The Channel

The Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors held a joint meeting with the area community colleges on Monday, June 4, along with their regular monthly meeting. The board packet can be viewed online and the minutes will be available online after approval. July’s board meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 11 at 6 pm.

Educator Quality fund claims entered and approved before June 15 will be paid on June 30.  Final submission is due July 1 and will be paid on July 31. Questions? Please contact Shirley Horak.

We have received official notification from Dr. Tom Lane, Executive Director for Iowa’s AEAs, that language calling for an AEA reorganization will not move forward in any bill during the 2018 legislative session. We understand that some legislators heard from their constituents about the impact an AEA reorganization could have on services to Iowa’s students, families, schools, and communities, and they have stricken any language mandating a change in our system design this legislative session. Therefore, the AEA system will remain at nine entities and not move to the proposed seven.

We remain focused on what is best for Iowa’s students, families, and schools. The AEA chief administrators continue and strengthen our commitment to begin work on improving our collective service quality, parity and efficiencies and will continue to contract with Dr. Susan Leddick to facilitate discussions around this work when we convene in June.  

This announcement provides Iowa’s AEAs with an opportunity to study, reflect and determine an action plan to meet the changing needs of our districts while continuing to seek efficiencies and sharing opportunities across the AEA system.

A first reading of a proposed revised mileage policy (including regulations) was presented to the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors at their May meeting. The policy will be considered for action in June. The rationale for adjusting the policy was to ensure compliance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations as well as improve and maximize our use of limited agency resources.

The current board policy was somewhat unstructured and resulted in annual costs that were significantly higher than comparable AEAs. The agency needed to make changes but also wanted to ensure that any changes were reasonable and fair to our staff. To that end, the Business and Human Resources departments worked with a mileage committee comprised of various staff members to help improve upon our thoughts/proposal.

The amended policy is a more fiscally responsible policy that better addresses some of the issues that we had previously. However, we do know that the revised policy will have a negative impact on some of our staff who were able to correctly apply the previous policy to their benefit.

Here’s how the new policy is different from our previous policy: For most staff, the old policy asked you to designate a permanent starting point for all of your professional mileage (e.g. the Cedar Falls Office). You started your professional mileage from that point even if you did not actually start from that location each day. For those that live close to their “starting point”, this allowed them to claim professional mileage with nearly no commute miles deducted. It wasn’t truly an accurate picture of the day’s professional travel.

The new policy dictates that the first point you travel to for work (from your home) is your commute. If that point is under 30 miles, those miles will not be considered reimbursable. Anything over 30 miles will be. The policy is based on an expectation that your drive from home to work is your commute and should not be a reimbursable expense for the majority of staff. Having a daily commute of 30 miles to and from work is in line with national averages, and is regarded as a reasonable expectation. If your first starting point is over 30 miles, those miles beyond the first 30 will be reimbursed at an “excess commute” rate of $.45 per mile.

From the organizational standpoint, paying for commute miles is not a standard practice that you would find in the large majority of public or private entities, and it needed to be adjusted. In many cases, the closer you lived to an office the greater your reimbursement. This was deemed to be unreasonable. Therefore, this practice has been discontinued. While the main intention of the corrected policy was not merely to save funds, it is realistic that it will provide cost savings to the agency.  It is our intent that any savings will be applied to increasing FTEs and improving salaries and benefits for our staff.

The agency will continue to reimburse all intraday business mileage.

The above text is a brief introduction to the policy, additional information can be found below. Time will be devoted to the discipline meetings in May for further review of the new policy and procedures including time for questions. For those staff members not involved in discipline meetings, please see your supervisor for clarification.  If you have any questions, please contact Sbrown@centralriversaea.org in the Business Office.  We will be using your questions to create an FAQ.

Additional Resource: Mileage Policy PowerPoint Slides

Congratulations to Sam Miller who recently released a book on leadership, co-authored with Todd Whitaker and Ryan Donlan. “The Secret Solution: How One Principal Discovered the Path to Success” follows the journey of Roger Rookie, a new principal, in his quest to become a fair and effective leader. Through the ups and downs of his first few years, Roger learns what works and what doesn’t when it comes to leading people well.

Congratulations, Sam!

The all-region meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 23 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 in the morning. A Zoom link for the retirement ceremony is available for those who are not required to attend the meeting in person in Cedar Falls.

A preliminary room schedule for each regional and discipline team has been created. However, be sure to check back before the day of the meeting as there may be changes made. Dress for the day is professional casual and lunch will be provided for those required to attend the meeting. If you would like, bring a pair of walking shoes to enjoy the trail, weather permitting.

Melissa Tandy, Regional Administrator

Best wishes to Region 8 Regional Administrator Melissa Tandy who will depart Central Rivers AEA on July 1 to become a Project Manager for the Iowa Department of Education. In her new role, Melissa will work at the statewide level to support the implementation of IDEA and Chapter 41 of the Iowa Code.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked as a Regional Administrator in Region 8 and with all the wonderful staff at CRAEA,” said Tandy.  “Each day has provided me with new opportunities to learn and build relationships with passionate AEA staff, our district partners, and families.”

Josh Johnson

The agency has tapped Josh Johnson, currently the high school principal for Charles City CSD to replace Tandy.  In his current role, Johnson is responsible for approximately 500 high school students in grades nine through 12 along with 40 certified, and 25 non-certified staff.  

During his tenure in Charles City, he led the District’s Teacher Leadership Team and speared-headed efforts to re-work the mission, vision, and core values for Charles City. He has also served in administrative roles at both Wapsie Valley and Union.

“This is an incredible opportunity to pursue my passion of working with school districts in the school improvement process,” says Josh Johnson. “Central Rivers AEA is an incredible forward-thinking organization. I am fortunate to be a part of their leadership team.”

Welcome, Josh!

May is set aside as School Board Appreciation Month and is the perfect time to thank your locally elected school board members for their service!

Central Rivers AEA is also governed by volunteer community members who are elected by the local school districts. Serving over 62,000 students, 5,000 educators, and almost 500 staff members, these nine committed individuals are the backbone of the agency, setting the course for the work of the AEA.

Dr. Debra Rich, Board President, represents Charles City, Dike-New Hartford, Dunkerton, Nashua-Plainfield, Sumner-Fredericksburg, Tripoli, Wapsie Valley, and Waverly-Shell Rock. Deb enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with their three grown children and five delightful grandchildren. As a professional educator with 40 years of experience, she feels strongly that the AEA makes significant contributions to providing students with a high-quality education.

Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson, Board Vice President, represents Central Springs, Clear Lake, Forest City, Garner-Hayfield- Ventura, Lake Mills, North Iowa, Northwood-Kensett, St. Ansgar, and West Hancock. After working for the AEA for 25 years as a school social worker, Roberta now wants to use her AEA experience to further their mission.

Dr. George North is the representative for AGWSR, Alden, Aplington-Parkersburg, CAL, Clarksville, Eldora-New Providence, Grundy Center, Hampton-Dumont, Hubbard-Radcliffe, Iowa Falls, and North Butler. With over 50 years in dentistry, Dr. North has also been involved in education and volunteerism his entire life. He sums up his reason for serving on the AEA board in one short sentence, “public education is the foundation of a democratic republic.”

Dr. Darshini Jayawardena is the representative for Belmond-Klemme, Mason City, Osage, RRMR, and West Fork. She and her husband have three children and one daughter-in-law. Darshini feels that education is a priority, not just for children but also for our country.

David Giese represents the districts of BCLUW, East Marshall, GMG, Marshalltown, and West Marshall. He and his wife were both educators and with 38 years teaching experience, David wants to “give back” for the professional assistance he received from the AEA.

Maureen Hanson is the representative for BGM, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Grinnell-Newburg, Hudson, Montezuma, North Tama County, South Tama County, and Union. She and her husband have three married daughters and three beautiful granddaughters. Maureen is grateful for the opportunity to be part of the AEA team working to provide innovative leadership, services, and support to empower educators.

Richard Vande Kieft represents Cedar Falls, Denver, and Janesville. He wants to support the agency’s work in providing services that enable students of every ability to receive a quality education.

Bryan Burton was elected by the Waterloo school district and is the Area Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs. Their mission aligns with the AEA’s in that both organizations are committed to helping young people reach their full potential.

Dennis Craun, Jr., represents the districts of East Buchanan, Independence, Jesup, and Waterloo. Denny works for the United States Postal Service and he and his wife have two children. As the parent of students with special needs, he wants to serve the AEA who helped his children grow despite their challenges.

Please join us in honoring the work of these dedicated people who donate countless hours of personal time to help ensure a quality education for all of Iowa’s students.

Save the date for this year’s retirement celebration which is being held on Wednesday, May 23 from 9-10 am during the All-Regional meeting in Cedar Falls.

Rather than holding three separate celebrations, this year we are starting a new tradition of honoring our retirees as one group. This presents a wonderful opportunity to congratulate our retirees and recognize them for their dedication and years of service to the agency. Zoom will be available at all locations for employees that are not attending the regional meeting that morning.

Those being honored this year include:

• Cindy Baker, Technology Specialist for Special Education
• Alison Bell (Retired December 2017)
• Melissa Clarke, Special Education Consultant
• Joan Coffin, Administrative Secretary at River Hills School
• Judy Dale (Retired December 2017)
• Greg Ehrig (Retired January 2018)
• Deborah S. Johnson, Educational Assistant
• Sherri Gabbard, Teacher of Mental Disab/Severe & Profound
• Carol Hanson, Teacher of Mental Disab/Severe & Profound
• Rob Hirst, Special Education Consultant
• Lisa Jellum, Special Education Consultant
• Marcia Knupp, Consultant for Educational Services
• Janna Lang, Early Childhood Special Educator
• Deb Molitor, School Psychologist/Cons for Early Childhood
• Judy Schuler (Retired August 2017)
• C.A. Springer, Work Experience Coordinator
• Darla Stack, School Psychologist
• Theresa Stensland, Special Education Consultant
• Jim Stoycheff, School Psychologist
• Deb Whitesell, Detention Center Teacher
• Gary Whitmore, Special Education Consultant

Insurance benefit enrollment is now open through May 20. Benefits-eligible employees must complete this process even if declining insurance, making no changes, resigning, or retiring.

We believe that the insurance changes being made for the 2018-19 school year will have a positive impact in the short term (redistributing premium dollars to salary) and the long-term (better consumerism to slow the rising cost of insurance).

The AEA is providing $725 per month to support your insurance needs. This funding level is between the $1,500 and $2,500 deductible single plan premium cost. For additional choice, there is a $3,500 Health Savings Account (HSA) plan.

Insurance Premium Redistribution payroll stipend is for current employees only. This is in addition to the negotiated wage increase. Final amounts to be determined June 30th. The amounts will be given to staff regardless of plan selected. It will also be received if you opt out of health insurance coverage.

Approximated payroll stipend amount:

•         EA (Certified Staff)-  $804 or $67/month
•         CWA (Classified Staff) -.28 cents per hour
•         NUSS – $1,116 or $93/month

To help guide your decision making, we encourage you to use the online tool known as ALEX. This tool will guide you through a series of interactive questions and analyze them to provide a recommended plan.

Please remember that after using ALEX, you still need to take the necessary steps to be enrolled.