The Channel

We would like to welcome nine incoming early ACCESS educator, school social worker, special education consultants and SLPs for the 2025-26 school year!

We’re always looking for ways to celebrate the impact of our work – and that starts with the students we serve.

Do you know a student who’s made big strides in their learning or reached a milestone thanks to the support you or your team provided? We’d love to share their story as a way to highlight Central Rivers AEA services and the powerful results they lead to.

If you have a story in mind, complete this quick Google Form to get started. Let’s keep shining a light on the difference we’re making together! For questions, please reach out to Contessa Van Buskirk, Communications Specialist.

Open enrollment for insurance benefits is open from April 28 to May 23. All eligible employees — including those retiring or resigning but keeping coverage through July or August — must complete the process, even if you’re not making changes or are declining coverage. This is your once-a-year opportunity to update your benefits without a qualifying life event. Any changes you make will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Please log into our benefit enrollment system (EASE), to complete your elections for 2025-26. This icon/link can be found within the HR/Business Folder on the employee dashboard. View the detailed instructions to log in. See the rate changes for 2025-26.

For questions, please look over the 2025 Insurance Benefits update presentation or contact Kevin Klobassa, Benefits Specialist, at benefits@centralriversaea.org.

Join us in thanking our amazing board members during School Board Recognition Month! Serving almost 62,000 students, 5,000 educators and over 500 staff members, these nine dedicated volunteers are the backbone of the agency, setting the course for all we do! Help us thank them for their dedication and commitment to Iowa’s students and our agency staff by sending them an email of appreciation.

• Nicole Lovik-Blaser, Director District 1
• Dr. Deb Rich, Director District 2 – President
• Kathryn Enslin, Director District 3
• Dr. Darshini Jaywardena, Director District 4
• Dr. Mary Stevens, Director District 5
• Maureen Hanson, Director District 6 – Vice President
• Dr. Tony Reid, Director District 7
• Bryan Burton, Director District 8
• Dennis Craun Jr., Director District 9

If you’re leaving the agency, please make sure to return all tech items issued to you during your employment. This includes:

• iPads
• Portable and stationary monitors
• Presentation clickers
• Extra laptop chargers
• Laptop bags
• Any other related equipment

Where to return items:

• Cedar Falls office: Help Desk
• Marshalltown office: Terry Davis
• Clear Lake office: Front desk – Patsy Luker or Laura Rinnels

Additional Notes:

• Hotspots: Return directly to Laura Rinnels at the Clear Lake office.
• Laptops & chargers:
  • Most staff: Include your laptop with your tech return.
  • River Hills & Youth Shelter/Detention Center staff: Return laptops directly to your supervisor.
• Other items (e.g., fobs, keys): Return to HR at the Cedar Falls Office or your closest AEA office.

Important:

Label each item with your name on a sticky note. If you have any questions, contact the Help Desk or call (319) 273-8231.

Interested in completing one micro-credential this year? If you finish it by May 30, 2025, you’ll receive $250! To qualify, your work must be submitted, reviewed and meet all the requirements by the May 30 deadline – so we encourage you to submit early to allow time for review. Have questions?

• For INspired Leadership micro-credentials, contact Dr. Leslie Moore.
• For help with logistics or other micro-credentials, reach out to Angie Gansen.

Support for your wellbeing

Would you like support in getting more of what you want and less of what you don’t in your personal or professional life? If so, Central Rivers AEA offers 1:1 core energy leadership coaching sessions* with certified well-being coach, Dr. Leslie Moore, via Zoom. All sessions are confidential and scheduled by you when you send Dr. Moore a Google Calendar invitation. Just select “private” on the calendar invite. Reach out to Dr. Leslie Moore with questions. *Sessions are available now through June 24!

All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day. Please update your voicemail and set an out-of-office email reply to let others know about the closure.

Voicemail example:

Hello, this is (your name). All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day. Please leave your name, number and a brief message and I will get back to you when offices reopen on Tuesday, May 27. Thank you.

Email “away” message example:

Thank you for your email. All Central Rivers AEA offices will be closed on Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day. I will respond to your email upon my return when offices reopen on Tuesday, May 27. Thank you.

If you need assistance with either task, please contact the CRAEA Tech Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

Assistive Technology (AT) in IEPs: why the details matter

When it comes to helping students with disabilities succeed, assistive technology (AT) can make a big difference – but only if it’s clearly written into their Individualized Education Program (IEP). Too often, AT is mentioned vaguely or left out entirely, which can delay support or limit a student’s access to learning.

Federal law (IDEA) requires IEP teams to consider whether a student needs assistive technology. This isn’t optional – it’s a key part of making sure every student has an equal opportunity to learn. To be effective, the IEP should clearly outline:

• What technology will be used – such as speech-to-text software or communication devices.
• Why it’s needed – including how the tools will help meet specific goals (this should connect to the student’s present levels of performance).
• How and when it will be used – in the classroom, at home, or both.
• Who is responsible for setting up the technology, training staff and students and providing ongoing support.
• How the student’s progress with the technology will be tracked and reviewed over time.

When these details are missing, students may not get the help they need, when they need it. Thoughtful, specific documentation ensures that support is in place and working – and that every student has what they need to thrive.

Tips for teams: 

• Simply naming a device isn’t enough. Teams should explain why the student needs the tool and how it will help them work toward their learning goals.
• It’s also important to try out different tools and include any evaluations as part of the planning process. Even basic tools can have a big impact when they’re chosen with care and used consistently with the right support.

UDL in action: using choice boards to boost student engagement

One simple but powerful way to bring Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to life in the classroom is by using choice boards. These tools give students different ways to show what they’ve learned, helping them stay motivated and involved.

A choice board looks like a grid or menu of activity options. All the choices connect to the same learning goal, but each one lets students use different skills – like writing, drawing, researching, building or moving around.

For example, during a history unit, students might choose to:

• Record a podcast episode where they “interview” a historical figure.
• Write a diary entry from the point of view of someone who lived through an event.
• Design a visual timeline or infographic.
• Build a model or act out a key moment.

Why it works:

• Students feel more ownership over their learning.
• It reduces stress by giving options that play to individual strengths.
• Teachers get a more complete picture of what students understand – often in creative and meaningful ways.

Choice boards make learning more engaging, and they’re easy to start using right away. For more information about choice boards, visit www.novakeducation.com  

Additional resources:

• Making Efficient Choice Boards
• Using AI to Support Choice Board Creation
• Taking Choice Boards to the Next Level

We are excited to share that Central Rivers AEA has officially “graduated” from the Law & Leadership Academy! This is a big step forward as we continue working toward maintaining our AEA accreditation.

Recently, Regional Administrators Ryan Andreassen and Rochelle Richards teamed up with Alicia Helle and Tasha Fritz from Keystone AEA to attend the Council of Administrators in Special Education (CASE) conference in St. Louis. The CASE Academy of Law and Leadership is designed for school leaders and attorneys who work closely with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Thank you to Ryan and Rochelle for representing Central Rivers AEA and helping strengthen our leadership in special education services!

ACHIEVE data tech update: This May, Central Rivers AEA data technicians will be reaching out to local school district contacts to request updates on student rosters. They’ll be checking for students who have changed buildings or exited the district to ensure the ACHIEVE system is accurate. This clean-up will help special education teachers start the next school year with more accurate class lists and improve data ahead of October’s official count. AEA service providers will also receive their rosters this spring to support this process. If school staff have questions and you’re not sure how to help, please reach out to your Regional Administrator. This is a new process at Central Rivers AEA, and once it’s in place, it should be a helpful improvement for schools and staff.

Centers of Excellence (CoE): Central Rivers AEA is partnering with Keystone AEA to launch one of Iowa’s first Centers of Excellence starting in the 2025–26 school year. The initial focus will be on Early ACCESS services. To learn more, please watch [this short video] that explains the concept and what’s ahead for our teams. This is an exciting new opportunity for our agency and the families we serve.

Special Ed Services for 2025-26: Please review the May Superintendent Report for updates on the continued evolution of our special education services. The report includes reminders and new information about “program enhancement services,” which are additional supports available for a fee beginning next school year. More details will be shared at the May 22 meeting, with a deeper dive planned this fall. In the meantime, please continue promoting upcoming autism training opportunities to both teachers and administrators.

Student records guidance for end of year 2025 (summer scanning update): Central Rivers AEA is currently undertaking a major student records project that will continue through most of the upcoming school year. The goal is to phase out outdated and hard-to-access records while building a more secure and user-friendly records management system.

Staff are asked to review the updated records guidance and manage their working files accordingly over the summer. In most cases, office staff will not be scanning stacks of working files this summer. Instead, staff should store their files in Google Drive, following the updated guidance.

One exception is direct service log notes, which should still be handled separately from other working file materials. Once the new records system is in place, additional steps for managing digital files will be shared. Staff may also find that some items previously saved are no longer necessary under the new guidance. Thank you for your attention to this important update.

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Special Education Updates
• Updates with CRAEA Special Education doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel)

Accreditation update: Central Rivers AEA extends sincere thanks to all staff who contributed to the recent accreditation preparation and site visit. The visit was a great opportunity to showcase the high-quality work happening across the agency. One of the featured presentations focused on the Intensive Literacy course, which was well received and gave staff the chance to highlight meaningful work taking place in partnership with schools.

Professional Development update: The agency recently learned that a re-submission window will be available for some professional development offerings that were not approved in the second submission round. This window will open on May 15 and close on June 6. Central Rivers AEA will take advantage of this opportunity to expand the number of approved PD sessions to better meet district needs.

In addition, the statewide AEA system is creating a shared collection of training materials and promotional flyers. This will help AEAs across the state offer consistent, high-quality professional development and make it easier to share resources.

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Ed Services/Media Updates
• Updates with CRAEA Ed Services & Media doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel)

We want to take a moment to recognize our retiring superintendents! All were honored by their peers last week during the monthly superintendents’ meeting.

• Michael Crozier, Northwood-Kensett & St. Ansgar CSDs
• Doug Gee, Clear Lake CSD
• Robert Hughes, Grundy Center CSD
• Wayne Kroneman, West Hancock CSD

Thank you all for your years of services and dedication to children, families, educators, schools and communities. Happy retirement!

As we look forward to the 2025-2026 school year, we’re pleased to share the results of our recent negotiations with our employee associations. Your dedication and hard work are the heart of Central Rivers AEA, and we are committed to providing fair and competitive compensation while ensuring the long-term financial health of our agency.

Contract approvals & distribution

The Board of Directors has approved employment contracts for all employee groups (Certified, Classified, NUSS and Administrative) at their April 2 meeting. Electronic distribution of these contracts will occur the week of April 7. Please note the following review and return deadlines:

• Certified Staff: 21 days from receipt.
• Classified, NUSS, and Administrative Staff: 10 days from receipt.

We are also excited to offer a $500 retention bonus to all returning staff who execute and return their 2025-2026 contracts within five (5) business days of receipt, subject to certain conditions. Please refer to the separate article for complete details on the $500 signing incentive.

Navigating financial landscapes

This year’s negotiations goal was to achieve a settlement that exceeded the State Supplemental Aid (SSA) and aimed for a 3% total package increase, demonstrating our commitment to your financial well-being. We also proposed a return to two-year agreements, similar to past practice, to enhance our ability to respond to future financial uncertainties.

Settlement highlights

Certified Staff (CREA – PENDING RATIFICATION):

• A two-year agreement (2025-2026 & 2026-2027) was reached.
• For 2025-2026, a total package increase of 3.13%, representing a $1,062,138 investment, includes a $600 base salary increase, step movement where applicable, and increased employer contributions for health, dental and vision insurance.
• The average salary increase is $2,149, with a mean salary increase of $1,855.
• Certified staff will also receive $120 per year for cell phone reimbursement. No submission or approval is needed. This will now be part of your annual salary.
• Mileage reimbursement will increase from $0.42 to $0.46 per mile (pending Board approval).
• We will begin the multi-year process of transitioning 204 day contracts to 190 day contracts for Educational Services Consultants, Multi Occupation Coordinators and Work-Based Learning Coordinators. We will reduce from 204 to 200 days for the 25-26 school year. We intend for negotiated salary increases to offset this reduction in contracted days.
• The 2026-2027 agreement includes a 2.5% total package increase.

Classified Staff (CWA):

• A two-year agreement (2025-2026 & 2026-2027) was reached.
• For 2025-2026, a 3.64% total package increase, totaling $111,396 includes a $0.70 per hour increase, applied equitably across the salary schedule, and the same insurance contribution adjustments as Certified staff.
• The 2026-2027 agreement includes a 2.5% total package increase.

Non-Union Support Staff (NUSS):

• A 3.00% total package increase, representing $92,059 was agreed upon, along with the same insurance contribution adjustments as Certified staff.

Administrative Staff:

• A 1.19% total package increase was reached, representing $36,325, along with the same insurance contribution adjustments as Certified staff.

Financial Summary

• Estimated new money (X.X% SSA) = $XXX,XXX
  • School Supplemental Aid (SSA) hasn’t been set by the legislature yet. With funding changes, it’s a bit harder to calculate, but this is our best estimate for now.
• Total cost (All funds) = $1,301,918

We truly appreciate everything you do as part of the Central Rivers AEA team. Your hard work and dedication to supporting students, families, and communities does not go unnoticed. Though we’ve faced challenges, we’re confident in a strong future for our agency – thanks to your dedication and hard work!

We’re excited to announce that the Central Rivers AEA Board of Education has approved an early contract signing incentive for all Central Rivers AEA staff members!

This incentive is a direct reflection of the Board’s appreciation for your ongoing dedication and commitment to the students and families we serve. It’s also a way to recognize the exceptional work you’ve done, particularly during the challenging times we’ve navigated together.

Here are the key details regarding this incentive:

• Amount: $500 per eligible staff member.
• Payment Date: This incentive will be paid out as a separate deposit in June 2025. Please note that standard taxes will be withheld from this payment.
• Eligibility: To receive this incentive, you must:
  • Accept and return your employment contract within five business days of receiving it. (Please note: You still have the standard 10 days for Classified, NUSS and Administrative staff and 21 days for Certified staff to sign your contract/NOC, but only five business days to receive the incentive).
  • Have received an employment contract/NOC during the 2024-25 school year and remain employed with CRAEA through the 2025-2026 school year.
• Proration: The $500 incentive will be prorated based on your FTE for the 2025-2026 school year, if you work less than 1.0 FTE.
• Ineligibility: Staff members who have received an early notification incentive are ineligible for this retention incentive.
• Recoupment: If you receive this incentive but do not complete your 2025-2026 contract, we will recoup a prorated amount for each month you did not work.

To confirm your understanding of these requirements and to receive the incentive, please sign and accept your contract within the five-day time frame. If you choose not to receive the incentive, please wait until after the five-day time frame to sign your contract, or communicate your decision to the Human Resources Office.

We understand that you will have to wait until June for the incentive to be paid out, but hopefully, it comes at a time that can help you enjoy the summer! We are truly grateful for your continued commitment to our agency.

Central Rivers AEA is launching a new way to sign contracts and Notices of Conditions (NOCs). Moving forward, all signing will take place through Web Link, where you can securely access, sign and store your documents for future reference.

To help you navigate this new process, we’ve attached a step-by-step instruction guide and a video tutorial. Please review the instructions carefully, especially the sections highlighted in red, as they contain key details. If you need extra support, this tutorial video will walk you through how to access, view and sign your contract in Web Link.

You’ll receive an email notification when your contract is ready for signing. If you run into any issues, contact the help desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or call 319-273-8231. Thank you for your attention and cooperation with this new process!

An all-staff meeting and retirement celebration will be held on Thursday, May 22 in Cedar Falls, beginning at 9:00 am. Social time begins at 8:30 am and lunch will be provided to staff. After lunch, staff members assigned to a region will meet at the Cedar Falls office, while all other staff may return to their worksites. If you have questions about what your schedule looks like that day, please reach out to your supervisor for clarification. More details to follow in the May edition of The Channel, including a list of your retiring colleagues!

The open enrollment period for insurance* begins Monday, April 28 and ends on Friday, May 23. *All benefit-eligible employees must enroll or waive coverage, even if you have no changes or are resigning/retiring! Some other important details to note:

• Beginning Monday, April 28, you will have access to EASE via the employee dashboard in ClassLink.  
• Updates to insurance will be shared during the benefits insurance presentation for all staff, held virtually on Tuesday, April 29 at 4:00 pm.
• We will allow time for questions during the Zoom, or you can email your questions in advance to benefits@centralriversaea.org.
• The meeting will be recorded and posted on our benefits website for staff that cannot attend.
• Zoom link: https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/92611601851

If you have questions regarding your insurance, please contact Kevin Klobassa, Benefits Specialist, at (319)-273-8202 or via email at benefits@centralriversaea.org.