Governor Reynolds has announced a change in leadership at the Department of Education, appointing McKenzie Snow, formerly Deputy Secretary of Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia, to replace Chad Aldis as department director. Aldis, who was named director in March of this year, has resigned for family reasons.  

Snow’s appointment as Director of the Iowa Department of Education is effective Monday, June 26. Aldis will remain through June 30 to assist with the transition. 

The Iowa Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (ICHEP) held its quarterly meeting on May 17 at the Des Moines Area Community College Urban Campus.

During the meeting, ICHEP’s five newly selected Fellows were introduced to the group during a speaker panel. Fellows are former incarcerated students who will serve a one-year term on the consortium and will provide guidance and input on the committee’s future projects.

Other meeting highlights included data best practices and equity principles for evaluating college programs in prison, professional development updates, FAFSA updates and personal experiences from a former inmate.

The ICHEP is a collaborative organization of institutions of higher education, the Iowa Department of Corrections, Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Board of Regents. Per ICHEP’s philosophy, this group recognizes and supports the rehabilitative power of postsecondary instruction for incarcerated students. They strive to provide high-quality programs and services to this student population.

For more information on ICHEP, contact Peggy Long, education program consultant, at peggy.long@iowa.gov or 515-975-8398.

The State Park and Institutional Roads Program provides funding to construct, reconstruct, improve and maintain roadways, including bridges, within the boundaries of state-owned lands or community college property. Sixty-five one-hundredths of one percent of the Road Use Tax Fund is allocated for maintenance and improvement of the State Park and Institutional Roads system. 

There are over 600 miles of roadways in the Park and Institutional Roads System. State agencies participating in the program are the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC), Iowa Department of Education, Iowa State Fair Board, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Guard of Iowa, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Iowa Board of Regents and Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Capitol Complex.

Each agency is allocated a percentage of the fund based on the Iowa Code, as follows: Iowa DNR (45.5 percent), Board of Regents (30 percent), Iowa HHS (6.5 percent), Iowa Department of Education (6 percent), Iowa DOC (5.5 percent), National Guard of Iowa (4 percent), State Fair Board (2 percent) and Iowa DAS Capitol Complex (0.5 percent)

In Spring 2023, with guidance from the DOT, the Department solicited proposals from Iowa’s 15 community colleges to be funded. Upon receipt of the projects submitted by the community colleges, the proposals were reviewed by a committee within the Department

Upon review of the proposals, the Department is funding the following proposals for calendar year 2027:

• Hawkeye Community College $400,000
  • Repair and rehabilitation of roadways on the main campus – Campus View Drive and Arboretum Drive.
• Northwest Iowa Community College $400,000
  • Construction of new road – A component of Northwest Iowa Community College’s master plan for the new main entrance to campus.

Application round for calendar year 2028 will begin on September 1 and end on October 31.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Fletcher, education program consultant, at jeffrey.fletcher@iowa.gov or 515-321-7309.

It was a great Adult Education and Literacy Summer Conference! Conference workshops began on June 28 at the Des Moines Area Community College FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, and the full conference event ran June 29-30.

Sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Literacy Council, the conference featured three keynote speakers. Conference attendees heard from Ahmed Agyerman, director of the Evelyn K. Davis Center, Des Moines Area Community College; Lisa Even, coach and “joy connoisseur,” and Michelle McNertney, division administrator, Workforce Services, Iowa Workforce Development during featured sessions.

This year’s conference theme was “Collaboration, Inspiration and Education” and offered opportunities for attendees to learn adult education and literacy best practices, network with colleagues and celebrate successes from the past year.

Awards for the Outstanding Adult Learner and Archie Willard Award were also presented during the summer conference.

Paula Nissen, administrative consultant in the Bureau of Community Colleges, presented at the National Conference for State Legislators (NCSL) Non-Degree Credentials meeting on June 8-9. Held in Bentonville, AK, this meeting provided opportunities for Nissen to share and mentor other states on Iowa's innovative tactics in collecting and evaluating noncredit education data. 

Nissen serves as a member of the state working group for NCSL, specializing in noncredit data collection, analysis and reporting. 

Additionally, all requests for technical assistance and any reporting requirements for Gap Tuition Assistance and Pathways for Academic Career and Employment (PACE) programs should now be directed to Paula Nissen.

For more details on Gap and PACE programs, contact Paula Nissen, administrative consultant, at paula.nissen2@iowa.gov or 515-418-8273.

Effective July 1, Iowa's Adult Education and Literacy Programs will transition to Iowa Workforce Development to reflect programs and services primarily focused on workforce development and employment.

This change is being made as part of a broader state government realignment to bring together entities that work with similar subject matter. Iowans can expect the same quality services from these programs, in addition to greater access to job services provided through IowaWORKS.

For more information, contact Amy Gieseke, chief of the Bureau of Community Colleges, at amy.gieseke@iowa.gov or 515-858-2234.