The Channel

Sam Miller, AEA 267 Chief Administrator

As the end of the 2015-16 school year draws to a close, this is a great time to take stock of all that we have accomplished together this past year. Over the course of the last 12 months we have taken an already strong and thriving agency and moved it even further forward. We’ve done this through our collective courage to challenge the status quo on important and often sacred topics such as leadership structure, divisional silos, the future of our facilities, budget allocations, and various roles within our agency. To be clear, none of this was easy. Change requires a willingness to scrutinize current practice and ask truly tough questions. In doing so, egos can get bruised and organizational climate can temporarily dip. Some people become so uncomfortable with the process of change that they make the decision to leave the organization. And then something incredible happens–people begin to see the positive results of the change and they understand the sacrifice.

I want to applaud each of you for hanging in there this past year and doing your best despite some challenging times. I can say with confidence that the changes we have made this year will ultimately pay great dividends for those we serve and solidify our value in the education system.

This summer, take some time to reflect on all that we have accomplished together. I trust that each of you will seek time for family, friends, recreation, vacation…whatever it is that rejuvenates you for the year ahead. We have a lot to accomplish for adults and students in the coming year!

In case our paths don’t cross before, I look forward to seeing each of you on August 11 at the all staff meeting in Marshalltown. We have a great day planned for you with lots of fun, learning and reconnecting. Until then, enjoy the summer. And thanks.

As of July 1, 2016 the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners will no longer print and mail licenses. This is part of our transition to the online licensing system. The online version of the license is always the most accurate, as a license may have had a sanction or change since the last printed copy.

Local district central office personnel records required for Iowa Department of Education accreditation should still contain a printed screen shot of the most recent online licensure viewing.

While it may seem like a long way away, the all-staff meeting will soon be upon us! This year’s meeting will be held on August 11 at the Marshalltown High School Auditorium, located at 1602 South 2nd Avenue in Marshalltown. Registration for the day will start at 8:30 a.m. with the actual program beginning at 9 a.m. Lunch will be on your own. For staff members who are part of a regional team (an email was sent to those individuals by their new Regional Administrator in May), the day will end at 3 p.m. For staff members who are not part of a regional team (e.g. print and production, maintenance, business office, etc.) it is likely that the day will end following lunch when you can return back to your work site; however, you may be hearing from your supervisor in the coming weeks if s/he is planning to hold a departmental meeting in the afternoon.

For staff member convenience, as well as to conserve funds, the agency will provide transportation via rented cars and vans starting from the Cedar Falls and Clear Lake AEA 267 offices. While joining agency provided transportation is not mandatory, if you choose to drive yourself to the meeting, please be aware that mileage will not be reimbursed. (Please note that you will be paid mileage for any mileage to pick-up sites less your usual round trip mileage to work.) If you plan to participate in agency-sponsored transportation, please respond via Google document by July 31.

Get ready for an energizing day featuring nationally known presenter Monte Selby as well as years of service awards, remarks from our Chief Administrator, and time to network with co-workers. We are planning a great day for you!

Safety and accountability are important values for all AEA 267 employees. To ensure that all our staff are safe and accountable, beginning with the 2016-17 school year, we are asking all staff to check into and out of the facilities they support. While most school buildings have a sign-in area, AEA 267 administration has asked that all do by the start of the new school year. Not only is this an important accountability step, it will also ensure that your whereabouts are always known in the event of an emergency.

In addition to signing in at buildings, starting July 1, all staff are asked to ensure that their online calendars are kept current and detailed as follows:

(Deviations from these expectations can be made at the discretion of the supervisor.)

(Category 1) “Full” Calendar: Calendars will indicate on a daily basis using the “busy” designation where the staff member is physically and the approximate times. In addition, other meetings may be listed on the calendar that the staff member may want to be conscious of or attend if time allows and are indicated using the “free” or “tentative” designation. All leave types should also be noted (i.e. sick, personal, EQ, etc.) using the “out of office” designation.

Staff who fall into this category: Administrative Team, direct service providers such as ECSE, Early Access, itinerant hearing, itinerant visually impaired, orientation & mobility , OT/PT, work experience/transition specialists and coordinators, audiologists, audiometrists, COTAs, SLPAs, Family Educator Connection staff, technology consultants, consulting staff, teacher librarians, and technology staff who serve multiple locations or districts.

(Category 2) “Repeat” calendar: Calendar shows the physical location where the staff member is located each day as well as the actual times they are in each location. Use the “busy” designation.  (If you deviate from your assignment, that deviation should be noted on your calendar.) All leave types should also be noted (i.e. sick, personal, EQ, etc.). Use the “out of office” designation.

Staff who fall into this category: Staff members who have a consistent schedule at multiple locations (e.g. Special Ed Team Reps, consultants, social workers, psychologists, SLPs,  and support staff assigned to River Hills.)

(Category 3) “Minimal” calendar: Calendar indicates when the staff member is out of the office for a meeting, vacation or other leave. Use the “out of office” designation.

Staff who fall into this category: Staff members who have a consistent schedule at one location including secretaries, HR & Business Office staff, custodians, print room staff, lending library staff and shelter/detention staff. All leave types should also be noted (i.e. sick, personal, EQ, etc.).

(Category 4) No online calendar completed

Staff who fall into this category: Van drivers.

Questions? Contact your supervisor.

Just a friendly reminder that summer hours will begin on June 13 and run through August 12. Official office hours will be 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. 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. If you have questions, please visit the staff website (remember to use your email username and password to access).

Hall of Fame award winners pictured with Sam Miller (L to R) Kay Schmalen, Mark Proescholdt and Kerri Wilson

Please join us in congratulating the latest team members recognized for AEA 267’s Hall of Fame Award:

Kerri Wilson, Administrative Assistant – CEO & CFO/Board Secretary has served AEA 267 for 37 years in several different roles before moving into her current position in 2008. Kerri’s days are filled with a variety of responsibilities, supporting both our chief administrator and chief financial officer, as well as our nine board of directors. Kerri’s dedication to excellence has earned her great respect from administrators, the board, and our educational partners.

Kay Schmalen, Educational Services Consultant, joined the AEA 267 team in 2004 after teaching in South Dakota for 11 years. She serves in a variety of roles, from organizing technology conferences and student centered workshops to providing professional development to educators and staff. Kay credits her mother, who was a teacher for 44 years, with instilling in her the importance of treating everyone with respect and patience. Administrators, educators, and staff say Kay’s enthusiasm is infectious and her great attitude make her the ideal “go-to” person for technology help.

Mark Proescholdt, Van Driver-Media, serves in the Marshalltown office and has been with the AEA system since 1979. Delivering materials to schools for educators and students, Mark truly enjoys interacting with all the people he meets on a daily basis.

For many schools and clients, Mark is the face of the AEA and he serves them in a manner that supports the goals and vision of our agency.

Thanks to everyone who nominated and participated in the program this year.

In an effort to support a more integrated approach to serving struggling readers, the agency has established an agency-wide English Language Arts (ELA) team made up of staff from all three service areas. Staff members have a strong background and interest in implementing evidence-based literacy instruction and will receive extensive training and support in instructional approaches such as PRESS, LETERs, Bringing ELA Standards to Life, and Student Centered Coaching. Team members have been identified, will have .2 FTE of their contract dedicated to responsibilities, and will begin with learning opportunities in June.

Formation of the ELA team is one of many exciting first steps to support our efforts to become more purposeful integrated in service to children, families and educators. Congratulations to everyone involved in conceptualizing this team and those who have joined the team!

Contracts/Notice of Conditions were recently sent out electronically and are available in the iVisions portal under “My Personal Information.”  If you are returning to AEA 267 next year and have not received a Contract/NOC, please contact Human Resources.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met on Wednesday, June 1 in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Conference Center at 4:30 p.m. for a work session. The regular board meeting was held at 5:30 p.m. with the AEA 267 Foundation meeting immediately following.

The agenda for the June meeting can be found on the agency website under About Us>Board of Directors>Board Meetings & Agendas. Official minutes will be posted the following month after board approval.

Sam Miller, AEA 267 Chief Administrator

Many of you are probably wondering what happened with the proposed $5 million cut to the Iowa AEA system. As you know, I sent a frantic email to all staff late last month asking for help in reaching out and advocating on our behalf. A huge thank you to each of you who took this opportunity to encourage educators and families to speak out. The good news is that your efforts made a difference. Over the weekend we learned that instead of cutting the system $5 million, we will instead be cut $3.75 million. Both the other Chief Administrators and our lobbyists firmly believe that the relationships and connections we have with those we serve made restoring some of the proposed cut possible.  

Now for the bad news. Cutting the AEA system $3.75 million equates to about $525,000 for AEA 267. When combined with several years of stagnant revenue growth, the timing of this shortfall couldn’t be worse as we are steadily dipping into our reserves to meet the financial demands of our current staffing levels, programs and services. In the coming months, the AEA 267 leadership team will begin the arduous process of developing an action plan to bring expenditures in line with available funds. I’ll continue to communicate with you throughout the process and I encourage you to come forth with your ideas to continue to create efficiencies. We are all in this together!

AEA 267’s Board of Directors volunteer countless hours of their time each year to ensure that every Iowa student, family and educator served by our agency receives excellent service. Please join us in honoring our board members and consider sending a thank you note, email or making a phone call to one of the incredible members of our board. They deserve our appreciation!

Get to know the board…

Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson, Director District 1 – Vice President

Roberta is a retired AEA 267 employee, having served as a special education coordinator and social worker. She has been a member of our board since 2002. Roberta and her husband, Steven, reside in Forest City where she has been actively involved in a number of community boards.

Dr. Debra S. Rich, Director District 2-President

Deb is the assistant director of the Jacobson Center Curriculum and Instruction program at the University of Northern Iowa. She has been on AEA 267’s board since 2009, serving as president for the past two years. As part of her career in education, Deb also served as a reading consultant with AEA 267. Deb and her husband, Gil, live on a farm near Sumner.   

Dr. George North, Director District 3

George is a retired dentist who has served on our board of directors since 1999. He has been a leader for the Boy Scouts, served on the Allison school board, and continues to be active in professional development around the country. George was very instrumental in the development of Wilder Park east of Allison.  George and his wife, Lois, live in Allison.

Dr. Darshini Jayawardena, Director District 4

Darshini is the director of the Lifelong Learning program at North Iowa Area Community College and has been a board member since 2011. She recently completed her doctorate through Capella University in Minnesota. Darshini and her family live in Mason City where her husband is a physician with Mercy Medical Center North Iowa.

David Giese, Director District 5

David is a retired educator and has served on the AEA 267 board since 2010. He is an artist whose photography has been exhibited in the area. He is also an avid reader. David and his wife, Mary, live in Marshalltown.

Maureen Hanson, Director District 6

Maureen is currently employed with the John Deere Product Engineering Center in Cedar Falls and was elected to the board in 2015. She enjoys running and has completed a number of marathons. She and her husband, Leonard, reside in Hudson.

Richard Vande Kieft, Director District 7

Richard is retired from John Deere and has been a member of the board since 2008. He served for 31 years on the Cedar Falls school board and resides with his wife, Judy, in Cedar Falls.

Bryan Burton, Director District 8

Bryan works for the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier and joined our board in 2013. He and his wife, Mary, have three children and live in Waterloo, where Bryan is active on a number of community boards.

Dennis Craun Jr., Director District 9

Dennis served in the United States Marine Corp for six years and was elected to AEA 267’s board in 2015. He is also a barbershop quartet singer with the Proud Image Chorus in Waterloo. He and his wife, Pam, live in Waterloo with their two teenage children.

Benefits enrollment is now open in the portal until May 22. All benefits-eligible employees must complete this process even if you are making no changes, declining insurance, resigning, or retiring.

Congratulations to Kerri Wilson, Kay Schmalen and Mark Proescholdt, our latest Hall of Fame Award Honorees! Watch for individual profiles in the June/July edition of Intersections and on our Facebook page. Thanks to everyone who nominated and participated in the program this year. Please join us in congratulating these three outstanding team members!

As we look ahead to next year, this is a good time to issue a reminder regarding how mileage is calculated. These new regulations were approved at the May 4 board meeting. Please refer to the new amended regulation for further information:

The starting point for establishing commute miles is either the employee’s assigned AEA office or district assignment, whichever is closest to the employee’s home. Starting points are established at the beginning of each school year and remain in place unless the employee moves or no longer supports the starting point district. Itinerant employees (Early ACCESS, COTA, etc.) use the closest assigned LEA school to compute mileage–not a student home or other meeting location. No exceptions.

If you have questions regarding mileage starting point, please contact your supervisor.