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MASE in Your Mailbox - July 25, 2025

Date postedJuly 25, 2025
MASE News,

A Message from Erin Toninato, MASE Executive Director

The MDE Forum Is the Place to Gather!

Happy Friday to you all!

I wanted to make sure the upcoming MDE Directors' Forum on August 15 is on your radar! This year’s Forums are shaping up to be even more valuable—with an exciting enhancement to the format of the first Forum of the 2025/25 school year.

📍 The Forum will be hybrid, but if you’re able, I strongly encourage you to attend in person. Not only will it be a great day to connect with colleagues face-to-face, but MDE is also adding afternoon sessions of breakout topics—providing an opportunity to dive deeper into areas that matter to you. Please note that the morning will be recorded as usual; however, the breakout sessions will not.

Keep an eye out for more information and the registration link from MDE, which will include sign-up for both the Forum and your selected breakout sessions. Why the excitement? Because it means this will once again be a full-day event filled with learning, updates, and gathering as a MASE community in partnership with MDE.

A big thank-you to Sonia Smith and the MDE team for continuing to strengthen this space for collaboration and learning. I hope to see many of you there—in person!

As always...thanks for all you do!

Items for your information

New:

Ideas and Suggestions for Restorative Practitioners

From MDE Restorative Practices, July 2025

July is Disability Pride Month. We honor the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 while uplifting disabled voices, culture, and resistance. Rooted in the historical legacy of National Disability Independence Day, this month challenges the ableist norms that too often marginalize disabled people in education, employment, healthcare, and public life.

Read the full bulletin

Ongoing:

  • MASE Membership Renewal Information! Membership renewal will be coming soon! If you are a joint MASE/MASA member, you should already have received your renewal information and we encourage you to renew as soon as possible. If you are a MASE only member, please look for your renewal information to arrive in the next week via email. With our new website, the database is integrated. We have imported membership records, but you will need to create a login. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out; staff are all happy to assist!

Actions for you to do

New:

MASE Mentor Program

Part of your 2025-26 MASE membership registration will include a place where you can express interest in being part of MASE’s mentor program. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Cassey Farrell from Thief River Falls was a mentee and had the following to say about the experience.

When I wasn't sure about something, I would tell him what my thoughts were and he would help guide me if I was missing something in my consideration. This helped my confidence level, as I started to realize that throughout the year my mind had shifted to think of those things more automatically. Having a mentor through MASE gives you another lens when problem solving within your position. They are there to guide you when you are unsure in a constructive, uplifting way. It's a level of support that helps you build confidence in yourself as you tackle situations that are new to you.

Sign up to be paired with another MASE member as a mentor or mentee in your upcoming membership registration.


Blue Ribbon Commission on Special Education Now Accepting Applications

The education finance bill passed during the special session included the establishment of a Blue Ribbon Commission on Special Education to identify $250 million in ways to cut costs, create efficiencies, and reduce administrative work related to special education by 2026.

The commission is now accepting applications, offering MASE members a valuable opportunity to engage in this important conversation.

The Governor is appointing members with experience in:

· Special education leadership (districts, co-ops, charters)

· Special education law and finance

· Culturally responsive and innovative practices

· Parent and family advocacy

Visit the Blue Ribbon Commission on Special Education for application details and deadlines

Ongoing:

  • Upcoming Educator Workforce Grants

    The 2025 Legislative Session concluded in June, and the Educator Workforce and Development Center at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) and the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) have several competitive grant programs to launch in the coming months. Collectively, these grants seek to recruit and retain a diverse, qualified and thriving educator workforce.

    MDE’s teams are working hard to post the grant competitions in the following timeline, subject to change.

  • August 2025 = Fiscal Year (FY)26 Educator Tuition Assistance Program (ETAP), formerly Collaborative Urban and Greater Minnesota Educators of Color (CUGMEC) grant and formerly administered at PELSB)

  • August 2025 = FY26 and 27 Registered Teacher Apprenticeship (RTAP)

  • September 2025 = FY26 and 27 Teacher Residency Program

  • October 2025 = FY26 Minnesota Teacher Mentorship and Retention Grant (TMRG) (formerly administered at PELSB)

  • October 2025 = FY26 Minnesota Indian Teacher Training Program (MITTP)

  • October 2025 = FY26 and FY27 Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) Teacher Shortage Grant

  • November 2025 = FY 26 Teacher Pathways Grant

  • November 2025 = FY27 Grow Your Own (GYO) grant focusing on teachers of color and American Indian teachers

  • January 2026 = FY27 Special Education (SPED) Teacher Pathway Program (formerly Special Education Teacher Pipeline Program)

  • January 2026 = FY26 GYO-Early Childhood Educators (GYO-ECE)

  • March 2026 = FY27 ETAP Grant

  • April 2026 = FY27 TMRG

View a brief description of each grant program.

As each grant opportunity becomes available, MDE will announce the posting in this Educator Workforce Newsletter


MDE Grant Reviewers Wanted

Are you interested and invested in addressing teacher shortages in Minnesota? Would you be willing to give of your time and talents to serve as a grant reviewer for one or more of these programs?

In a competitive grant process, applications are scored by a team of grant reviewers. Ideal reviewers are educators at any level of the system (preK-12, higher education) who may have some familiarity with teacher preparation programs, designing systems to serve people of color and American Indian people, or both.

Reviewers must complete conflict of interest forms prior to serving. One obvious conflict would be if the institution you or a family member work for are applying for the grant you’d like to review. However, If you are a current grantee or applicant for one of these grants, you could serve as a reviewer for a different grant and still contribute to the process.

If you are interested in serving as a grant reviewer, please send an email to mde.workforcecenter@state.mn.us and provide the following information:

  • Name

  • Email and Phone

  • The name of the grants you would be interested in reviewing

  • Brief description of your knowledge or experience that would fit with these opportunities.

As each competition is launched, the MDE team will reach out with more information about serving as a reviewer for that grant, and you can confirm or decline your participation at that time.

  • Help Shape the Future of MASE Leadership Development! As MASE begins planning next year’s New Directors Cohort and prepares for the return of the Finance Academy, we’re seeking input from current leaders like you. What do you believe future colleagues need to know and experience to be best prepared for the director role? While we understand that nothing can fully prepare someone for the complexities of directorship, your insights will help us create the most meaningful and supportive experience possible. Share your feedback here: https://forms.gle/Vp8ys314MnkEeZar5.
  • Join MSSWA for the 2025 MH-SpEd Training on August 11–12 at the Valley View Education Center in Eden Prairie, MN. This two-day training offers essential knowledge on Medicaid Third-Party Billing, ethical documentation, IEP alignment, and sustainable mental health-special education practices. Space is limited to 200 participants, and registration closes July 7, 2025, at 5 p.m. Click here to register and learn more.
  • MDE Special Education Funding Training Webinars July – October 2025 | Full info here!
  • CASE Special Education Leadership Institute - Cohort 2: Applications are open! The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) recognizes the nationwide concern over the shortage of educational leaders specifically trained to supervise special education programs. As the Voice of Special Education Leadership across the country, CASE is committed to leadership development that will continue to drive the profession forward. Based upon the core values at the heart of CASE, the Leadership Institute provides an opportunity for current and future educational leaders to strengthen their foundation in the components related to the administration of special education programs. For more information and to apply: https://www.casecec.org/special-education-leadership-institute.

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