The budget allocation for the Microsoft Cy Pres Settlement program for the eligible schools is posted on the front page of the Iowa DE Web site or here.
The following is a quick review of the program and some reminders:
- This is a 4 year program that ends in August 2013.
- The per pupil allocation is based on the 2007 certified student count.
- The money is split into general purpose and software vouchers. The eligible products list shows which type of voucher can be used.
- If a school’s claim is denied, the district is stuck with the expenditure. The DE has no power to appeal a denied claim.
- Once an ineligible product is listed, it is never eligible.
- If a school wants to purchase a product not on the list, they must contact Rust Consulting for approval. If approved, they will give the school a confirmation number. The Web site with all eligible products is updated about every two weeks.
Application
· Most schools requested a 360-day extension and have until May 11, 2010, to complete the application. Starting dates for each school can be staggered. Schools can start any time.
· The application is at www.edinfo.state.ia.us -- superintendents have a userID/password.
· Approval means application is approved. It does not mean that the listed products are approved (check the eligible products list at www.iowaschoolmicrosoftsettlement.com).
Guiding Principles
· The application must be linked to implementation of the ICC in one of the five focus areas. Be careful if choosing 21st century skills as one of the areas because those assessments are expensive. 21st century skills are still important/viable area, and the assessment would be in a subject/grade. For example, the school focuses on problem solving and purchases an interactive whiteboard to build 21st century skills. The school expects to see an increase in achievement reflected in 6th grade math.
· Exceptions are that buildings receiving more than $50,000 may choose additional focus areas in increments of $50,000.
· The online application has three basic questions with a limit of 2,000 characters including spaces for each.
Click here for the minutes from the December Heartland Administrators Association meeting. The next meeting will be January 5 at the West Des Moines Learning Center.
Highly-experienced national public speaker, discussion leader, trainer and author, Donna M. Beegle, Ed.D., will present a poverty workshop in Altoona on January 20, 2010, for AEA and school personnel interested in learning more about understanding those who live in poverty. Click here for more information and to register.
Get quick and current updates on education issues and policies. Make sure to follow Iowa's AEAs on Twitter at http://twitter.com/iowa_aea.
Iowa's AEAs, in concert with Larry Sigel of Iowa School Financial Information Services, have developed a communications toolkit to help school administrators respond and guide community conversations about what implications the governor's budget cut has for local districts across the state and for education as a whole.To access the Iowa Schools Budget Communications Toolkit, visit the Iowa AEA Web site at www.iowaaea.org.
Heartland AEA and Southeast Polk are partnering to offer a two-day session to help participants learn how difficult budget decisions can be improved by putting the focus upon clear, weighted criteria which are used to rationally prioritize difficult budget choices. Participants will learn how to use the Tregoe Analytical tools to make these decisions. Read below for more information and please reply by emailing adavids@aea11.k12.ia.us to indicate if your district has an interest in participating and how many people you anticipate will attend. Also, let us know if you have a preference of the following dates, January 11 & 12, January 26 & 27 or February 8 & 9. The cost will be based on the number of people participating. (The more participating, the lower the cost. The fee may range from $50 to $100 per person.)Facing Budget Reductions with Confidence: Getting It Right the First TimeBy developing objective criteria before the debate about “what to cut?”, it helps remove the emotion that often accompanies budget reduction discussions. Using an analytic approach which will be understood by all will not only improve results but also minimize misunderstandings and conflict. This two-day session will:- Address the importance of a leadership team using a common framework of analytic processes for making difficult decisions and solving complex problems.
- Utilize a case study which will involve the participants in making some budget decisions.
- Provide a sample “resolution” to the case study which uses the Tregoe Education Forum’s Decision-Analysis process.
- Learn how to use Decision-Analysis to develop clear, weighted criteria for budget reduction, evaluate a list of potential budget actions, identify high-impact risks associated with proposed reductions, develop preventative actions to address risks and develop an implementation and communication plan for rolling out budget actions.
IDEA 2004 requires states to provide timely access to required books and textbooks in accessible formats. The Iowa DE is encouraging districts to sign up qualified students with Bookshare, http://www.bookshare.org. Bookshare is free and serves students with print disabilities such as blindness, low vision, a physical disability or reading disability that is based on an organic dysfunction. Qualified students will have access to tens of thousands of books including textbooks from the NIMAC, educational reading, reference materials, fiction, newspapers and magazines. In addition, Bookshare offers free software applications that read digital books.
Additional information on next steps, instructions on how to join Bookshare, descriptions of student qualifications (NIMAS) and training opportunities are on the Heartland Web site at http://aea11bookshare.pbworks.com/.
A mobile interface to the EBSCO databases is now available. Enter this URL on your Smartphone or iTouch and then bookmark it--http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=mobsmart. Use the school username/password to access the online databases.
The EBSCO mobile interface re-sizes the screen to give full access to features.- Resource library in the teachers (or students) pocket.
- Full searching capability--search by date, document type, publication title and/or other limiters.
- Full-text articles, documents and images can be e-mailed or viewed.
- PDFs (some of primary source documents) are available.
- Image Collection (especially news and current events) is available.
Note: Javascript must be enabled on the Smartphone or iTouch. BlackBerry users can refer to this link for information on enabling Javascript: http://www.ehow.com/how_4965723_enable-javascript-blackberry.html.
For a list of the 24 EBSCO databases and/or an 8.5x11 poster, ask your teacher librarian or contact Susan Schrader, Heartland AEA Resource and Publications Supervisor, at sschrader@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Heartland has officially posted the Agency's chief administrator vacancy with the Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates search firm and applicants are now encouraged to apply for the position. A description of the position and a link to apply for it are posted on the front page of Heartland’s Web site and will remain there until the end of December.
Screening of applications will begin in late December and/or early January, with the Board of Directors interviewing those candidates deemed most qualified in late January. The candidate chosen will be encouraged to begin employment as soon as possible and no later than July 1, 2010.
The Board of Directors is seeking an educational leader to be Heartland's next chief administrator who possesses these attributes and skills:
- Can articulate and rally support for the organization's mission, vision and values.
- Knows how to maintain positive relationships with the Board, staff and member districts.
- Can lead a large complex agency.
- Understands special education and the special needs of students.
- Understands the service role of intermediate agencies.
- Is an excellent communicator and an effective team leader.
- Is committed to high standards for leadership behavior, operations and student learning.
- Is open, honest, caring and collaborative.
