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From the Executive Director,
Erin Toninato:
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Coming Together in DC with a Shared Message to Move Special Education Forward
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This week at the Special Education Leadership Summit (SELS), special education leaders from across the country came together with a shared message: continue moving special education forward by investing in students and protecting the educational systems that help them succeed. This year's advocacy focused on fully funding IDEA, keeping public education funds in public education, and preserving the U.S. Department of Education as the home for special education.
Washington definitely reminded us it was July, with plenty of heat and humidity. Because we divided and conquered, due to overlapping schedules for a few meetings, I set off on my own for one. True to form, my directionally challenged self got turned around. I always joke that overpacking is my superpower—I may have to add getting turned around to the list! Thankfully, I still made every meeting on time—I did get to see a neighborhood that I hadn't seen before (I will call that a win).
Minnesota also had the opportunity to share a story that makes us especially proud. In 1957, our state became the first in the nation to pass a law ensuring students with disabilities had access to a public education. That commitment helped lay the foundation for Public Law 94-142 and, ultimately, IDEA.
It was a wonderful reminder that Minnesota has long been a leader in special education, and MASE will continue advocating with our congressional delegation to protect that legacy and move special education forward for the students and families we serve.
To learn more about this year's advocacy priorities and our time at SELS, be sure to check out the CASE section of MIYM for the policy briefs and additional information from the summit!
Thank you to those who attended and 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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A Constitutional Amendment Is Coming to Your November Ballot: What It Means for Schools
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During the last legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature passed a bipartisan bill placing a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to change how the state's Permanent School Fund (PSF) distributes revenue to public schools. The PSF, established in 1858, generates revenue from timber, mining, land leases, and other activities on school trust lands, with assets invested by the State Board of Investment. Currently, distributions to districts are based primarily on interest and dividend earnings. The proposed amendment would instead base annual distributions on 4.5% of the fund's three-year rolling average market value.
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Load of Initial SFY 2027 Allocations
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The State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2027 initial allocations have been loaded into the Minnesota Education Grant System (MEGS) for the Finance Codes (FIN) listed below. Please remember from last year that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is only able to initially award $81,407,432 of the Part B Section 611, FIN 419 prior to October 1. The total flow through award for FIN 419 is $202,241,437. MDE will recalculate a new estimate for FIN 419 in early October 2026, which will then hold back 10 percent of the flow through, which is typical of years past.
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New Features on MASE Website
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To help members find information easier, we’ve added a few new pages to the website:
FAQ page: Need to know how to pay for several members’ dues in one transaction? Not sure where to find our member directory? For these and a range of other questions, visit our MASE FAQs page. Do you have a suggestion to add to this page? Email Laurie Pumper.
MASE Area Map: Not sure where the boundaries are for the MASE areas? Check out the MASE Area Map! By clicking on the tabs for each area at the top of the page, you can see which cities/school districts are found within a specific area.
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Special Educators Oppose Education Department Breakup
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From K-12DIVE: Moving special education functions out of the U.S. Department of Education would be detrimental to students with disabilities because it would cause disparities in services across the states and reduce accountability measures, said special education professionals and advocates at the Special Education Legislative Summit on July 20.
Several former Education Department officials, speaking to the summit’s nearly 300 attendees, said the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the Education Department’s footprint by moving core responsibilities to various federal agencies is causing concerns regarding special education funding, policy, accountability and coordination with other K-12 services.
Note: Go to the “DO” section of today’s newsletter for additional information on the SELS conference from our CASE Liaison, Melissa Schaller.
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MDE Special Education Updates, July 17 | Read more
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MDE Special Education Funding Training Webinars
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Registration is open for seven webinars running from August 12 to October 21. Presentation material and information on joining the webinar will be sent to registered participants the day before each training.
Learn More and Register
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Updates to the Minnesota READ Act
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The 2026 legislative session brought several important updates to the Minnesota READ Act, strengthening Minnesota’s ongoing commitment to high‑quality literacy instruction for all students. This month’s newsletter highlights key statutory changes, including revisions to screening requirements across grades K–12, updates to professional development pathways, enhancements to curriculum review processes, and technical revisions that clarify key definitions within the law. These changes support districts, charter organizations, and educators as they continue implementing structured literacy aligned with the READ Act, and they reflect the state’s dedication to ensuring equitable, evidence‑based literacy practices for every learner.
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CASE Updates from Melissa Schaller
For a few weeks my update has led with this quote by Margaret Meade, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” This continues to ring true following our time in Washington this week. While the issues are critical, we are committed as are the delegation of congresswomen and men representing Minnesota.
Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS)
Once again, a delegation from MASE met with our colleagues from across the nation to advocate for special education on Capitol Hill. As the Minnesota delegation, we had the opportunity to meet with both of our senators and all eight of our representatives this week while we were in D.C. We discussed three main issues with them outlined in the issue briefs from the Council of Administrators of Special Education that are linked below.
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Federal Funding for Special Education (download PDF)
School Vouchers / Public Funds (download PDF)
Preserving the Department of Education (download PDF)
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Preserve the U.S. Department of Education, keeping all education programs funded under that agency together in the agency that is best able to ensure compliance with federal education laws.
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Halt the use of any Interagency Agreements to dismantle the Department of Education; such agreements have never been used to transfer programs from one federal agency to another.
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Maintain the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) within the U.S. Department of Education.
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Reject any changes that weaken IDEA implementation and oversight.
It really is an empowering event! We would love to have a bigger delegation...consider attending with us next July! In the meantime...
What can you do?
Contact your legislators!
Share your stories! The CASE office is collecting membership testimonials. Please fill out the form and forward it to three of your CASE friends, asking them to do the same.
Renew Your Membership
With MASE membership renewals in progress now, we strongly encourage you to keep or add a CEC/CASE Professional Basic Membership as part of your renewal! If the CEC/CASE membership is not included in your invoice, please contact Laurie Pumper at the MASE office to get your record updated; it’s a quick process. Less than half of our Active Members currently have opted in (or out) for CEC/CASE membership—let’s get our numbers up!
Abraham Thinking
Abe Saffer, Director of Governmental Relations for CASE, will begin Abraham Thinking to ponder policy and articulate advocacy on September 8. This is scheduled on the second Tuesday of each month from 4-5pm CST. Register on the CASE website.
CASE Conference
Registration for the CASE Conference is open. The conference takes place November 11-13 in Providence, Rhode Island. It would be awesome to have a Minnesota contingent attend. Consider adding this to your calendar. Check out details on the CASE website.
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Volunteer at the State Fair with Minnesota Kids Rise
As you may have read, MASE is one of the partnering organizations with Minnesota Kids Rise (MKR). MKR is hosting “I’m a Minnesota Kid” Day at the Minnesota State Fair on Wednesday, September 2. This will be a major public launch milestone. MKR seeks 50 to 60 volunteers to support the booth and campaign presence throughout the day.
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READ Act: Structured Literacy Implementation Training for Elementary School Leaders
MDE wants to hear from Elementary school leaders interested in taking a structured literacy implementation training. MDE is offering, at no cost, three different training programs:
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LETRS for Administrators (Lexia)
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Leadership for Literacy (CORE)
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CAREIALL for ALL (Advancing Literacy Leadership)
Complete this MDE Literacy Training for Elementary School Administrators interest form by August 1, 2026 to be added to a waitlist to be notified when the next available cohort is available.
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Fall Leadership Conference Call for Proposals
The MASE team is working hard to plan the Fall Leadership Conference. This fall, MASE returns to Madden’s on Gull Lake to host Leading Well Under Pressure on October 21-23. If you or someone you know has an idea that fits this theme, we encourage you to submit a proposal.
MASE is accepting proposals for breakout sessions through our website until August 23. That’s less than a month away! Breakout sessions will be one hour long. Please complete your submission by using the online form to provide all the required information.
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🎉 MNSELF Funding Is Available — Apply Today!
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Did you know that funds raised at MNSELF events go directly back to YOU? MNSELF is now accepting proposals through our Professional Development Funding RFP—and we want to see your boldest ideas. Think beyond the typical district PD cycle: use funding for AI training to strengthen IEP quality, a book study on A Principal's Guide to Special Education, executive coaching, data literacy intensives, or legal fluency workshops. If it builds your leadership skills, we want to support it. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and reimbursement is issued after your final report is approved. Visit the MNSELF Website to access the RFP and submit your proposal—your next breakthrough in leadership development could be one application away!
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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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Minnesota Literacy Leadership Roundtable
August 3, 1–2:30 p.m. | Erikson Farmstead, Isanti
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This will be a unique opportunity to connect with educational leaders from across Minnesota, exchange ideas, and engage in meaningful conversations about moving beyond implementation to create lasting impact for students and educators.
TILL360 is honored to welcome Joy Allcock, an internationally recognized literacy researcher, author, and educator from New Zealand. Joy has dedicated her career to advancing literacy instruction and supporting schools through research-based practices that make a difference for students. Her work is influencing literacy leaders around the world.
This will be an interactive roundtable designed for collaboration, conversation, and learning—not a traditional presentation. Please RSVP as soon as possible. Seating is intentionally limited to encourage meaningful discussion and conversation.
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INDIGO Education Hosts Annual Back-to-School Conference
August 17 | Wilder Center, St. Paul
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The INDIGO Education Back-to-School Conference is a day of learning, collaboration, and inspiration designed to prepare educators for a successful school year.
Participants will engage in relevant, practical professional development focused on supporting students, strengthening instructional practices, and connecting with colleagues from across the INDIGO network. Your registration includes:
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Light breakfast and lunch
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Opportunities to connect with community partners and exhibitors offering valuable resources, services, and giveaways
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Networking with educators and school leaders from across Minnesota
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General and BOSA Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Whether you're a teacher, school leader, related service provider, or support professional, you'll leave with practical strategies, new connections, and renewed energy for the year ahead.
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2026 MASA Fall Conference: Register Now!
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Registration is open for the 2026 MASA Fall Conference in Brainerd!
Minnesota's school leaders are doing some of the most important—and most complex—work in our state. This fall, MASA gathers educational leaders from across Minnesota to learn, connect, and lead forward together.
Look for practical sessions that move beyond awareness to real implementation guidance. Hear from peers who've navigated similar challenges. Walk away with tools, strategies, and ideas you can use on Wednesday morning after our conference.
September 27-29 | Madden’s on Gull Lake, Brainerd
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Prepare Your MDE-ORG-Info for the 2026-27 School Year
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Summer is an ideal time to update information for the new fiscal year in MDE-ORG, the MDE master database for organizational directory information. MDE-ORG validates sites for all major MDE reporting systems, including MARSS, UFARS, assessments, and more. It is important that a point person is identified as the MDE-ORG Site Verification Coordinator (SVC) for your district/organization. The SVC has access to request and certify school/site configuration changes and update other essential contact and address information for your organization and all sites within your organization. If you are unsure if someone has been appointed to this role, you can check the SVC Glossary on MDE’s website.
School Finance staff recently sent a reminder email to all the known SVCs at school districts and charter schools, but this process could use your engagement as well. Please have your SVC review your organization record and reporting sites, including contacts, addresses and grades, and make changes in time for the start of the 2026-27 school year. To ensure data collections, payments, and reports are correct, organization and school site information and contacts for the 2026-27 school year must be reviewed and certified by August 28, 2026.
For more information, read the Annual Verification of District and School Site Information for SFY 2026-27 letter found on MDE’s District and School Site Verification webpage. This is the letter sent to SVCs that outlines the timeline and steps to maintain accurate organization and reporting site directory information, which is critical in correctly processing records for your organization including students, staff, payments, and federal programs.
If you have any questions, please contact Jen Verbrugge (mde.school-verify@state.mn.us), MDE-ORG Administrator.
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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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