The Channel

Please remember that you must submit applications 6-8 weeks prior to an expiration date (or prior to when a new license is needed) for license renewal. Background checks can take up to four to six weeks, in addition to the time the Board of Educational Examiners office needs to process the request. Educators cannot remain on the job, even if their materials have been submitted, if their license expires.

Do you have a project or event that you would like promoted via the agency communication channels? The communications team can provide support!  Please complete this short survey at least two weeks prior to your event. To request photos and/or video of student events, you must have signed release forms from parents/guardians prior to the event. Forms are available on the staff website. Questions should be directed to Beth Strike.

Cell phone reimbursement applications for the 2018-19 school year will be accepted beginning August 6th through September 7th. The request form can be found on the Staff Website > Communications > Cell Phone Reimbursement. Cell phone reimbursement requests are approved when the use of cell phones are appropriate and necessary in an employee’s role to provide effective and efficient operations for the agency. Payment will be made to employees on September 20.

Supporting schools in the areas of social-emotional learning, behavior, mental health and autism continues to be a high priority for our agency in 2018-2019.  The following are just some of the opportunities and changes you will see for the upcoming school year.

The Lead, Inspire, Innovate Series is presented by experts in education.  We are excited to have Dr. Shannon Suldo, author of Promoting Student Happiness: Positive Psychology Interventions in Schools, and Dr. Nick Yoder, consultant at American Institutes for Research, joining us this year.  Check out our growing list of workshops and courses around the topic of MTSS for Positive Well-Being.

Agency targeted and intensive supports in the areas of challenging behavior, mental health and autism are undergoing restructuring. This restructuring aims to honor the needs in each region, capitalize upon the strengths, knowledge and skills of more staff across a region, and support equitable time for each region to provide targeted and intensive supports.  Separate challenging behavior, mental health, and autism teams will no longer exist.  Instead, each region will identify appropriate staff and mechanisms to meet the needs of schools and students.  The agency MTSS for Positive Well-Being Team will ensure coherence across the agency and provide professional development for regional team members.  The knowledge and experience of our challenging behavior, mental health, and autism team members will be vital to implementing this structure.

If you have questions regarding the MTSS for Positive Well-Being work please feel free to contact:

     Dana Miller 

     Karen Aldrich 

     Jody Alberston 

As a service to staff, representatives from the Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) will be stationed at the Cedar Falls office on Monday, Oct. 15 through Thursday, Oct. 18 for individual IPERS counseling sessions.

Monday, October 15 has been reserved for CRAEA employees only. If Monday does not work for you, you may schedule an appointment on another day but be aware, those appointments will fill up fast as they will be available to the public. Monday appointments start at 3 pm and run through 5:30 pm. Tuesday – Thursday appointments will be during the day.

If you are interested in making an appointment for Monday, Oct. 15, you may call the IPERS number anytime (1-800-622-3849) to schedule an appointment but you will need to identify yourself as a CRAEA employee. If you make an appointment for Oct. 16-18, you must wait until after July 19 to call the 800 number. Depending on interest level, individual counseling sessions may also be set up in the Clear Lake and Marshalltown AEA locations.

Please refer to the IPERS website for additional information. You can always schedule an appointment in Des Moines by calling 1-800-622-3849.

As you know, a committee comprised of staff and administration developed a proposal over the last several months to address concerns with our current mileage policy. While the proposal had merit in addressing some of the issues, continued conversations among administration, staff and board have caused the Business Office to rethink implementation for the 2018-19 year. Thus, the current mileage policy will remain in effect with no change.

Thank you to everyone who participated on the mileage committee, had one-on-one conversations with administrators about individual situations, or shared their thoughts and ideas for improvement in some way. We appreciate your input and participation in the process!

Expense reimbursements must be submitted by July 6 to be eligible for payment. If your travel for 2017-18 is complete, you do not need to wait until the end of the month to submit. Early submissions are strongly encouraged! These final reimbursement requests will be processed and paid each week as they are received.

Mark your calendars now! The all-staff meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 14 at the Cedar Falls Conference Center. A detailed agenda will be sent closer to the actual date.

Summer hours will begin on Monday, June 11 and run through Friday, August 10th. 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. Enjoy the sunshine!

The Iowa Hawkeyes and Bravo Sports Marketing  invite all employees from Iowa’s AEAs to enjoy the excitement of Iowa Hawkeye football this fall. Take advantage of discounted pricing for select Hawkeye football games. Tickets are available to employees in any AEA and this was offered at NO cost to the AEA system.