The Channel

Stuck in a winter rut? Jump in and take part in any one of the following fun activities from our agency Culture/Climate committee!

• March Madness – Enter the Central Rivers March Madness Yahoo Tourney Pick’em pool by selecting the link above & creating an account (if you don’t already have one).  You can make and change your picks as often as you like, but your final bracket must be submitted anytime before or up until tipoff of the first game on Thursday, March 15th.  One entry per person. Grand prize is bragging rights and a secret prize!
• Join us on Thursday, March 29th in the Cedar Falls Office for an outdoor Easter egg hunt! Those wishing to participate should gather in Central Perk at 2:00 pm for instructions before kicking off the hunt. Collect as many plastic eggs as you can find for a chance to win prizes! In the event of bad weather or muddy conditions, the egg hunt will be relocated indoors.
• Financial Wellness Challenge. For the month of March, pick one day a week to be a “no spend day”.  A “no spend day” allows you to pay only for things that are necessities (rent, mortgage, utilities, etc.).  Wants (eating out, shopping, entertainment, etc.) are not approved in hopes that depriving yourself of the “wants”  in life will give you a better appreciation for your financial health.
• Health Challenge. The Committee is challenging everyone to personally initiate one change from the Blue Zone Power 9 list. Choose one thing to change and try to make it a habit before the end of March!

• Upcoming summer volunteer opportunity. Interested in helping build a Habitat for Humanity house in the Cedar Valley? Good news! We have reserved three dates for AEA teams to volunteer their time and talents to build a community home, June 12, 13, and 14. Shifts run from 8:30 am-3:30 pm. Sign up is available on a first come, first served basis and must be off-contract time (off contract day, vacation day, or work with your supervisor on making up your hours).  You will receive a confirmation by June 8 with tasks, location, and more details! Wear appropriate (casual) clothes and closed-toed shoes. Tools will be provided. Make a difference and sign up today!

The Central Rivers AEA board of directors approved three new policies, two of which are related to agency logo usage and employee social media use. Staff members are encouraged to review 703.3 Agency Name/Logo Use and 703.4 Employee Use of Social Media. Board policies can be found on the agency’s website under About > Board of Directors > Board Policies. Questions? Contact Beth Strike.

An insurance resources “repository” has been established on the staff website. The repository has a link to the presentation made the week of February 26 by Assistant Chief Administrator Karl Kurt and Chief Financial Officer David Nicholson regarding the rationale for the changes in insurance. In addition, a link to the insurance plan document is also available. Please note that additional resources will be made available as they are created including a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and answers. The Open enrollment period for insurance and benefits will be from May 1 – 20, 2018.  Even if you do not take the insurance, you must go through the open enrollment process. More information and tools such as ALEX, the interactive Jellyvision program, will be made available to employees in April.

To find the repository, visit the Central Rivers AEA staff website under Resources and click on Insurance Resources. (Remember that you will need to use your email username and password to access this site.)

The All Staff Meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, August 14th. Please be sure to change this date on your calendars. A calendar of important dates for 2018-19 can be viewed and downloaded from the staff website.

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors met Wednesday, March 7th at 6:00 p.m. in the Cedar Falls Conference Center. The agenda can be viewed online and minutes will be posted after approval at the next board meeting.

Heather Gould, Consultant for School Improvement

Congratulations to Heather Gould, Consultant for School Improvement who will be stepping in as Regional Administrator for Region 9, effective July 1. Heather has been with the agency since 2009, serving primarily in the areas of literacy, teacher leadership, and school improvement.  Prior to that, she taught middle school English Language Arts at East Marshall.

Heather earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Northern Iowa, with an English Major and a Reading Minor.  She then received her Master’s Degree from Viterbo University in 2008, Literacy Coaching Certification from Iowa State University in 2015,  and an Administrative License from Morningside College last year.

Heather and her husband, Chad, live in rural Marshalltown with their three children:  Gabe (15), Carli (14) and Mya (8). She enjoys spending time with family and friends, attending her children’s activities, and traveling.

Kim Swartz, Regional Administrator

With our strong focus on literacy and math, the agency has restructured to create a Director of Instruction position beginning with the 2018-19 school year. Kim Swartz has been selected for the new position given her knowledge and experience in reading and math instruction. Congratulations, Kim!

Kim has been a professional educator since 1984 teaching elementary students. She joined the AEA system in 2000 as a literacy consultant before becoming a Regional Administrator.  She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Educational Technology, both from UNI.

Kim’s family includes her husband Kevin and children Ryan, Austin, and Spencer and their spouses. She has two grandsons and her interests include spending time with family and friends, as well as biking, hiking, gardening, and singing in the church choir.

The Central Rivers AEA literacy conference is scheduled for June 13 & 14 to be held in Cedar Falls. A powerful roster of speakers is scheduled including Timothy Rasinski, Antonio Fierro, Deborah Reed, Barbara Golub, David Kilpatrick and Jim Burke. Important topics such as foundational skills, fluency, word study, vocabulary, the reading-writing relationship, and reaching English learners will be addressed. Staff is encouraged to attend. Fill out a travel request in Ivisons and register now!   

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Richard Dickerson. Richard passed away on Friday, February 23. He was a valued member of the Central Rivers AEA team and will be greatly missed.

Richard first came to us as a special education teacher and then worked as a transition specialist. Following retirement, Richard worked part-time as a van driver for the Media department.

Please keep Richard’s family and friends in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time.

Sam Miller, Central Rivers AEA Chief Administrator

Earlier this month, the Governor’s Education Policy Advisor (Linda Fandel) and Senate and House Education Committee leadership directed Iowa’s AEAs to look for increased efficiencies through the AEA system. Last week, the AEA chief administrators met again with Senate and House Education Committee leadership to ensure a common vision and timetable for this task and had a very healthy discussion around the development of a five-year plan designed to maximize efficiencies in Iowa’s AEAs while creating greater equity of services for all Iowa students.

Dr. Tom Lane, Iowa’s AEA Executive Director, has been following up these conversations, and we have collaborated on an agreement. Senators Sinclair and Kraayenbrink (Chair of Education Appropriations Committee) have agreed to language that calls for a reduction of AEAs from nine to seven and a reduction of AEA chief administrators from nine to seven. The timeline for accomplishing this will be five years. We anticipate that this language will be added in a late standings or appropriations bill before the session ends in April. The agreement provides the AEAs with a reasonable timeframe, while also providing a firm commitment to legislators. A five-year restructuring plan will help ensure a re-aligned AEA system that further enhances equity, innovates new statewide systems and helps us better articulate these efficiencies to all stakeholder groups.

We understand that this is an important announcement, and it may leave you with many questions. As an AEA system, our leadership team is committed to providing you with regular, timely updates as more details of this long-term process unfolds. I also want to mention that the early messages I’m receiving are that staff out in the field will likely feel much less of an impact of any future changes than those of us in administrative positions. I believe firmly that working for the AEA system is and will continue to be a secure and rewarding career choice. Although it may feel otherwise, the legislature deeply appreciates the value of our services. What you do matters to each and every child, educator and family you come in contact with.

Onward and upward.

Sam

The Board of Directors met on Wednesday, February 7th at 6 pm in Cedar Falls.

The agenda can be viewed online.

Chief Administrator Sam Miller, Assistant Chief/HR Director Karl Kurt, and Chief Financial Officer David Nicholson will make the rounds to all three offices and River Hills School later this month to meet with staff.  The meeting will serve as a good opportunity to discuss the news regarding the AEA System Five-Year Plan, and to hear more about the insurance committee recommendations for 2018-2019.

Please plan to join the meeting in person at one of the following sites if possible. The meetings are scheduled from 3-4 pm (3:30-4:30 at River Hills) on all three days. Zoom is being provided for those not able to travel. This one Zoom link can be used for all four dates: https://zoom.us/j/384261259

• Monday, February 26 – Clear Lake Office, Room A
• Tuesday, February 27 – Marshalltown Office, Rooms C, D, E
• Wednesday, February 28 – Cedar Falls Office, Room B
• Thursday, March 1 – River Hills School *3:30-4:30