Sept. 1 Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) Meeting Reminder

The first Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) meeting of the 2026-27 school year will be held on Sept. 1. The agenda will feature guest speakers: 

1. McKenzie Snow, Director of the Iowa Department of Education 
2. Lori Suddick, Ed.D., President of Des Moines Area Community College 

Superintendents will also have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the implementation of laws from the 2026 legislative session. Our SAI partners Brad Buck, Matt Carver and Dave Daughton will join us to help facilitate the discussions and field questions. Please add questions here by Aug. 28.

The meeting will be held in person at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, in Conference Rooms 107A/B, starting at 9:00 a.m.

May 5 Heartland Administrators’ Association Meeting Reminder

The May 5 HAA meeting will be held in person from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston. Updates with educational partners will be held via Zoom beginning at 10:30 a.m. Look for an agenda soon!

April 7 HAA Reminder - Zoom Business Meeting at 10:30 a.m.

This is a reminder that the April 7 HAA meeting will be held as a Zoom check-in from 10:30–11:30 a.m. There will be no in-person meeting. The agenda will include legislative and partnership updates. Calendar invitations with the Zoom link have been sent.

April 7 HAA Reminder - Zoom Business Meeting at 10:30 a.m.

This is a reminder that the April 7 HAA meeting will be held as a Zoom check-in from 10:30–11:30 a.m. There will be no in-person meeting. The agenda will include legislative and partnership updates. Calendar invitations with the Zoom link have been sent.

March 3 Heartland Administrators’ Association Meeting Features Breakout Sessions — Select Yours by Feb. 27

We have received some requests for deep-dive conversations on specific topics. To facilitate this, we will host three concurrent breakout sessions from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. during our March 3 meeting. Please complete this survey by Feb. 27 to indicate which session you will attend. This allows our facilitators to prepare district-specific examples, where appropriate, for the participants in the room. Superintendents can attend one session and are welcome to register their HR staff, SBOs or technology staff for the other sessions.

Our regular business meeting and legislative update will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m. Zoom links and further details will be sent to participants next week.

Breakout Sessions

Option 1: Property Tax Changes – Impact & Implications
Led by: Mike Guanci, IASB
Focus: A walkthrough of proposed property tax changes using IASB tools to show the specific impact on attending districts.
Target Audience: Superintendents and SBOs (Zoom option available for SBOs).

Option 2: Lessons from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners
Led by: Mike Cavin, BOEE
Focus: Insights into practitioner licensure, evaluator approval and the complaint process. Learn the most common ethical violations and the proper protocols for reporting.
Target Audience: Superintendents and HR Officials (Zoom option available for HR).

Option 3: District AI Considerations
Led by: Amy Wichman, Director of Media, Technology & Digital Learning, Heartland AEA
Focus: Navigating policies/guidelines, AI and the Google Domain and AI Innovation considerations. Amy will also share a few high-leverage AI tools for administrators
Target Audience: Superintendents and Tech Directors (Zoom option available for Tech Directors).

HAA Meeting Update: Feb. 3 Zoom Check-In

This is a reminder that the Feb. 3 HAA meeting will be held as a Zoom check-in from 10:30–11:30 a.m. There will be no in-person meeting. The agenda will include partnership updates. Calendar invitations with the Zoom link have been sent.

Legislative Panel to Highlight Jan. 6 HAA Meeting

Reminder for the Jan. 6, 2026 HAA Meeting

Jan. 6, 2026
In-person
9-11:30 a.m.
Heartland AEA
Johnston Regional Education Center
6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston

The agenda will feature a legislative panel, a proposal from the Iowa Department of Education regarding IDEA-DA and Federal IDEA Part B designations and updates from our educational partners.

Jan. 2026 HAA Agenda

Legislative Panel to Highlight Jan. 6 HAA Meeting

Reminder for the Jan. 6, 2026 HAA Meeting

Jan. 6, 2026

In-person

9-11:30 a.m.

Heartland AEA 

Johnston Regional Education Center

6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston 

The agenda will feature a legislative panel, a proposal from the Iowa Department of Education regarding IDEA-DA and Federal IDEA Part B designations and updates from our educational partners.

Jan. 2026 HAA Agenda

Nov. 4 Heartland Administrators’ Meeting Reminder - Guest Speaker Eileen Wixted

During our October HAA meeting, superintendents were asked to share input on topics they’d like to explore in future meetings. As a result, two key communication priorities emerged:

1. How to tell your district’s positive story to stakeholders.
2. How to talk with legislators about the balance between compliance and local control.

At our November meeting, we’re excited to welcome Eileen Wixted, President of Wixted & Co., who will lead a hands-on session to help you tell your district’s story with confidence and clarity. Together, we’ll also develop talking points for legislative conversations around local control. See more in the agenda

🗓️ Nov. 4 | 9–11:30 a.m.
📍 Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
💻 Updates with educational partners via Zoom beginning at 10:30 a.m.

We look forward to seeing you on Nov. 4!

Oct. 7 Heartland Administrators’ Meeting Features Iowa DE Director

The Oct. 7 HAA meeting will be held in person from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston. The agenda will feature guest speaker, Director McKenzie Snow, from the Iowa Department of Education and updates from our educational partners. Immediately following the HAA meeting, superintendents are invited to stay for the IASB Regional Meeting from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided by IASB.

Oct. 7 Heartland Administrators’ Meeting Features Iowa DE Director

The Oct. 7 HAA meeting will be held in person from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston. The agenda will feature guest speaker, Director McKenzie Snow, from the Iowa Department of Education and updates from our educational partners. Immediately following the HAA meeting, superintendents are invited to stay for the IASB Regional Meeting from 11:30-12:30. Lunch will be provided by IASB.

Sept. 2 Heartland Administrators’ Meeting Rescheduled for a 10:30 Zoom Check in

Due to a conflict with the Iowa Department of Education director’s schedule, and the meeting being scheduled immediately following Labor Day, the Sept. 2 HAA meeting will transition from an in-person meeting to a zoom check-in from 10:30 -11:30 a.m. The AGENDA will include beginning of the year messages from educational partners.

Our face-to-face meeting with Director Snow has been rescheduled for Oct. 7.

Sept. 2 Heartland Administrators’ Meeting Rescheduled for a 10:30 Zoom check in

Due to a conflict with the Iowa Department of Education director’s schedule, and the meeting being scheduled immediately following Labor Day, the Sept. 2 HAA meeting will transition from an in-person meeting to a zoom check-in from 10:30 -11:30 a.m. The agenda will include beginning of the year messages from educational partners. Calendar invitations will be updated to note the adjusted start time and zoom link.

Our face-to-face meeting with Director Snow has been rescheduled for Oct. 7.

May 6 HAA Meeting Reminder

The May 6 HAA meeting will be held in person from 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston. At 10:30 a.m., the meeting will transition to a zoom option for a legislative update with Dave Daughton, government relations director with SAI, and other educational partnership updates.

Agenda topics will include:

• 504 Services
• Program Enhancement Services for a Fee
• Contract for State Funds Transfer between AEAs and LEAs for Spec. Ed. Funding
• 2025-26 Billing and Invoicing
• Partnership updates

May 6 HAA Meeting Reminder

The May 6 HAA meeting will be held in person from 9 - 11:30 a.m. at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston. At 10:30 a.m., the meeting will transition to a zoom option for a legislative update with Dave Daughton and other educational partnership updates.

Reminder: HAA Meeting April 1 at 10:30 a.m.

The April 1 HAA meeting will be conducted via Zoom starting at 10:30 a.m. There will be no in-person meeting, and the agenda will include a legislative update with Dave Daughton, SAI Government Relations Director, along with other partnership updates. Calendar invitations have been updated to reflect the start time and include the Zoom link.

Join the HAA Meeting on March 4

The next HAA meeting will be held in person on March 4 from 9 - 11:30 a.m. at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston. The agenda will feature:

• Learning session on changes to the open meeting laws with Siobhan Schneider from IASB
• Review of Special Education Finance Documents with Matt Cretsinger from the Iowa Dept. of Education
• Regional Planning Partnership update from Sue Schirmer, Heartland AEA Professional Learning and Leadership Consultant

At 10:30 a.m., the meeting will transition to a zoom option for a legislative update with Dave Daughton and other educational partnership updates.

Mark Your Calendar for the HAA March 4, 2025

The next HAA meeting will be held in person on March 4 from 9 - 11:30 a.m. at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, Conference Rooms 107AB. The agenda will feature a learning session on changes to the open meeting laws with Siobhan Schneider from IASB and a Regional Planning Partnership update from Sue Schirmer, Heartland AEA Professional Learning and Leadership Consultant. At 10:30 a.m., the meeting will transition to a zoom option for a legislative update with Dave Daughton and other educational partnership updates.

HAA Meeting Reminder - Feb. 4

The next HAA meeting will be held via zoom on Feb. 4 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. There will be no in-person meeting. The abbreviated agenda will feature a legislative update and updates from our educational partners. Calendar invitations have been sent that note the adjusted time and include the zoom link.

Join us for the 2025 Day on the Hill with Iowa's AEAs, IASB & SAI on Jan. 27-28, 2025! With three events across two days and two in-depth advocacy webinars, you will be well-equipped to advocate for public schools and student success! Learn more and register today!

Do you have a stand-out student program? Showcase Your District’s Innovative Programs with a Compelling Exhibit at “Day on the Hill”.

Mark Your Calendar for the HAA Jan. 7 Meeting

The next HAA meeting will be held on Jan. 7 from 9 - 11:30 a.m. The agenda will feature a legislative panel with guest speakers Emily Piper and/or Michelle Johnson from IASB, Kate Walton from Eide & Walton and Dave Daughton from SAI and RSAI. At 10:30 a.m., the meeting will transition to a zoom option for Heartland AEA and other educational partnership updates.