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PURPOSE
MASE strives to:
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Offer information that is concise, consistent and predictable to support the work you do in your communities
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Streamline our communications and reduce the number of messages in your mailbox
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A message from Nicole Bolduan,
MASE President-Elect:
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Seeking Committee Co-Chairs
Happy January, MASE members!
It has been an honor to serve as your President-Elect. In this role, I have the opportunity to appoint Chairs and Co-Chair-Elects to vacant standing committee positions. Appointed committee chairs will begin their terms on July 1, 2026, serving a two-year term, with the option to serve up to two consecutive terms unless the Executive Committee determines that extenuating circumstances warrant an exception.
The following standing committee positions will be vacant for the 2026–2028 term:
- Legislative Committee Tri-Chair
- Professional Development Committee Co-Chair
- Organizational Planning Committee Co-Chair
Committee chairs serve as ex-officio members of the Board of Directors and take on several key responsibilities, including coordinating and facilitating committee meetings; recording and sharing meeting minutes with the MASE Operations Director; bringing committee recommendations to the Board of Directors; preparing a final written committee report; and providing updates on progress toward annual goals aligned with the MASE strategic plan. When applicable, committee chairs are also responsible for appointing subcommittee chairs within their standing committee.
To support this appointment process, I will use the candidate self-nomination process that was established two years ago. This process helps identify MASE Active Members who are interested in serving in a leadership role and allows candidates to share why they feel they would be a good fit for the position.
If you are a MASE Active Member interested in serving a two-year term as a Committee Chair, please complete the Nomination Form by February 15, 2026. I look forward to hearing from you!
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✨ Sharing a Glimmer ✨
“A colleague recently described the work of a teacher as ‘graciously relentless.’ That describes all of the professionals who ‘choose’ to serve our students with special needs. They advocate and work tirelessly to support and set students up for success....’GRACIOUSLY RELENTLESS’."
– Anonymous
Share your own “MASE Moments of Awe.” These are the stories—the glimmers—that highlight the beauty and importance of what we do.
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Take-aways from SLICE Statewide Update Session
At our most recent SLICE event, Sonia Smith came and shared some updates. Here are a few takeaways she asked us to share:
Thank you to Sonia for the partnership.
The MASE Office also received an email from Michele Kvikstad of the Minnesota Department of Health, who shared the following information:
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DHS recently shared an update confirming continued flexibility around telehealth options for Medical Assistance members. You can find that update here.
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DHS has been hearing that safety concerns are making it more difficult for some families to access health care in person. A reminder that telehealth is an option for families on Medical Assistance, including completing some parts of a Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC) visit by phone or video.
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Please consider sharing this telehealth options flyer with families and partners you work with (currently available in English; translations coming soon).
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Additional information about Medical Assistance Fee-for-Service is available here.
Thank you for helping families understand their options and access care in ways that feel safer right now.
MDE Special Education Updates, January 23 | Read more
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American Indian Education Field Hearing: January 26
The Minnesota Department of Education will hold an American Indian Education Field Hearing from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at Prairie Island Indian Community, Treasure Island Resort & Casino, 5734 Sturgeon Lake Road, Welch. Read more
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Having Trouble with the MASE Website?
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If you haven’t been able to login at the MASE website yet, it is probably a simple fix for our staff! If you tried to register for one of our events but were unsuccessful, we can probably help you with that, too! And if you have an Accounts Payable person or someone else at your district who should have access to pay for dues and events, we can get you set up (if we haven’t done so already)!
Email Operations Director Laurie Pumper for help.
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Submit a Nomination for the MASE Board of Directors
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The Minnesota Administrators for Special Education has nominations open now for two positions on the Board of Directors:
If you are interested in serving in one of these positions, please please fill out this quick form.
Nominations are open until end of day on Friday, February 6, 2026.
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Help Shape Statewide Resources & Professional Learning
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CAREI and MASE are seeking your input in this 5-minute anonymous survey on the specific priorities and challenges facing Minnesota special educators through 2027. Your feedback will help directly shape the statewide resources, technical assistance, and professional learning opportunities developed for the upcoming school years.
Take the survey
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MASE Best Practices Conference Call for Proposals!
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The Minnesota Administrators for Special Education is excited to head to Madden’s this spring for our Best Practices Conference from May 13-15, 2026. We can’t wait to celebrate our colleagues with our theme, Unity in Complexity. If you or someone you know has a proposal related to this theme, please submit a proposal.
MASE is now accepting proposals for breakout sessions of 1 hour each. Please complete your submission by using the online form with all the required information.
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We will consider all submissions sent in by February 1, 2026.
We can’t wait to see you this spring!
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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.
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Join Us for Our Next SLICE of Collaboration Session: Virtual
Services
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Tuesday, February 3 | 12 p.m.
The topic for this session is Virtual Services with presenters from Area E, including Larry Syverson from Southwest West Central Services Cooperative. These sessions are open to members only. You'll receive the link to join in your confirmation email.
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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Innovations in Service Learning Grant Funding Available
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MDE has funding available for grants to schools to initiate or expand and strengthen innovative service learning opportunities for students in kindergarten through grade 12.
Applicants may apply for up to $50,000 for the anticipated grant period of April 2026 through June 2026. Fifty percent of the awarded funding must be conveyed to the community partner. The service learning partnership must provide matching funds or in-kind contributions at an amount equal to or greater than the total amount of the award. The matching fund requirement may be waived for schools serving a population where 50% of more of the students qualify for educational benefits. Applications must be received by February 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. CST to be considered.
Read more in the Jan. 9 MIYM
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From DC to Your District: Federal Legislative Update
Thursday, February 19, Noon
Join your Midwest special education colleagues for a federal legislative update from Myrna R. Mandlawitz, Policy and Legislative Consultant to the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) and Kuna Tavalin, Senior Advisor, Policy and Advocacy to the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). This event is free but registration is required.
This virtual event is presented in collaboration with the Midwest Executive Directors from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
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Webinar: Healthcare in Peril | January 26, 3 p.m. CST
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Join this timely webinar hosted by a coalition of health care advocates, civil rights leaders, and community leaders to learn how you can prepare our communities through information and action. The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Urban League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, UnidosUS, Coalition on Human Needs, Community Catalyst, Families USA, the National Health Law Program, and Protect Our Care have come together to cosponsor the event.
Webinar: Healthcare in Peril: Preparing and Protecting our Communities from ACA & Medicaid Cuts
Date: Monday, January 26, 2026
Time: 4-5 p.m. ET / 3-4 p.m. CT (includes live Q&A)
Who it’s for: Healthcare workers, agency leadership and staff (including community health workers), community advocates, organizers, and local leaders
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CAREIMath
Improving math outcomes is a priority for districts nationwide, but many efforts fall short because they focus on isolated strategies rather than the system as a whole.
At the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), we partner with districts and states to turn research into practice in ways that strengthen instructional systems. CAREIMath was created to do exactly that—bringing coherence, consistency, and evidence-based practices to mathematics instruction across an entire district.
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Click the button above to submit your news and/or job openings! Also, please whitelist info@mnase.org and laurie.pumper@mnase.org to ensure that you receive your newsletter without interruption.
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