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From the Executive Director,
Erin Toninato:
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 Spring Brings Energy—and More
There’s something about this time of year.
Calendars are full, decisions keep coming, and the pace rarely lets up. Spring brings an energy, but it also seems to stack everything just a little higher. You can feel the push toward the end of the year, while still carrying everything in front of you.
Each day, I am reminded how much this work depends on steady leadership—showing up each day, making thoughtful decisions, supporting teams, and keeping students at the center.
It’s also good to recognize this stretch for what it is. A lot is being asked right now, and the way you continue to show up truly makes a difference.
If you can find even a small moment this weekend to pause, reset, or simply take in what is getting done—I hope you do.
As always, thanks for all you do...
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✨ Share a Glimmer ✨
Share your “MASE Moments of Awe.” These are the stories—the glimmers—that highlight the beauty and importance of what we do.
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We are pleased to announce that Robert Dehnert has won the election for President-Elect. It was a close race with Ryan Rehnstrand, and we appreciate the willingness of both Rob and Ryan to serve our association.
Tiffany Litman has been elected to the position of Board Secretary.
Rob and Tiffany will begin their terms on July 1, 2026. Thanks to everyone who voted in our election!
Additionally, Heidi Nistler has been elected to a 3-year term on the MASA Board as the Metro Representative for Special Education.
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Proposed Changes to Medicaid Billing for Schools
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Minnesota schools are facing significant proposed changes from the MN Department of Human Services regarding how Medicaid services are billed. The new requirements would mandate that speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, and mental health professionals obtain a National Provider Identifier (NPI) and enroll individually in MN Healthcare Programs (MHCP). As proposed by DHS, these requirements do not work operationally for school districts and add a new system of challenges and bureaucracy making it difficult for districts.
We understand the concerns and implication these changes raise for school districts. Valerie and her colleagues are actively engaged on this issue, with conversations already underway with the Governor's office, MDE and key legislators to ensure that the challenges facing schools are heard and addressed before these changes take effect.
We will continue to keep you informed as conversations progress.
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SEDRA and ACTE-SPED Opening May 1
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Specific service code expenditures without errors entered in SEDRA for SFY 2026 as of April 30, 2026, will be copied into the upcoming year on May 1 by 9 a.m. Prior to May 1, 2026, please review your SEDRA lines to ensure only current data rolls into the new year. As of April 01, 2026, 36,900 lines have not been updated since May 2025.
SEDRA expenditures without errors for the 25-26 school year will generate the state and federal cover sheets for SFY 2027. State and federal cover sheets will be made available in the Minnesota Funding Reports (MFR) by 9 a.m. on May 4. This is due to May 1 being on a Friday and SEDRA data is loaded to the mainframe overnight and so data to create the cover sheets is not available until Monday, May 4. Each line will be renumbered for the new fiscal year and will have an error message “Initial Data – Has Not Been Retained or Changed.”
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Recap: Legislative Update
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Legislators returned to the Capitol last week following the Easter and Passover break and are now entering the final stretch of the 2026 session. With policy committee deadlines in the rearview mirror and just over a month until the May 18 adjournment, legislators now have this week to finish work on major finance bills ahead of the April 17 deadline. Attention has turned to assembling omnibus bills, though there is still uncertainty about whether agreements on a supplemental budget will be reached this year.
Senate Education Finance Committee
The committee heard legislation to provide an unspecified amount for one-time school safety aid to school districts, intermediate school districts, and other cooperative districts, as well as charter schools. The bill also provides one-time grants to non-public schools.
The committee also heard SF3969, establishing a new grooming criminal offense.
SF3625 is the policy bill advanced by PELSB, which includes a provision providing additional flexibility for Tier 2 teachers to meet requirements for enrollment in teacher preparation programs.
The committee received a walkthrough by MDE of the Governor's Education Budget recommendations. The committee also took public testimony on the governor’s recommendations. MASE member Heidi Nistler from St. Paul Public Schools testified on behalf of MASE, voicing strong opposition to the additional reductions in special education.
House Education Finance Committee
The committee took up one bill, HF3119, which establishes statewide minimum salary levels for teachers and non-licensed staff beginning in FY27, creates a statewide Educator Group Insurance Program (EGIP), and directs the Legislative Budget Office to conduct a comprehensive survey of school district health insurance programs and employer and employee health insurance costs. No action was taken on the bill and given the tie, it is not expected to advance this session.
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Inside Trump’s 3.5% Budget Boost for Special Education
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From K-12DIVE
The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal to Congress touts a “historic investment” into federally funded special education programs, including increased flexibility for states to make funding decisions and a renewed effort to reduce paperwork burdens for special educators and administrators.
Despite the proposed $539 million increase over FY 2026, special education administrative organizations and disability rights advocacy groups say the federal spending plan zero funds and consolidates several programs for FY 2027, similar to the administration’s FY 26 proposal. Those changes would make states less accountable for provisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and would erode the services and supports that students, families, and special educators rely on, they say.
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MDE Special Education Updates, April 13 | Read More
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MDE Special Education Fiscal Monitoring Office Hours
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The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Special Education Fiscal Monitoring Team will hold one final office hours session for the 2025-2026 school year.
These sessions are for special education directors, business managers, and related special education and business staff who are responsible for compliance, procedures, or submitting documentation to MDE during special education fiscal monitoring. Please share this announcement with applicable staff.
Thursday, April 23, 2026, 11 a.m.-noon Office Hours
Email SPED Fiscal Monitoring Team with questions.
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MDE Load of State Fiscal Year 2026 Final Federal Allocations
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The SFY 2026 final allocations have been loaded into the Minnesota Education Grant System (MEGS) for the following Finance Codes (FIN).
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CASE Updates from Melissa Schaller
Look for information, including how to register, in the latest CASE Member Update regarding the CASE Annual Membership Meeting. This is scheduled for Friday, May 1 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Registration for the Special Education Leadership Summit (SELS) is open. This event takes place July 19–22 in Washington, DC. MASE sends a group (executive director, CASE representative, president, and president-elect) to this event to learn and advocate on federal issues and their impact in Minnesota. We would love to have others join us! If you would like information regarding our travel plans, reach out to me at melissa.schaller@isd917.org and I will send you details. This event fills up quickly, so it is important to register early.
If you did not have a chance to join 60 Minutes with Myrna this week, please check out her presentation on the CASE website. There is a lot of good information.
There are proposed changes to the SPP/APR - Parts B & C. More information will come from Myrna. Comments are due May 22. If you want to check them out, go to www.regulations.gov. For Part B, enter ED-2026-SCC-0661 and For Part C, enter ED-2026-SCC-0628.
CASE will host advocacy training for state units. This was developed under the leadership of our own Cherie Johnson. This is planned for June 18 at 4pm. More to come.
Also, please go the Action Center on the CASE website... Act Now. Act Again. Keep these two issues on the forefront for legislators: 1. Keep all education programs in the U.S. Department of Education; and 2. Oppose privatization of education through any voucher mechanisms.
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Are You Retiring This Year?
MASE members: If you are retiring this year, please let us know your retirement date and a brief (250 words maximum) career summary. If you are attending the Best Practices Conference (May 13-15), we will recognize you briefly and share a small thank-you gift. We will also publish career summaries in our newsletter during May and June.
Deadline: April 30
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Reminder: You can maintain your connection to MASE with a Retiree Membership! You’ll continue to receive our weekly newsletter and be eligible for member rates on our conferences and other events. We have also just added a checkbox for our Retiree members so you can indicate if you are open to being considered for independent/temporary work should districts have a need.
Login to your Member Compass to check the box in the Profile tab (and make any other updates needed). But please don’t pay your dues just yet! We will launch renewals in May, and if you pay now, your membership will expire on June 30.
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🎉 BEST Bingo Night Yet Is HERE! 🎉
Get ready to turn up the energy at the Minnesota Special Education Leadership Foundation (MNSELF) Bingo Extravaganza, our most exciting fundraiser yet, all in support of learning for leaders!
📍 Townhall Ballroom
📅 Thursday, May 14, 2026
🕖 7:15 PM kickoff (don’t be late… the first game starts right away!)
This is not your average bingo night. It’s 10 high-energy rounds packed with laughter, friendly competition, and seriously amazing prizes. Your $20 ticket includes two cards per game, plus the option to add more chances to win if you're feeling lucky.
✨ What to expect:
· 🎯 10 fast-paced Bingo rounds
· 🎁 Designer handbags (Michael Kors, Kate Spade & Portland Leather!)
· 🧊 Other prizes from Fjallraven, Portland Gear, and Hulkin. Also gift cards, including a special bucket from Menards!
· 🎟️ Raffle drawings with exclusive prizes
· 🍹 Cash bar + wait staff service to keep you in the game
Whether you're in it for the purses, the prizes, or just a fun night with colleagues, there’s something for everyone.
💥 Tickets will go FAST! Grab yours early and be part of a night that brings the fun while supporting a mission that matters.
Let’s pack the room, raise some funds, and make this the BEST Bingo Night yet! 🌟
BINGO $20 for 2 packs: https://square.link/u/vYCyUJwN
BINGO $10 for 1 pack: https://square.link/u/wf2zlHO8
You will also have the opportunity to enter a raffle for a money tree!
$5 for 1 ticket: https://square.link/u/rqnaWrME
If you have any questions, please contact:
Tanya Tacker, ttacker@rrsec.org
Christian Wernau, cwernau@zumbroed.org
Nicole Bolduan, nbolduan@gced.k12.mn.us
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Next Week! MASE BIPOC Special Education Leaders Affinity Space
April 22 | MASE Headquarters Building, St. Louis Park
Directors of Special Education, Coordinators, Special Education Supervisors, Central Office Leaders, Aspiring Special Education Leaders, and others who identify as a leader of color in Special Education: You are invited to join other Special Education leaders of color from across Minnesota! The MASE Equity Committee invites you to join us on April 22 to build relationships, share leadership experiences, name the realities of leading while navigating systems, and identify the supports you want us to create.
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You Can Still Register for the MASE Best Practices Conference!
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If you need more reasons to attend:
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Check out our breakout session information.
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Keynotes Phyllis Wolfram (CASE Executive Director) and Sherlonda Sharp (speaker, consultant, and comedian) are sure to share insightful and impactful presentations.
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More than 330 people have already registered to attend our conference—sign up now to join us!
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Our sponsor opportunities are also going quickly! All exhibit space has been sold. Many other great options for visibility remain—including Mobile App Sponsorship, Keynote Sponsorships, Lunch Sponsorships, and one Coffee Break Sponsorship!
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Download the 2026 MASE Legislative Platform
 The MASE Legislative Committee, working with lobbyist Valerie Dosland, has created our Legislative Platform for this session of the Minnesota Legislature. With many important issues facing Special Education this year, read the platform so you’re aware of the issues our team will focus on. Key focus areas are fair and sustainable funding (including repeal of the $250 million cut to special education cross-subsidy aid), and flexible and supportive policy—especially pertaining to special educator recruitment and retention as well as safe and secure school environments.
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Members, Tell Us about Yourself
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We are bringing back the MASE Member Spotlights! We have some new questions and we’re hoping to hear from some of our members. We will feature Member Spotlights in this newsletter and in our social media posts so that members get to know more about one another. Thanks to those who have already responded!
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Join Us for Our Next SLICE of Collaboration Session: Record Retention
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Tuesday, April 21 | 12 p.m.
The topic for our next SLICE webinar is Record Retention, with presenters from Area D. Join us at Noon for informal conversations with your colleagues from across the state. These sessions are open to members only. You'll receive the link to join in your confirmation e-mail.
Reminder: You must login to our website to see the registration button for this event.
You can register for additional SLICE sessions on the MASE website—check our Calendar.
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WCASS Spring Conference
April 29-May 1 | La Crosse Center | La Crosse, Wisconsin
The WCASS Spring Conference will feature a focus on learning. The Pre-Conference and Keynote sessions will feature Michael Kennedy, one of the authors of the CEC's High Leverage Practices work. We highly recommend bringing along a lead teacher or Program Support Teacher to join you in this work. The sessions will engage participants both in a deeper understanding of the HLPs in practice and in developing a plan to create structures for systemic implementation of the work.
Throughout the day on Thursday, April 30, breakout sessions focused on instruction are also provided! Colleagues from around the state will deliver these sessions, representing the practical side of instructional improvement for both academic and behavioral learning.
WCASS has a special offer for MASE members. You can attend the conference at the WCASS member rate. To take advantage of this opportunity, contact Jim Heiden, WCASS Executive Director, executive.director@WCASS.org.
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