Board of Directors Orientation

Welcome to the Central Rivers Area Education Agency Board of Directors! Your willingness to volunteer to serve on this important board in service to the children, families and educators of our area is genuinely appreciated. This booklet is designed to provide you with basic information about the agency, our mission and purpose, those we serve, and the overall work of the Iowa AEA system. Your important role A nine-member Board of Directors representing every school district that the agency serves governs Central Rivers AEA. The board represents the legal body that establishes educational policies and sets goals and objectives for the agency. These policies and goals are carried out by the chief administrator and staff under the board’s direction. Terms are for four years and overlap to ensure continuity of board leadership. AEA board members receive no pay for their public service. The role of the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors Some of the main roles of the board are to: 1. Hire, oversee and evaluate the chief administrator. 2. Set policies which are regularly reviewed against changes in the law and to ensure ongoing effectiveness. 3. Establish a mission to direct policies and work. 4. Act as the intermediary when there is a breakdown between staff and administration (usually in the case of a termination), administration and students, or between LEA’s (local school districts) as is the case in a merger or transportation issue. 5. Oversee the budget including the approving of bills, establishment of salaries, and approving capital improvements. The board does not manage day-to-day operations or determine programming. Unless policies are violated or programming fails to meet the mission, questions, concerns or suggestions about day-to-day operations, staffing, programming or other management decisions should be addressed to the appropriate Central Rivers 2 AEA administrator.

EXECUTIVE EDUCATIONAL Specia Chief Administrator LEADERSHIP SERVICES The Chief Administrator is the Oversight of vision, board lly Designed Instruction chief executive officer of the Regional Administrators, board, but does not vote. It is his/ general education, literacy, her responsibility to advise board and community relations, math, ELL, members on all matters, to execute agency operations, policies and decisions made by the accountability curriculum, assessment, board, and to operate the agency to professional learning the maximum of its potential. Sam Miller, Board meetings Well-Being BOARD OF Chief Administrator Dr. Julie Davies, SPECIAL Regular meetings are traditionally DIRECTORS Executive Director of EDUCATION held on the first Wednesday of every Educational Services month in the Central Rivers AEA Vision, policy, oversight, guidance Cedar Falls campus Board Room. Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson, Physical & occupational The meeting location occasionally scchhioaldouAhldpomisooyldytoch,hgKweoynr,olaoucrpgokpyyne,p,sxssu,cpplhEeteoxareioencelhtcnssuclo,aettcn,eiiavigatleumiwnaDeorgerirearpkenp,s,ctaetthhoaeorrallyroignyg, rotates to other venues. Meetings Dr Debra Rich, Dr George North, CHILDREN, of Special Education are traditionally held at 6 p.m. and Dr Darshini Jayawardena, FAMILIES & are open to the public. David Giese, Maureen Hanson, Dr Tony Reid, Bryan Burton, Dennis Craun CREATIVE SERVICES & EDUCATORS HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESOURCES CENTRAL RIVERS ppruibnVltiiBicdneergSteo,ehlcarpSovtrtiimoocrdienpkussuec,&,ttaeDiCgoriorenpmen,rcocgmtygroaurcrapnoomhmifcimCacmrtdieiunoeangnstii,iscgvsanecth,ioonosl AREA EDUCATION AGENCY Employee relations, benefits, contracts, culture/climate Karl Kurt, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Human Resources MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS OFFICE SERVICES Accounts receivable/payable, Lending library, van delivery, budget, employee portal hardware, software, internet, Michael Kalvig, Chief Financial Officer technology integration Jen Sigrist, Executive Director of Media & Technology Future Ready A quorum of board members must be present for a regular meeting to take place. All actions authorized or required by law are taken in open meetings. State law allows the board to consider matters of personnel and building site acquisition in closed session and then vote on them in open session. Members of the general public with an interest in addressing the board may do so during the reports section of the agenda. Interested parties must sign in and share their discussion topic with the board secretary. A speaker may be subject to a time limit when addressing the board. Please contact the Chief Administrator to share concerns or suggestions in a deeper dialogue format. 3

About Central Rivers AEA Central Rivers Area Education Agency supports educators, parents, and the communities we serve as we work together toward one ultimate goal--to improve student learning. Central Rivers AEA provides support in the areas of quality instructional materials, curriculum planning, best practices in teaching and learning, safe and caring learning environment, appropriate educational opportunities for all learners, technology planning, professional learning, assessment, special education, leadership development, and more. What is an AEA? Central Rivers Area Education Agency is one of nine Area Education Agencies created in 1974 by the Iowa legislature to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children from birth through age 21. Support to local schools is provided through three service areas: Educational Services, Information & Technology and Special Education. Area Education Agencies are funded from federal-aid and state-aid payments; legislatively controlled property tax; federal, state and private grants; and tuition for classes. In addition to the main office in Cedar Falls, the agency also has main offices in Marshalltown and Clear Lake as well as two special education sector offices located throughout the served area. Services are organized around four “sectors” comprised of an approximate equal number of students in each. In addition, Central Rivers AEA provides contracted instructional programming for River Hills School in Cedar Falls, which serve unique 4 populations of students.

Who does Central Rivers AEA Serve? We serve over 66,000 students including 53 public school districts and 17 non-public school districts. In addition, nearly 5,000 educators rely on Central Rivers AEA for services in special education, school technology, media and instructional/curriculum support. The agency’s service area reaches 18 counties and nearly 9,000 square miles. Central Rivers AEA leadership team The agency is led by an Administrative Cabinet, directed by the Chief Administrator. Members represent the heads of each of the three service areas divisions of the agency--Special Education, Educational Services and Information Technology--as well as the functional areas of finance, human resources, comprehensive improvement, and communication. 5

CRAEA 5-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN OVERVIEW Why: • Build internal capacity of our • AEA and district staff demonstrate an understanding of SDI within AEA staff. an MTSS Framework in their daily work. To ensure success for all learners in an MTSS framework. • Support SDI sites within our • AEA and district staff demonstrate belief in the Guiding Principles. agency. • AEA and district staff apply the critical features of the SDI Why: To ensure that all learners’ so- • Develop the AEA infrastructure Framework in their daily work. cial, emotional, behavioral, and mental necessary to sustain • Long-term outcome: By May 2023, all CRAEA districts will be fully health needs are met. implementation. To ensure that all staff are brave implementing SDI in an MTSS framework. leaders who inspire a feeling of trust • Scale the components of an effective, • Local schools and AEA staff will have the knowledge and skills needed and belonging. tiered MTSS system with local schools. to support learners with social, emotional, behavioral, and mental Why: • Facilitate just-in-time professional health concerns. learning to local schools that supports • Learners will have positive outcomes (increased attendance rates, To ensure that all learners are adaptable the components of the MTSS system. higher grades, positive school behaviors, pro-social behaviors, coping and contribute to a global community. skills, decreased restraints and seclusions). • Provide phases of implementation to • Increase anabolic energy (i.e. courage and vulnerability). districts for long-range support. • Improve CRAEA job satisfaction and employee retention. • Develop and retain high-value relationships. • Establish an agency-wide culture/ • Learner engagement and ownership of learning increases in climate committee. classrooms. • Districts use common language around knowledge, skills and • Utilize culture data to develop agency dispositions of the future ready learner. and region-specific action plans. • Learners are confident, curious explorers of the digital world. • Learners regularly experience genuine partnerships that connect • Support teachers in being an learning in/to an ever-changing world. activator of learning. • Facilitate district creation of a Portrait of a Graduate. • Embed the Universal Constructs into teaching and learning. • Engage all learners in authentic community experiences. Employee information: Certified staff..................... 367 Non-union support staff....... 42 Classified staff................... 102 Administration...................... 25 6

State and national context Central Rivers AEA is one of nine Area Education Agencies--or AEAs- -in the state of Iowa. Each of the nine AEAs work closely together to accomplish system-wide goals and ensure continuity of services so that every student in every school district receives access to the same high quality resources and supports. Iowa’s AEA system is unique in the country and often heralded as the premier intermediate service system nationwide for its emphasis on equity, efficiencies and effectiveness. INspired Leadership Central Rivers AEA has invested heavily in training and coaching for staff and board around a model called INspired Leadership. INspired Leadership invites and expects everyone in the organization to “own” their own “energy” (behavior and intentions) and work toward operating at a level that contributes to the overall health of the agency. “We all win or no one wins.” Greater exposure to the model will be provided for all new board members in order to ensure continuity of the initiative. 7

75 Equity Statement Central Rivers Area Education Agency (AEA) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, marital status, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic background or disability in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices as required by all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action laws, directives, and regulations of federal, state and local governing bodies and agencies. Students, parents of students, applicants for employment and employees of Central Rivers AEA shall have the right to file a formal complaint alleging non- compliance with federal and state regulations requiring nondiscrimination in educational programs and employment. Inquiries concerning application of this statement should be addressed to: Karl Kurt, Equity Coordinator, Central Rivers AEA, 1521 Technology Pkwy, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613, Telephone: 800-542- 8375.