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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 Erin Toninato,
MASE Executive Director:
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 What a Great Week!
Happy Friday, everyone!
What a great week! The 2025 CASE Conference was such a meaningful experience. Special education leaders from across the country gathered to celebrate 50 years of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It was inspiring, grounding, and a great reminder of how far we’ve come, and how important it is to keep leading and advocating for what our students need today.
We also experienced The Oklahoma Way—a deep sense of kindness, resilience, and community. Visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial was humbling and powerful, reminding us of the strength that can rise from tragedy and the importance of compassion in our work.
And as a bonus—therapy dogs! Nothing like a few wagging tails to lift spirits and remind us to pause and smile.
Fifty years later, IDEA stands strong, and so do we. I will carry the spirit of The Oklahoma Way home with me, committed to leading with heart and purpose here in Minnesota.
As always… thanks for all you do!
Be sure to check out Melissa Schaller's update in the KNOW section of this MIYM!
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From left to right: Melissa Schaller, Erin Toninato, Amy Ernst, and Nicole Bolduan were among the MASE leaders attending the CASE conference.
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✨ Sharing a Glimmer ✨
I have a staff person whose child also attends one of our programs. Without going into too much detail, the child was involved in a conflict with a peer at the program. The parent (staff person) came into a meeting about her child, frustrated with the situation.
Before the meeting started, it was just her and I in the room. She said to me, “Last year, when I was going through [a difficult situation] and I came to your office to talk to you, you ended our conversation with the phrase, 'You can do hard things' and that has stuck with me. I've repeated it to myself many times. And I'm saying it to myself today."
It was a reminder of the impact that we don't always realize we're making. This work is hard. Parenting is hard. Teaching is hard. But together we can do hard things.
From an anonymous member
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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NEW
Strong MASE Delegation at
CASE Annual Conference
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By Melissa Schaller, MASE Liaison to CASE
A MASE delegation, numbering nine MASE members and three special guests including a student in school psychology (who is also Amy Ernst's daughter) and family members of award winner Cherie Johnson, attended the CASE Conference in Oklahoma City the first week in November. What a fabulous event in a fabulous city. We learned about the Oklahoma Standard—kindness, honor, and service—while at the conference. It was developed and is actively practiced since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995. While Oklahoma City was struggling at that time with only one hotel in the city, it is now a vibrant place with much to see, do, and experience. There is pride in what people of Oklahoma City overcame and how they've developed in the face of tragedy. It is truly a place I would make a special trip to visit again.
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Above I mentioned the award winner. Not only was Cherie Johnson, Executive Director of the Goodhue County Education District, honored with the Harrie M. Selznick Distinguished Service Award, the Minnesota Administrators for Special Education (MASE) won a unit award for professional development. Special thanks to the hard work of Professional Development Committee Co-Chairs Michelle Bethke-Kaliher and Megan Welsh in leading our professional development efforts as a state. Award determinations are based on an annual report about unit activities submitted each June. It is impressive to be honored among all the states represented in the Council for Administrator of Special Education. We also received a unit award for communications.
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Once again, it was a great conference. If you have the opportunity to attend an out-of-state conference, CASE must be on your list of conferences to take part in. The organization hosts a well-run conference with timely updates, inspiring speakers, and informative breakouts in addition to great vendors and many opportunities to network with colleagues across the country.
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MASE Receives CASE Grant!
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MASE is excited to share that we’ve been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)! These funds will support the Special Education Finance Academy—a statewide professional development series designed to strengthen leaders’ understanding of special education funding and fiscal management. Thank you, CASE, for investing in Minnesota’s special education leaders!
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Federal Reimbursement Reminder and
Shutdown Resources
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From MDE, Nov. 7
The ongoing federal government shutdown is now the longest in American history. This unpredictability has real impacts on school communities across Minnesota, and like you, we are watching budget negotiations closely to understand what developments mean for your schools, your staff, and your students. We remain concerned with the uncertainty and will continue to advocate for stability and clarity.
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Notice: SEDRA Unavailable Nov. 14-17
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The Special Education Data Reporting Application (SEDRA) will be unavailable from 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, through 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. This downtime is necessary for scheduled maintenance by Minnesota IT Services (MNIT).
Important Notes:
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The SEDRA Comparison report will start back up on Tuesday, Nov. 18, as the downtime will delay syncing of SEDRA data by one additional day.
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The outage affects all LEAs that use the SEDRA system.
Status:
We understand this may cause disruption and appreciate your patience as MNIT works to minimize the impact during this essential system upgrade.
Please direct any questions or concerns to: Special Education Funding and Data team.
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MDE Special Education Updates, November 7 | Read more
MDE Ed-Fi Updates, November 3 | Read more
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ONGOING
MASE Membership Renewals
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Thanks to all who have renewed already. We believe we have resolved many of the issues surrounding CEC/CASE membership—but please reach out to us if you are still experiencing problems accessing your national membership(s).
Important: If you are part of a district with a central billing office, we need to have your billing contact in our system so that they receive notifications if you have chosen the invoice option for your membership (or for conference and event registration). We will drop those with outstanding dues payments later this month.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out; staff are all happy to assist!
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NEW
Register Now! MASE Annual Meeting
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Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | 12–1 p.m.
Learn what MASE has been working on in the past year—and what our priorities are for the year ahead in this one-hour webinar. This event is open to members and non-members at no cost. We do ask that you register to help us avoid Zoom-bombing.
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Register Today for the MASE Legislative Advocacy Training
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Thursday, December 18, 2025 | 10–11 a.m.
In this virtual training, you will gain an understanding of how the Minnesota Legislature works and learn practical strategies to connect with your state legislators. Together, we’ll explore the importance of grassroots advocacy, discuss effective ways to build relationships with elected officials, and walk through how to craft a compelling elevator pitch to share the story of special education.
We do ask that you register to help us avoid Zoom-bombing.
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Register for Our Next SLICE of Collaboration Session
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Our next SLICE webinar will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 18! The topic for this session is Data Collection. Join us at Noon for informal conversations with your colleagues from across the state. To avoid "Zoom bombing," we do ask that you register in advance — there's no cost. These sessions are open to members only. You'll receive the link to join in your confirmation e-mail.
You can register for additional SLICE sessions on the MASE website — check our Calendar.
Reminder: You must login to our website to see the registration button for SLICE events.
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Help MASE Recognize Outstanding Members
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Each year, MASE provides an opportunity to recognize outstanding members who are dedicated leaders and advocates for children and education communities across the state. We encourage you to consider nominating yourself or a colleague for recognition. Nominate someone who reflects the qualities of a leader committed to education and who is an exemplary representative of MASE. Please remember that anyone can nominate for MASE awards. Please feel free to share award nomination information with your staff and community. Information about each of the awards is linked below:
MASE Award candidates may be self-nominated or nominated by someone else.
Access the award nomination form here.
Nomination deadline is November 28, 2025.
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Last Chance: Register for MASE Finance Academy In-Person Session on Nov. 10
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The MASE Finance Academy is geared to current and new Directors of Special Education!
Our all-day in-person sessions will provide an overview and deep dive into special education finance. It will include timely reporting, state and federal aid, tuition billing, third party billing, and much, much more. Participants will dive deep into state reports and interactive budgeting and staffing models. These workshops will include information on how to maximize your revenue to navigate budget cuts.
The first in-person session is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 10 at the Bemidji Area Schools Board Room. Our presenters will be Marcy Doud and Cherie Johnson.
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NEW
Webinar: H-1B and J-1 Visas
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Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Join Michelle Scimecca of Larson King LLP and Matthew Conley of Lattice Global Teachers for a practical walk-through of hiring international teachers. We will cover when to use H-1B visas and when to use J-1 visas, how the two pathways can complement each other, and what the latest federal signals mean for districts this hiring season. Expect clear guidance on timelines, budgeting, licensure, and risk management, with checklists you can take back to your team.
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PELSB Seeks Reviewers for Pathway Preparation Grant
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Legislation for a Pathway Preparation Grant was created and $400,000 in funding was appropriated by the Minnesota legislature for state fiscal year 2026. The purpose of the grant is to support Tier 1 and Tier 2 teachers seeking a Tier 3 or 4 license through completion of a teacher preparation program or the licensure via portfolio process.
PELSB is currently seeking reviewers for grant applications, which are due November 20, 2025. Learn about the duties and qualifications and complete an interest form by Wednesday, Nov. 12.
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School Psychology Graduate Program at MSU-Moorhead
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MSU-Moorhead currently has MDE School Psychology Pipeline funds to help defray costs for attending our graduate program and reduce barriers for people interested in a career in Minnesota—up to $27,000 in scholarships and support for the first two pre-internship years of coursework.
The program has both in-person (10-12 slots) and remote (4-6 slots) options in our NASP-approved program and encourage Grow Your Own applications—but because it is very competitive (especially for the remote spots) it is a good idea for the district and applicant to talk to us during the application process so we can get an idea of who is applying and what regional/MN needs they would be filling.
MSU-Moorhead has three upcoming virtual open houses for people to get some more information about our program, application (due Feb. 1), grants, etc., on Nov. 17, Dec. 8, and Jan. 14.
Contact: Lisa Stewart, Director of the School Psychology graduate program at MSU-Moorhead
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CSTAG: Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines Training
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Hosted by SWWC Service Cooperative
Join us this January for a hands-on, evidence-based training designed to help school teams move beyond awareness and build a safe, systematic, and sustainable K–12 threat assessment and management model.
Participants will learn CSTAG’s structured decision-making process, receive practical implementation tools, and leave with a district-specific plan aligned with legal and best-practice guidelines.
📅 January 22, 2026 | ⏰ 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Registration 8:00–8:30 a.m.)
📍 Redwood Area Community Center, Redwood Falls, MN
👤 Trainer: Mark Muscat, School Psychologist & Behavior Intervention Specialist
💡 Registration Deadline: January 15, 2026
Lunch, materials, and resources included.
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CASE/CEC Open Resources:
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Helpful Links
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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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