The Channel

Iowa AEA Online is a statewide collaborative project that provides no-cost access to high-quality, web-based resources for all Iowa students and teachers. These electronic, across-the-curriculum resources allow all schools, regardless of financial or geographic constraints, to offer a “library without walls” that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from any Internet-accessible computer.

Iowa AEA Online is funded by Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. The resources include:

• AccuWeather provides current weather information to enhance science curriculum for projects, research, and presentations.
• AP Images is the database of the Associated Press Archives offering teachers and students access to AP articles, audio clips, charts, graphs, tables, maps, and photos from the 1840s to moments ago.
• Atomic Learning is an electronic help desk and training system for computer applications. New for 2009-2010 – Assistive Technology Collection focused on helping educators, students and parents use and apply assistive technology.
• iCLIPART for SCHOOLS is new for 2009-2010 and is a collection of more than 7.8 million photos, clipart, fonts, animations, sounds, and HD video backgrounds.
• DE streaming is a web-based digital video delivery system from Discovery Education, which provides more than 6,600 full-length videos and more than 68,000 video clips searchable by keyword, subject area and grade level. New for 2009-2010 – Games, skill builders, math tutorials, and more.
• EBSCO is the largest school subscription agency of full-text periodicals, newspapers and reference tools for elementary, middle, and high school students, and offering teachers access to more than 500 education journals.
• Learn360 is new for 2009-2010 and is a web-based digital delivery system for streaming and downloading full videos, video clips, images, audio, digital files, and podcasts.
• SIRS Researcher offers thousands of relevant full-text articles and analysis on today’s social, scientific, health, historic, economic, political, and global issues. New for 2009-2010 – New interface and expanded coverage.
• World Book Web includes continuously updated articles from the 22-volume print set plus thousands of additional articles, pictures, maps, videos, animations, primary source documents and links to other websites. New for 2009-2010 – French and Spanish encyclopedias, World Book Discover for differentiated instruction, and three new World Book Digital Libraries.

Iowa AEA Online supports the content standards for the Iowa Core Curriculum by bringing a wealth of information to teachers and students. These online resources offer students and teachers carefully selected resources to enhance classroom learning, featuring content that is continuously updated, often within hours of an event.

By contracting for online resources for all school districts statewide, Iowa AEA Online provides equity of information for all learners and educators in Iowa.

Questions? Contact one of the AEA 267 Media Specialists today.

Need a replacement or additional health care card? Information on how to order online can now be found on the staff website. Look under “Resources to Make your Life Simpler” then “Benefits Forms and Information.” The Business Office is working on a similar resource for ordering dental and vision cards.

Questions? Contact Betty Beauregard, Benefits Specialist.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 4:00 p.m. on September 2, 2009 in the AEA 267 Conference Center for their regular meeting.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a review of the audiology program from Discipline Facilitator/Audiologists Christine Hull and Marlys Ebaugh who demonstrated the impact that stimulus dollars have had on the audiology program through the purchase of updated equipment.
• Accepted with regret the resignation of Sheryl Frascht, Consultant for Professional Development (Cedar Falls), who resigned on September 3.
• Motioned to hire Bill Aguiar, Teacher of Behavior Disorders (Devonshire); Jennifer Aldrich, Teacher of Early Childhood Special Education (Castle Hill); Vickey Basgall, School Social Worker (Sector 1); Heather Gould, Consultant for Reading/Language Arts (Marshalltown); Sarah Holden, School Social Worker (Sector 5 & 6); Nathan Johnston, Teacher of Multi Disabilities/Resource (Denver Elementary)); Kathy Kline, Teacher of Multi Disabililties/Resource (Sumner-Fredericksburg High School); Angie Koop, School Social Worker (Sector 6); Tara McGrath, Early Childhood Special Educator (Sector 7); Melanie Roby, School Social Worker (Devonshire/Bremwood); and Dan Ryan, Teacher of Multi Disabilities/SCI (State Training School).
• Appointed Charlotte Upah and Susan Grimes as delegate and alternate to the IASB Delegate Assembly.
• Approved the lease agreement with Blue Bird Bus Company for the lease of a special education bus.
• Approved the recommendation from the River Hills Foundation Committee for purchase and installation of playground equipment and surface at River Hills.
• Approved the contract renewal with the Iowa Department of Public Health for substance abuse prevention.
• Accepted the Excellence in Education Enrichment Grant from the R. J. McElroy Trust.
• Approved the specifications for the Clear Lake remodeling project and authorized advertisement for bids on the project.
• Approved the contract for the window/door project at the Clear Lake building.
• Conducted a public hearing regarding Acceptable Use Policy 101.4 and approved with no changes for 2009-10.
• Authorized reserving funds for Retro Program for worker’s compensation.
• Approved the 2009-2010 lease agreement of the Coop Warehouse in Marshalltown.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Read a recap of the board meeting in the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.

Stan Hanus, AEA 267 School Psychologist

As nearly everyone is aware, on June 24 the Aplington-Parkersburg Community School District was struck by tragedy again when well known coach and teacher Ed Thomas was gunned down in the high school weight room. As many as 20 students and a handful of adults were witness to the event. Hundreds, if not thousands of others in the community have been impacted by his death.

Within a short time after the incident took place, the AEA 267 crisis response team, led by Stan Hanus, AEA 267 School Psychologist, was assembled and dispatched to assist. AEA 267 staff members stayed on site for two days providing crisis response assistance to students, faculty, administrators, and parents. Efforts were coordinated with mental health professionals from other crisis intervention organizations who were on the scene.

“I’m so impressed by the response I received from our staff when I put out the call for help,” said Hanus in reporting to the AEA 267 Board of Directors. “Obviously this happened when school was out and many staff were already gone and yet people quickly responded to help.”

The AEA 267 crisis response team also provided assistance to the Ventura Community School District later this summer when a student was killed in a car accident.

“We are there when districts need us,” said Hanus.

As we enter the 2009-2010 school year, we are also entering the first Stimulus year for our agency. At this time we have far more questions about the amount and guidelines related to Stimulus funding than we have answers. The agency is cautiously moving forward with plans for the use of the funds while at the same time ever mindful of the fact that the funds–and the programs and services we are able to utilize them for–will last at the most two years.

Here is the progress to-date regarding how the money is being put to use:

• Last October, it appeared that budget shortfalls would require
  that in the spring of 2009 up to 14 positions vacated due to
  resignations/retirements would go unfilled. Thanks to stimulus funding, the agency has been able to fill all 14 positions.
• Audiology equipment upgrades that may have taken years to purchase in a piecemeal manner have now been ordered.
• The agency is attempting to employ additional Early ACCESS Service Coordinators and Early Childhood providers.  That work is in progress and the search is on for quality available candidates.
• The agency has employed four instructional coaches in reading and math. More coaches are being sought.
• Support for the Iowa Core Curriculum is increasing through the reassignment of existing staff to this work.  Staff will be hired to cover the gaps left by those being reassigned.
• Support has been increased for Instructional Decision Making (IDM) professional development.
• Schools In Need of Assistance (SINA) designee schoools in AEA 267 will receive expanded support.
• The agency has employed an additional staff member to assist with English Language Learning (ELL) work.
• A professional development program for administrators in school technology has been initiated. This is being done in partnership with Iowa State University and leading expert Scott McLeod of the CASTLE program.
• The agency is providing additional staff to participate in statewide initiatives in Learning Supports, Positive Behavior Supports (PBS), Challenging Behaviors, and Instructional Coaches training.

The federal stimulus program is providing us with a unique opportunity to provide more services than we otherwise could have.  The rules, procedures and reporting requirements are demanding.  We will proceed with caution, focus on the federal mandated goals, and do our best to build the internal and external capacity of educators so even after the funds are gone, our ability to positively impact student achievement remains high.

Please note that summer hours will end on August 14. Normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. will resume on Monday, August 17.

Plans continue to move ahead to begin upgrading the Clear Lake office facility in early fall. Remodeling is slated to begin in early October and be concluded by April 1, 2010 if not before. Over the summer months, Jan Alger, AEA 267 Secretary to Communication/Administration began the process of finding outside locations for all AEA 267 events previously booked in the affected conference rooms. If you have not heard from Jan about your event and believe you should have, please contact her.

If you are scheduling new meetings during our remodeling and need suggestions for locations, please contact Jan. A directory is also available on the staff website although not all locations and information are listed.  (To clarify, for new meetings being scheduled, your service area is responsible for ordering and taking care of all food needed and using your service area account code to pay for the room.)

The new rooms under construction will be labeled A, B & C. If you need to schedule a room after April 1, 2010, you may do so as the new rooms are now online (with descriptions) and available for reservations. Events that need to be scheduled in September can be held in the Community and Federal rooms. Please schedule them directly through Leah Peters, AEA 267 Receptionist in the Clear Lake office.

Questions? Contact Dr. Sara McInerny, Service Area Director at 1-319-273-8260.

Betty Westmeyer, Director District 4

Betty Westmeyer, a long-time advocate for students with special needs, is stepping down from the AEA 267 board when her term ends in October. Westmeyer has been a member of the AEA board since 1982 when her son was a student at River Hills.

When asked about the highlights of her tenure as an AEA board member, Westmeyer cited her advocacy for a formal graduation ceremony at River Hills School. “Prior to that, there had not been a ceremony,” she said. “I’ve attended every ceremony since 1984 when they started and I’ve shed tears every time. It’s a very moving experience.”

Westmeyer was also instrumental in the transition from three Area Education Agencies (AEAs 2, 6 & 7) to one in 2003. “It was a time of great uncertainty and fear of the unknown. I feel very good about how things have turned out.”

Although her accomplishments are many, Westmeyer feels a tinge of regret about the fact that her advocacy for lengthening the school year has not resulted in real change in the state. She has been a long-time proponent of a longer school year to retain and advance student learning. Still, she feels the time is right to step down.

“The friendships I have made while on the AEA board have been wonderful,” said Westmeyer. “This closes an important chapter in my life. My advice to any new board member is to speak up and let people know how you feel…being a board member is very rewarding.”

In her capacity as an AEA 267 board member, Westmeyer has represented Director District 4 which includes the school districts of Charles City, Denver, Janesville, Nashua-Plainfield, Sumner, Tripoli, Wapsie Valley, and Waverly-Shell Rock. A search for a candidate to fill Westmeyer’s vacancy is pending.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors met at 6 p.m. on August 5, 2009, in the AEA 267 Conference Center for their regular meeting.

During the meeting, the board:

• Heard a review of the work and experiences of the AEA 267 Crisis Response Team from Stan Hanus (team leader) and other members of the team regarding their recent work in Aplington-Parkersburg.
• Accepted with regret the resignation of Andrew Meister, Teacher of Behavior Disorders (Devonshire), effective immediately.
• Motioned to hire Jon McEwan, Jr., Teacher of Multi Disab/Severe & Profound (Mason City); Rebecca Eness, Speech-Language Pathologist (TBD); Cam Turner, School Social Worker (Castle Hill School); Jared Pospisil, Teacher of Multi Disabilities/SCI (Union High School); Farrah Olson, Work Experience/Transition Specialist (Sectors 1,2,4); Jeanna Cripe, Teacher of Behavior Disorders (Devonshire).
• Approved 2009-2010 master contract with the AEA 267 Education Association.
• Heard the second reading of board policies #405.1 (sick leave) and #405.2 (vacation leave).
• Approved the contract with Pruckler Physical Therapy.
• Approved the 2009-2010 contract for Adaptive P.E. Services with Marshalltown CSD.
• Accepted with gratitude a memorial gift to AEA 267 from the family of Deb McGowan. An outdoor bench will be placed near the front entrance of the AEA 267 Marshalltown conference center.
• Approved the consortium agreement between Mid-Iowa School Improvement (MISIC) Consortium and Bremwood providing access to MAP tests.
• Approved the transportation agreement between EPI, INRTC and AEA 267.
• Approved the agreement with Iowa Falls Community Schools for lease of office facilities in Iowa Falls.
• Approved the contract with the Iowa Juvenile Home to purchase psychologist services from AEA 267.
• Reviewed the mileage reimbursement rate. The board elected to maintain the current mileage rate.
• Approved contracts with North Iowa Community Action for Project Child Care and Head Start.
• Approved the contract with Iowa State University for LEA Administrator Technology Professional Development for 2009-2010.
• Approved renewal of the partner contract with Exceptional Persons for provision of Early ACCESS services.
• Approved the architectural contract and authorized preliminary window and door projects for the Clear Lake remodeling work.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

Nine AEA 267 staff members will represent the agency throughout the day on August 13 at the state AEA booth in the Varied Industries Building at the Iowa State Fair. Staff members will give out AEA logo tattoos to children, talk about AEA services and gather AEA success stories from those who stop by.

This is the second year the AEA system has had a booth at the State Fair. Last year’s booth was a huge success resulting in thousands of contacts with Iowans throughout the state.

Members of the Iowa AEA Communications Committee pose with Miss Iowa 2008, Abby Curran, at last year's Iowa State Fair.

For those staff members coming back from extended time away from the office over the summer, please remember to update your voice mail greeting and any automated email responses you set prior to leaving for the summer. Remember that the agency requires that all voice mail greetings be current for the day or week. If you need assistance, please see the help guides and scripts posted on the staff website.

Hats off to AEA 267 Devonshire students for raising over $400 for the Waterloo Canine Unit through their “Caring Coins” program. Students presented their donation to the chief of police and others from the department (including drug dog, Spike) at a special ceremony Thursday, June 4. The event is set to receive positive news coverage from both KWWL-TV and the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.

This project is one of many AEA 267 Devonshire students take on to contribute positively to the community. Thanks for doing such a great job! Special thanks to Cindy Lang and Paula Goetz for their leadership.

Long-time AEA 267 employee Judy Dixon, a special education consultant in Sector 8, has passed away.
Services were held on Sunday, May 31, 2009 at St. Timothy United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls. Concern and sympathy are extended to her family and co-workers.

Based on an extensive review of a variety of data sources which speak to the needs of our educational partners, a near final draft of the agency’s plan for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) or “stimulus” funds is now available. The plan calls for a variety of “focus areas” or initiatives, including:

• Saving Current AEA 267 Positions:  Approximately 14 positions that would have been reduced or retirements not filled will be maintained.
• Early Childhood:  Provide intensive support to districts in birth-age three, ages three-kindergarten, and first through fifth grades.  This focus area would include support for literacy, math, and science as well as other areas.
• Iowa Core Curriculum:  Provide an additional 1.5 FTE to help districts with their implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum.
• Instructional Decision Making (IDM):  Provide for materials and cost of additional staff time to provide for training of AEA and LEA teachers and staff in IDM.
• Schools in Need of Assistance (SINA):  Provide resources to assist SINA schools in the timely completion of their school audit.
• English Language Learners:  Provide an additional 1.0 FTE to provide consultant support to districts with growing and large ELL populations.
• Technology:  Upgrade AEA 267 technology to better support technology integration and web-based and other learning delivery systems.
• Leadership Development:  Provide internal staff development in critical areas so the AEA is less reliant on one person and would have potential back-up due to illness, retirement, etc. of key staff.
• Administrative Technology Leadership Development:  Provide technology training to school leaders to help them better utilize instructional technologies in their building or district.
• Professional Development: Provide resources to offer additional professional development opportunities for AEA and LEA staff.

AEA/DE Collaborative Projects, including:

• Learning Supports:  Commit .5 FTE for a Learning Supports Coordinator.
• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS):  Commit .5 FTE for a PBIS Coordinator.
• Challenging Behaviors:  Commit 1.0 FTE for a Technical Assistant Consultant to address challenging behaviors.
• AEA 267 support for Iowa Department of Education (DE) Iowa Core Curriculum (ICC) efforts:  Provide a prorated share of support for DE ICC efforts.
• Instructional Coaching Academy:  A statewide professional development opportunity to train up to 80 trainers in instructional coaching strategies.

“These funds have very specific guidelines attached to them regarding how they may be spent,” said Dr. Dean Meier, chief administrator. “We believe we have made a direct match between the intent of the funds from the Federal government’s perspective and the most pressing needs of the children, families and educators that we serve. We are excited about the potential the funds create for increased student achievement.”

For a complete copy of the current draft of the plan, download it here.

The Workplace Environmental Safety Assessment form and procedure is now available.  This is a new form that is only to be used by AEA 267 employees if they believe there is an environmental safety issue at one of the AEA 267’s facilities to which they are assigned.  They are not to be used for maintenance work.  This form will be kept at your school/building secretary’s desk where staff will have to request a form.

For more information, contact Roxanne Colling, Personnel Specialist.

A project to include the conversion of the Educational Services area to a large conference room with moveable walls has been approved by the AEA 267 board of directors. The remodeling project, which will begin late summer, will create badly needed meeting space for larger groups. Currently, the agency must rent meeting space off-site for groups over 70.

“It isn’t cost effective for us to continue to rent space outside of the agency to hold larger meetings,” said Dr. Dean Meier, chief administrator. “This improvement will enhance our professional development program and allow us to better serve our educational partners.”

In addition to the larger conference space, the plan calls for expansion of the women’s bathroom in the center of the building to accommodate the increased traffic in that area. Both the women’s and men’s bathrooms will also be upgraded.

To eliminate off-site storage space and provide shelter for delivery vans, a non-climate controlled garage will be built on the property as well. The agency has rented storage space in Mason City for several years to create needed space.

“The agency has a line item budget for facility improvements each year,” said Meier. “These needs in the Clear Lake office have been around for quite some time and we need to address them.”

A schematic of the updated floor plan is available here.

The agency will shift to summer hours beginning Monday, June 8. Summer hours will be from 7:30 am-4 pm through August 14.

Are you interested in being trained to perform CPR/Basic First Aid or to use the Automatic Defibrillator? The agency is offering another round of trainings to those interested both as a benefit to staff in their personal lives and to add to the cadre of employees who have the ability to save lives should an emergency arise in the office.

Tuesday, July 28th–Clear Lake Office

Wednesday, July 29th–Marshalltown Office

Friday, July 31st–Cedar Falls Office

For more information or to sign-up for the training, please contact Kerri Wilson at 319-273-8201. Thank you to Julie Neuberger for her willingness to provide this training to staff.