The Channel

Thank you to the more than 460 of you who participated in the Culture/Climate survey! Your responses represent approximately 60% of our total staff which is an amazing response rate. Although we have areas for continued growth, the results were extremely positive.

As you can see, our areas of strength include having a trusted colleague at work, understanding expectations and feeling like our colleagues are committed to their work. Our areas for growth include acknowledging each other’s work through praise and recognition, ensuring that we honor the opinions of others, and giving feedback on progress.

Our agency Leadership Teams will be analyzing the survey results later this month and developing action steps to guide future work. Again, thank you for your participation!

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met December 5, 2012 at 6 p.m. in the River Hills School Conference Room for their regular meeting.  During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a program review regarding Google Hangouts.
• Approved AEA 267’s Professional Development agreement with Drake University for 2012-2013.
• Approved participation in 2012-2013 Iowa Drug and Alcohol Testing Program.
• Renewed the lease with North Iowa Community Action Organization (NICAO) for the Charles City sector office.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Immediately following the regular board meeting, the AEA 267 Foundation Meeting was held.  Board members were given a tour of AEA 267 River Hills School.

In early March (2013), the AEA print shop in Marshalltown will be moved to our Cedar Falls office. Due to budget constraints and a decline in print impressions, we are realigning our delivery of services to meet customer needs and maintain fiscal responsibility.

In the next few months, we will be visiting with the schools that typically send work to our Marshalltown office with more specifics. We will work for an orderly transition so there will be no disruption of services.

Although it is impossible to predict what the legislature will do, it appears that an extension of the current reduction in Social Security tax will not go beyond December of 2012. This means that beginning with your January 2013 paycheck, your actual “take home” pay could be 2% less. Please be aware of this possibility as you look ahead and plan your finances for 2013.

American Education Week presents a perfect opportunity to show appreciation for the positive contributions AEA 267 staff members make each and every day. Please take a moment to watch this brief podcast and accompanying video created especially for you. You may even spot someone you know in the video!

In response to staff feedback via survey and focus groups, a decision has been made to only hold all-staff meetings every three to five years. Dates have already been set for Sector/Agency meetings in each sector for August, 2013. Hopefully by getting these dates out far enough in advance, staff members will have ample time to adjust their summer calendars to attend without conflict. As a reminder, these meetings will be devoted both to sector-related business as well as agency updates. Please plan now to attend! All meetings will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

• Monday, August 12: Northwest Sector (Clear Lake Office)
• Tuesday, August 13: Northeast Sector (Waverly High School Rada Auditorium)
• Wednesday, August 14: East Sector (Cedar Falls Conference Center)
• Thursday, August 15: South Sector (Marshalltown Office)

The national IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) awarded Gina Greene the 2012 ITCA Regional Parent Leadership Award. The award is given annually to acknowledge parent leadership on behalf of infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. Winners are chosen for having made significant contributions in supporting and training families to advocate for their child(ren), serving on committees, and working on legislative initiatives that impact young children.

Gina Greene is an Early ACCESS Regional Coordinator with Area Education Agency 267 (AEA 267).  Gina has played an integral role in a variety of projects and served on committees in Iowa that have impacted infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. In her capacity with AEA 267, Gina works with AEA staff and community partners to improve the quality of services for children and families.

“We are thrilled that Gina has been recognized for her tireless efforts,” said Margie Jensen, AEA 267 Early ACCESS Regional Coordinator. “Children, families, and educators in our area are better for having Gina in their lives.”

Gina lives in Waterloo with her husband Paul.  They have three grown children, Lucas, Molly (Brian), and Tyler.  Gina is actively engaged in supporting her youngest son Tyler in his mission to educate the world in Ability Awareness, to show that what a person “Can Do” is more important than what they cannot.

By now, all classified and non-union support staff members have had their initial conferences with supervisors using the new evaluation rubrics developed collaboratively last spring. Staff members and supervisors used the rubrics to recognize both areas of strength as well as targeted areas for professional development and growth. The next step involves structuring professional development opportunities to meet common needs.

For more information about the evaluation rubrics, please visit the staff website or contact Kim Neal, Site Superintendent (Marshalltown office) or Dr. Anne Sullivan, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Human Resources.

Although fine-tuning continues to take place, the new AEA 267 website continues to draw many compliments. Many new features have been added to the site including a first-ever interactive map that allows staff members, parents, educators and others to click-to-view a list of all of the AEA 267 staff members serving each school district. Try it today!

To report a technical issue or content error on the new website, please contact Cindi Helgeson, AEA 267 Administrative Secretary-Information Technology.

Although we have had warmer-than-average temperatures and perfect conditions for travel, winter weather is undoubtedly in our future. Are you ready?

For information regarding how to learn about office closings and professional development cancellations, please visit the inclement weather page on our staff website. (Use your email login and password to gain access.) If you have questions after reviewing this information, please visit with your supervisor. Please remember that AEA 267 no longer uses the news media to announce closings/cancellations.

Stay safe!

The AEA 267 Emergency Procedures have now been updated and are available on the staff website and by hard copy in each AEA 267 building (arriving by November 16). Please take a moment to review the updated procedures and ensure that you are prepared in the unlikely event of an emergency.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met November 7, 2012 at 5 p.m. in the Sumner High School Auditorium along with the Keystone AEA Board of Directors for a public hearing regarding the proposed merger of the Sumner and Fredericksburg School Districts.

Dr. Roark Horn explained the purpose of the meeting. Steve Weidner, the attorney representing AEA 267, detailed the procedures to be followed. Rick Engel, the attorney representing the school districts, gave a description of the reorganization proposal. Mark Wendland, Fredericksburg Board President; Roger Shaffer, Sumner Board President; and Rick Pederson, Sumner and Fredericksburg Superintendent, gave opening arguments.

Comments were made by individuals in the audience. Petitioners responded to comments and objections. Questions were heard from the AEA 267 and Keystone AEA board members. The hearing was closed. The decision of the combined boards was to allow the districts to go to a reorganization vote. Immediately following the public hearing, the board held their regular meeting.

During the meeting, the board:

• Approved the GASB 45 (Government Accounting Standards Board) Service Agreement with IASB.
• Approved the reciprocal transportation agreement between Central Springs and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock School Districts.
• Approved the reciprocal transportation agreement between West Fork and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock School Districts.

Barb Opheim

Area Education Agency 267 (AEA 267) is pleased to announce that Barb Opheim has been elected to serve on the AEA 267 Board of Directors. Opheim will replace Charles Vaughn who recently retired.  She will serve as Director District 8 representing the Waterloo Community School District.

Barb has lived in Waterloo with her husband, Dr. Kent Opheim, for thirty-five years. Barb received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Iowa.  She served on the Board of Education for the Waterloo school district for nine years as well as serving on the boards of various community organizations.  Barb is especially interested in the role of special education in the school system and brings a wealth of experience to her new role. Barb enjoys spending time with her family, which includes three grown children and three grandchildren.

Please join us in welcoming Barb to AEA 267!

During the month of September, Dr. Anne Sullivan facilitated a series of staff focus groups to gather input in three key areas:

• What specifically worked well, which things could be improved, and what ideas do you have for future formats related to the Aug. 10th All Agency Day.
• In our efforts to do the “right less” with less, what do you think is the right less?
• Tell us a little about your sense of the climate and culture internally?  What things should we continue to do so that staff feel valued and inspired?  What else could we do or how could we improve?

A variety of themes were generated from the input which are reflected below.

Themes around feedback from August 10 all-staff meeting

• Regional meetings are better; Consider holding all-agency meetings every 3-5 years.
• There was some confusion about whether holding the meeting at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center presented a great expense for the agency. To clarify, the agency did not have to pay for the use of the facility.
• Lunch: There were mixed views about going out vs. staying in for lunch; some crowded conditions were mentioned.
• Speakers: Mixed reviews, but mostly positive; suggestions were made for more “inspirational” speakers.
• Staff recognition: Staff greatly appreciated this part of the day.
• More information would be appreciated about changes going on this year-instead of team meetings.
• Consider sending a letter out before the meeting with information about what group people are in, when groups meet, and who is the employee’s assigned supervisor?
• Special school teachers included.
• Some confusion around the purpose of the day.
• The meeting was held during a very busy time for employees (some certified staff, IT, print shop). It was difficult to miss a whole day of work for some.

Themes around doing the “right less” with less (positives)

• Hiring a School Administrative Manager (SAM) at Four Oaks.
• Maintaining quality staff over space/buildings.
• Learning Center move to Clear Lake Office.
• We are looking at workload now vs. caseload (in the area of speech/language services)/new speech model.

Themes around doing the “right less” with less (areas for improvement)

• Use technology even more efficiently. (Skype, Google Hangout, Adobe Connect)
• Providing lunch at all-agency meeting.
• Better alignment of agency goals and district goals-staying a step ahead.

Themes around culture and climate

• Keeping people informed and feeling a part of the process; Be clear about the reason for change.
• Speed of communication: The quicker the better so rumors don’t start.
• Continue the “years of service” recognition program.
• Not sure who I’m supposed to call for paper, mileage, etc. This used to be covered in a sector meeting in August.
• Continue to strive toward improved communication with staff.
• The agency’s openness about budget and sharing information about the budget with staff was good.
• Please continue these focus groups and forums for input.
• There is too much time spent away from schools/kids to attend meetings.
• AEA 267 expectations for paperwork (EER, PD expectations, assignments) is challenging.
• People concerned about not having a job with cuts in funding.

All of the themes were recently reviewed by the AEA 267 Administrative Team, the Wages & Working Conditions group, and the AEA 267 Board of Directors. Areas of improvement are being considered in future planning. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Given the ongoing changes that occur with individual cell phone numbers, staff resignations and hires, etc. it’s important to periodically access a fresh copy of the agency cell phone directory from the staff website at (please use your email username and login for access). Many cell phone numbers did change over the summer months.

For more information, contact Sue Hotzel in the AEA 267 Cedar Falls Administrative Services Building.