NEW

Recap: Legislative Update

In his final State of the State address on April 28, Gov. Tim Walz reflected on his eight years in office and outlined his closing legislative priorities. Proposals included an expanded Dependent Care Tax Credit, a sales tax cut, a social media tax, funding for permanent supportive housing and first-time homebuyer assistance, a bonding bill, gun safety measures, and a centralized agency to combat fraud.

MDE Ed-Fi Update, May 4 | Read More

ONGOING

State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025 Tuition Billing Final Calculation – Federal Funds Tuition Payments

The final calculation for SFY 2025 state aids with tuition adjustments have been completed. The federal funds have been applied to the non-reimbursed costs. Resident districts that requested to use their federal finance 419 funds for tuition have been applied to the districts serving the resident districts’ students. The federal funds are anticipated to be paid to the serving district at about the same time the negative adjustments will be made in the Integrated Department of Education Aids System (IDEAS).

NOTES: MDE Special Education Update archive: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/sped/news

NEW

Join Us for Our Next SLICE of Collaboration Session: Finance and Federal Funding

Tuesday, June 16 | 12 p.m.

The topic for our next SLICE webinar is Finance and Federal Funding, with presenters Cherie Johnson and Robert Dehnert. 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.

The MASE Professional Development Committee is working on plans for the 2026-27 SLICE schedule. Watch for details in the coming weeks!

ONGOING

CASE Updates from Melissa Schaller

Update: At the CASE Annual Membership meeting, a link was shared for the CASE Professional Learning Needs Assessment. While it is lengthy, please complete this survey to provide valuable feedback to CASE.

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.

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 4 p.m. 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.

Special Education Funding Training Webinars, May–July

Registration is open for several webinars. Presentation material and information on joining the webinar will be sent to registered participants the day before each training.

🎉 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! If you’re coming to the Best Practices Conference next week and haven’t purchased your bingo tickets yet—now is the time!

📍 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

Members, Tell Us about Yourself

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!