The Channel

Registration for the full-day Disrupting Bias learning session, offered by Gina Weekley and MaKenzie Hakeman, is now open and will be offered at each Central Rivers AEA office location. Register online through the AEA Professional Learning system.

Course Description: Join us for a full-day learning session* that will provide a framework to disrupt bias behaviors. Bias limits our ability to make the best decisions for our teachers, our students, and our families. The awareness of our biases is foundational to becoming more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Unconscious bias is something everyone has and that doesn’t make us bad; it makes us human. Through this session, you will be able to recognize bias, disrupt bias, learn how to choose courage and increase your connections! *This training is for Central Rivers AEA Staff only!

Course information to register:

• April 23 – Marshalltown CRAEA office (Section #318538)
• May 20 – Cedar Falls CRAEA office (Section #317833)

For more information see the attached flyer or reach out to MaKenzie Hakeman with questions!

Our 2024 retiree celebration will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, May 22, beginning at 9 am. (Regional meetings will not be held following the celebration this year.) HR will be creating, organizing and hosting the virtual retirement presentation. While the recognition program will be virtual, you are encouraged to join your colleagues if your schedule allows! Those retiring include:

• Bonnie Bartlett, SLP Assistant
• Kandice Bienfang-Lee, School Social Worker
• Jill Bird, Teacher of Deaf & Hard of Hearing
• Marcia Brolsma, Admin Asst/Executive Director of Sp Ed
• Gail Cavner, Early Access Educator
• Christy Diemer, COTA
• Tina Graven, Consultant for Literacy
• Susan Heath, Speech-Language Pathologist
• Joyce Hickman, Educational Assistant
• Robin Hopperstad, Speech-Language Pathologist
• Laurie Huftalin, School Social Worker
• Pam Kabela, Technology Specialist – Sp Ed
• Amy Knupp, Executive Director of Sp Ed
• Ann Lasher, Special Education Consultant
• Tammy McDermott, Special Education Consultant
• Kristi Meyers, Speech-Language Pathologist
• Julie Miller, Regional Administrator
• Theresa Relph, Speech-Language Pathologist
• Terri Riebkes, SLP Assistant
• Linda Rosenboom, Occupational Therapist
• Susan Schnekloth Longcor, Consultant for Literacy
• Brenda Thune, Special Education Consultant
• Becky Wedemeier, Educational Assistant
• Ginny Wurtzel, Educational Assistant

Congratulations and thank you for your years of service to our retirees!

Take time on April 24 to recognize our outstanding office support team during Administrative Professionals’ Day! This group of staff working in our offices are instrumental in keeping the agency running smoothly and ensuring all staff have what they need to do their jobs. We couldn’t do what we do without them!

Part II: Bringing Purpose Mindset Zoom, Friday April 19, 8 – 9 am

Are you interested in continued learning to enhance your mindset and improve your life satisfaction? If so, join Central Rivers AEA colleagues on Friday, April 19, from 8 – 9 am, to explore practices to support bringing purpose each day. Register for this session* by emailing Dr. Leslie Moore, Leadership Coach. *You do not need to have attended Part I to attend.

New Micro-credential available soon: 4 Key Mindsets

All Central Rivers AEA staff will soon have a personalized, self-paced opportunity to learn about and adopt practices to support the 4 Key Mindsets in order to enhance relationships and meet their personal and professional goals. Some important details:

• The 4 Key Mindsets Micro-credential will be available soon in the CRAEA On-Demand Library.
• Staff who demonstrate and submit evidence of meeting all success criteria will earn the Micro-credential.
• If earned before June 1, 2024, staff members may be eligible for $250.
• Read over the document for more information or log in now and register in the CRAEA On-Demand Library by selecting “Micro-credential” in the “Categories” dropdown.

If you have registration questions, please contact Angie Gansen, Professional Learning Registration System Coordinator.

Exciting news for Iowa’s educators and AEA staff! Iowa’s AEAs and AEA Learning Online are collaborating to move our professional learning courses to a brand-new registration system!

You will soon enjoy an upgraded, more user-friendly interface, making it easier to find and navigate learning opportunities. No need to stress about your course history – we’re handling the transition. A couple important things to note:

• If your course ends by July 31, it stays put for now, but future courses will transition to our new system.
• Check out the new statewide AEA registration system document for updates/FAQs in the upcoming weeks.

Get ready for a smoother educational journey! Reach out to the Professional Learning Team with any questions.

Good news! The Board of Education has approved employment contracts for all staff categories (Certified, Classified, NUSS, and Admin) for the 24-25 school year.

Here’s a quick summary:

• Distribution: Contracts will be emailed the week of March 18.
• Review & return: Review, sign and return your contract by the deadline that is listed on it.
• Compensation: All staff categories will receive a 1% total package increase. Actual amounts may vary slightly for easier calculations.

Important note: We are committed to competitive compensation and plan to revisit the settlement agreement after the legislative session to potentially secure more resources for improved raises and benefits.

Detailed Information by group:

• EA (Certified): 1.02% total package increase, no changes to base salary or insurance premiums. The top of the salary schedule remains unchanged.
  • MA + 15 Language Added: This new language placement applies to specific new hires with 45-53 graduate credit hours and a two-year program.
• CWA (Classified): 1.04% total package  increase, 1.38% wage increase, $0.20 increase to starting wage, no changes to insurance premiums. An error reduced the wage increase from $0.40 to $0.20 per hour. We apologize for the mistake and hope to address it in future adjustments.
• NUSS: 1.00% total package increase, 1.11% salary increase, no changes to insurance premiums.
• Admin: 1.00% total package  increase, 1.02% salary increase, no changes to insurance premiums.
  • Initially planned freeze adjusted to 1% for consistency and BOE feedback.

Additional notes:

Currently, we are planning to maintain our current insurance premiums. Based on projections, that would result in a $400,000 shortfall, which would be covered by our self-insurance pool. We may address this through our future amended negotiations.

We value your work and are thankful for our team. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
–Karl Kurt, Asst. Chief Administrator/Director of HR

Did you happen to catch the results of Sunday’s Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll? For the first time in the poll’s history, a question about Iowa’s AEAs was included. Here’s a snapshot of the results:

• When asked about their feelings toward Iowa’s Area Education Agencies 56% of Iowans have a favorable view, compared with just 20% who hold an unfavorable opinion. (Twenty-four percent said they were unsure.)
• The 56% favorable rating for AEAs is higher than for any elected official tested in the poll.  
• And at least 50% of all partisan groups give AEAs a positive rating: 63% of Democrats, 59% of independents and 50% of Republicans. 
• AEAs also earn 50% favorability or higher across Iowa’s four congressional districts, as well as every income bracket and all age groups. 

Given how complex our work is and the fact that the general public is not really our primary audience, there is a lot to celebrate in these results! Clearly the Iowa AEA “brand” is strong and the majority of Iowans are hoping to keep us around!

And don’t forget, we received incredibly positive results on this year’s Iowa AEA Customer Feedback Survey as well. The final sample size included over 5,900 responses and represents the 327 public, and 183 accredited nonpublic schools served by Iowa’s AEAs.

I believe these findings highlight the importance of our efforts and the positive impact we’re making in our schools and communities. Let’s continue our commitment to excellence as we navigate the tough days ahead. Keep showing up and continue doing the work that we know makes a difference with our local schools. You are appreciated!

Reach out if you have any questions. Please find several resources below that we discussed earlier and that can be found on our staff website under Resources > Legislative Updates, Resources & FAQs. We’ll be in touch with more information as soon as possible.

• Updated list of forums
• Legislative Updates & FAQs page on staff website

The Central Rivers AEA board of directors announced this week that Amy Knupp, Executive Director of Special Education, will be retiring in December 2024.

“It is hard to leave such a wonderful and dedicated organization! The past 24 years working for the AEAs have been very rewarding for me. I will miss all the smart, creative and energetic people within Central Rivers AEA. During my Wednesday meetings, I have conveyed to staff, I truly believe they are the heart and backbone of our organization…and I am in awe as to the work everyone at CRAEA does everyday. The dedication to students, families and schools is evident in all the work that is achieved. I will miss all the people and the caring culture of our CRAEA community. I wish everyone the best!”

Amy has been with the agency since 2000. Prior to becoming the Executive Director of Special Education in 2017, she served as a special education coordinator and regional administrator. Congratulations, Amy! Thank you for your years of service.

Congratulations to the March Central Rivers AEA staff who were nominated for a Difference Maker Award by our LEA partners (school administrators, superintendents, principals, teachers, etc.) For our March nominees, here is what our LEA partners that nominated you had to say:

Dr. Delann Soenksen, Special Education Consultant

“Dr. Soenksen’s leadership capabilities complement our district’s leadership team in ways that we never imagined. I was apprehensive to add others to our admin team from an outside organization, however, I have no regrets with this decision. She has been such an asset to our leadership team in so many ways – too many ways to mention. We are grateful to have Delann as part of the Mustang team!” -East Marshall CSD school administrator

Jennifer Reese, Special Education Consultant

“Jennifer does a great job of communicating with us her schedule, keeping special ed teachers on track with IEP schedules, IEP support/writing new IEPS and consulting with us for re-evals. She does a great job checking in on us and is always open to work with us when needed via in-person, email, zoom, or a text/phone call. Jennifer’s knowledge is immense and greatly appreciated!” -GMG Community School District school administrator

Dr. Ashley Reichert, Special Education Consultant

“Ashley has supported me individually as an educator and as a parent of a child with dyslexia. She offers various strategies when working with students who may not be progressing on their goals and consistently provides direction and is conversation-centered around what is best for the student. Ashley’s communication style is professional, non-threatening and supportive. She has had a tremendous impact on me as a special education teacher. Thankful for her!” -AGWSR/Central Springs CSDs teacher

Shannon Sterling, School Social Worker

“Shannon has done a remarkable job building capacity as a school social worker for Irving Elementary. Over the years, I’ve witnessed her ability to navigate challenging and complex situations with genuineness, professionalism, and empathy, which makes her exceptional in her role. She is always willing to improve and challenge herself to be her best version. Shannon has impacted our students, staff, and families throughout our partnership, directly impacting our success. We are thankful that she is a part of our Irving Family!” -Waterloo CSD school administrator

Jennifer Cline, Special Education Consultant

“Jennifer is my “go to” person when I am working with a struggling student. She offers support, strategies to try, or helps me to start the IEP process when/if necessary. She has an enormous wealth of knowledge when it comes to education, especially special education. Her demeanor when working with parents has always been something I strive to achieve – respectful, validating, and very helpful. We are lucky to have Jennifer!” -BGM Community School District teacher

Tara Davis, Special Education Consultant

“Tara has been an integral part in helping North Tama serve students. She has brought many ideas to our PK-12 building, including helping members across our building sign-up for the intensive literacy course. Her efforts have ensured that our special education department across our district has high-quality, research-based instruction to incorporate throughout our entire district. Our staff feels so supported by Tara, and we are lucky to have her!” -North Tama/Hudson CSDs school administrator

Our Empowered students have created, “Red 4 Ed,” apparel items for all Central Rivers AEA staff to support us during our efforts to advocate for education! Check out the Empowered students’ storefront to order yours today.

A message to help us during tough times

Shout out to Brian Foster for helping the Empowered students create these custom shirts for Rhonda Gleason, Print Technician. She saw this quote and thought it would be great for the agency. It’s a nice reminder/message to bring us all joy during challenging times – both personal and professional!

The quote reads, “Be kind.”  “Dear person behind me, the world is a better place with you in it. Lots of love. -The person in front of you”

Thank you to everyone that continues to support our Empowered students! When you rock a tee, you empower youth! Grab your limited edition/custom CRAEA apparel designed by our students while supporting their valuable work-based learning projects on their website.

March is here and it’s time to celebrate Spring! For each weekday, a new prompt (saying/theme) will be shared, and we encourage you to post a GIF to the padlet link (or scan the QR code below to access the padlet). Winners will be selected, so bragging rights are on the line. We will publish a slideshow of all GIFs in April’s edition of The Channel.

Here are a few important reminders:

1. Please refrain from sharing inappropriate memes. (This isn’t your best friends’ group chat.)
2. Be courteous and maintain a professional tone. (We are all adults.)
3. Let’s keep things light-hearted and enjoyable! (This activity is to create some fun during these tough times.)

March schedule

Bringing Purpose Mindset Zoom March 22, 8:00-9:00 am

Are you interested in continued learning to enhance your mindset and improve your life satisfaction? If so, join Central Rivers AEA colleagues on March 22, from 8 – 9:00 am, to explore how to bring purpose each day. Register for this session by emailing Dr. Leslie Moore. Your mindset matters!

Micro-credential Incentive Deadline: June 1, 2024

For a second year in a row, Central Rivers AEA is supportive of helping our staff to enhance their well-being. A $250 incentive is offered to all staff who complete and earn the Awareness of Internal Energy micro-credential, found in our On-Demand Library. To receive the $250 incentive in your June check, please submit your evidence document for review by June 1, 2024. Some important things to note:

• Check out the micro-credential document for more information on micro-credentials.
• Login and register in the CRAEA On-Demand Library by selecting “Micro-credential” in the “Categories” dropdown.
• You will also need to register in the AEA Professional Learning System.
• You can register in one of two ways; as a “participant only” for free or earn License Renewal Credit for $35.

If you have registration questions, please contact Angie Gansen.

Support for YOU!

Do you want to decrease the impact of stress on your life or increase your life satisfaction? If so, consider how your personal coach can support you in achieving those things! Connect via Zoom (at your convenience) with Central Rivers AEA Leadership Coach, Dr. Leslie Moore, for the opportunity to reflect on what you want more of in your life and how your thoughts and emotions are impacting your actions. All sessions are confidential and scheduled by you when you send Leslie a Google Calendar invitation. Want to keep it confidential? Just select “private” on the calendar invite. Reach out to Dr. Moore with questions.

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