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IN THIS EDITION |
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PRESS RELEASES |
Minnesota students in grades K-12 encouraged to create and submit entries by March 3
Governor Mark Dayton announced a new poster contest for Minnesota students in grades K-12, focused on highlighting the importance of clean drinking water.
With the theme of “Clean Drinking Water Starts With Me,” the contest encourages students attending schools in Minnesota to be creative in designing a hand-made poster that answers the questions: Why are water resources so important? What can each of us do to ensure a clean water future?
Read full press release.
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The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax industry issued an urgent alert to all employers that the Form W-2 email phishing scam has evolved beyond the corporate world and is spreading to other sectors, including school districts, tribal organizations and nonprofits.
In a related development, the W-2 scammers are coupling their efforts to steal employee W-2 information with an older scheme on wire transfers that is victimizing some organizations twice.
Here’s how the scam works: Cybercriminals use various spoofing techniques to disguise an email to make it appear as if it is from an organization executive. The email is sent to an employee in the payroll or human resources departments, requesting a list of all employees and their Forms W-2. This scam is sometimes referred to as business email compromise (BEC) or business email spoofing (BES).
Learn more on the IRS website.
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ACTION ITEMS |
Yesterday an email was sent to superintendents and charter school directors regarding the governor's budget proposal for the next two years. I couldn’t be more proud to stand with him as he continues to follow through on his promise to fund education every year he is in office—no excuses, no exceptions.
This is the kind of budget I would have wanted to see when I was a principal and superintendent. The governor’s budget proposal includes increased funding for the general education formula, special education, voluntary pre-K, student support staff, and crucial updates to our IT system and mainframe.
Together, the proposed education budget invests $604 million over the next biennium, and continues to build on the work we have done together to support Minnesota’s students, teachers, families and schools.
Here is a spreadsheet that shows the additional funds that would go to our schools, district by district, if the governor’s bill becomes law. For more details on the governor’s proposed education budget, please look at this handout.
Please take a closer look at how the governor’s Opportunity Agenda, which supports children and families out of school and goes beyond his education investments and will help you tackle stubborn achievement gaps. Further proposals can be found at https://www.mn.gov/governor/issues/budget/.
Please let me know if you have any questions, thoughts or concerns. Thank you for your dedication and continued service to our students and schools. It is an honor and a privilege to work with you.
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Please join us Saturday, February 25 at 10 a.m. at Brooklyn Center High School for a public conversation on well-rounded education with Commissioner Cassellius.
Ensuring all students have access to a well-rounded education is a core principle of the Every Student Succeeds Act. While the law gives us a starting point, we look forward to continuing to engage in dialogue with parents, educators and students as we shape a vision for what a well-rounded education means in Minnesota. In order to understand what Minnesotans want to see in our schools, we need to hear from you.
Please register to attend the ESSA Well-rounded Education Discussion or see the ESSA flier for more details, and share this information with your staff and community.
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State Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019
The ADSIS application, instructions and budget are anticipated to be available after February 19, 2017, on MDE's grant opportunity site.
Eligible applicants are Minnesota public school districts and charter schools that provide direct services to K-12 students and preschool students that are part of district programs that generate general education revenue.
Services are provided for additional academic and behavioral support to enhance a student’s ability for success in the general education environment and prevent them from eventually qualifying for special education. An approved program may provide instruction and services in a regular education classroom or an area learning center and during extended school days and throughout the entire year. Applicants will identify the school sites where ADSIS will be implemented during state fiscal years 2018-2019.
Cooperatives, education districts and intermediate school districts may not apply on behalf of member districts.
ADSIS is a noncompetitive grant and all eligible applicants who meet the statutory criteria for funding will be funded. For state fiscal year 2018, applicants are limited to expenditure requests of $995,646 which is an increase from state fiscal year 2017. Those approved for ADSIS funding will need to submit a new budget for state fiscal year 2019. Refer to Minnesota Statutes, section 125A.50, subdivision 1, for more information.
Applications and budgets will NOT be submitted into the SERVS system. The application due date is Monday, March 20, 2017, 3:30 p.m., Central Time. Applications will be submitted into the designated email site at MDE.ADSISreview@state.mn.us. Please follow the submission requirements in the instructions. An application webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 3 p.m., Central Time. Refer to the instructions for further information on this webinar.
Contact Rebecca Nies at Rebecca.Nies@state.mn.us or 651-582-8648 for more information.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT |
School Safety Technical Assistance Center Offers Trainings in March
The School Safety Technical Assistance Center is offering several McGrath Bullying and Harassment: Minimize the Risk trainings. The workshops are designed to help school districts and charter schools meet the Safe and Supportive Schools Act requirement to train all staff on the bullying prohibition policy and how to identify, intervene and respond to bullying.
Upcoming McGrath Trainings
- Level 1: Duty to Respond – March 16, 2017, and March 23, 2017
- Level 2: Incident Intake and Inquiry Investigation – March 17, 2017
- Level 3: From Intake through Investigation – March 17, 2017
Find more information and register for the trainings.
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The 2017 MCSS Conference is being held in Mankato on Monday, February 27 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The social studies social takes place Sunday, February 26 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. K-12 educators across Minnesota are invited to attend these events.
Visit the MCSS website to view the session descriptions, exhibitor list and keynote speakers. Register by February 21.
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Registration is now open for the Hormel Foundation Gifted and Talented Education Symposium, a collaboration between MDE, The Hormel Foundation and Austin School District.
Most symposium activities will be held on the campus of Austin High School. Most daily sessions address best practices on the assessment of students for services, program models, social and emotional needs, instructional strategies, under-represented populations, integration of STEM and technology, and specific content areas. In addition, there will be a pre-conference on June 11 and a leadership academy on June 12.
Districts with school calendars that conflict with some of the symposium dates should contact Wendy Behrens to inquire about options for partial attendance.
Symposium details and registration are available at the Gifted and Talented Symposium website.
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ITEMS OF INTEREST |
The Minnesota Board of Teaching has taken the following licensure actions:
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Battley-Fabre, Monica (FF # 485817) Ms. Battley-Fabre’s license was suspended on February 9, 2017, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 270C.72, until she meets requirements of the Board of Teaching.
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Roed, Tina (FF# 440814) On February 10, 2017, the board adopted a stipulation agreement and consent order suspending Ms. Roed’s teaching licenses for a period of one year.
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Driscoll, Melanie (FF# 345731) On February 10, 2017, the board adopted a stipulation agreement and consent order granting the renewal of Ms. Driscoll’s teaching license subject to a one-year suspension and until she meets certain conditions.
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