified budget allocations to learn more. Feel free to contact your supervisor if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Summer hours will begin on Monday, June 10 and run through Friday, August 9. Official office hours will be 7:30 am – 4 pm during that period. If you are going off contract for the summer, please ensure that your voicemail greeting and “out of office” email message indicate who is handling inquiries in your absence along with when you plan to return. Enjoy your summer!

We were recently informed that the Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) is no longer providing districts with access to a reporting system that allows Human Resources (HR) to search for expiring licenses. Therefore, we will have to rely on staff to provide HR with a copy of/or notification of an updated BOEE license. In turn, we will be 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 Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors met on Wednesday, June 5. Board agendas and minutes can be found online. The next scheduled meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 24 in the Cedar Falls Conference Center.

In the fall of 2018, Central Rivers Area Education Agency partnered with ESSDACK, a Kansas-based provider of professional learning services, to design and facilitate a culture audit.

The audit had two primary goals: 1.) provide new learning for staff around how individual attitudes (energy levels) impact culture; 2.) gauge the current impact of our collective energy on the overall organizational culture.

The results of the audit are back and we are excited to share them with you. An Executive Summary has been prepared with the high points of the data and a video presentation will be sent to all staff later this month with further explanation. As an agency, we have much to celebrate in terms of our overall cultural health. We also have areas for growth and look forward to embracing the challenges ahead together.

Thank you for your participation and candor throughout the process!

The all-region meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 22 in Cedar Falls. Registration and social time begin at 8:30 with the meeting to begin at 9:00. An agency-wide retirement celebration honoring all of our retirees will be held from 9-10 am. A Zoom link (https://zoom.us/j/401721538) for the retirement ceremony is available for those who are not required to attend the meeting.

The regions will meet from 10:20-12:00 and the room assignments will be on the scrollers the day of the meeting. Lunch will be provided and consists of a turkey sandwich, chips, and fresh fruit. If you have a dietary restriction, please email Lori Thomas at lthomas@centralriversaea.org by Wednesday, May 8.

Collaborative Inquiry Groups will meet from 1:00-3:00 pm and you will receive more details on the afternoon session at your regional meeting in the morning. Dress for the day is business casual and if you would like, bring a pair of walking shoes to enjoy the trail, weather permitting. Carpooling is encouraged.

This year’s retirement celebration is being held on Wednesday, May 22 from 9-10 am during the all-region meeting in Cedar Falls.

This is a wonderful opportunity to congratulate our retirees and recognize them for their dedication and years of service to the agency.

Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/401721538) will be available at all locations for employees that are not attending the regional meeting.

Those being honored this year include:

• LuAnn Andera, Audiometrist
• Kathy Barfels, Admin. Secretary-Professional Learning
• Jacque Brandau, Early Childhood Special Educator
• Karen Dilger, Professional Learning Systems Support Specialist
• Jolene Euken, Early Childhood Special Educator
• Sandy Folkerts, School Social Worker
• Jackie Gray, Work Experience Coordinator
• Janet Hedberg, Speech-Language Pathologist
• Janice Judisch, Special Education Consultant
• Sandra Kraschel, Parent-Educator Coordinator
• Kay Meaney, Early Childhood Special Educator
• Dawn Metzger, Educational Assistant
• Dorene Moore, Educational Assistant
• Debbie Morris, Special Education Consultant
• Jaymie Redfern, Physical Therapist
• Steve Riess, Work Experience Coordinator
• Jennifer Rogers, Speech-Language Pathologist
• Karen Springer, Early Childhood Special Educator
• Dan Stephens, Teacher of Mental Disabilities
• Pat Weigel, Special Education Consultant
• Gerald Nunn, School Psychologist