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December 30, 2020
Updates in this email:
As districts and schools plan to transition their middle schools and high schools to less restrictive learning models than what is required under the Safe Learning Model Guidance, this must be done in consultation with, local public health officials, MDH or MDE as needed. In preparation for an increase across the state in consultation requests, MDE has worked with our partners at MDH to develop a K-12 Secondary School Consult Request Form that districts and schools will use to schedule consultations moving forward.
The goal is multifold: 1) to prioritize scheduling consultations for proposed middle school and high school transitions to hybrid and in-person learning models, 2) to have districts and charters document requests in a centralized place to assist with scheduling and avoid capacity issues while fulfilling requests statewide, and 3) to collect questions and concerns districts and schools have prior to the consultation date so that the team is ready and prepared with the right resources and answers.
With the increased demand, your Regional Support Team will prioritize requests on a first come, first served basis while also prioritizing proposed return date. Consultations will be kept to 30 minutes in length and will generally be available from 8:30-11 a.m. Monday through Friday.
If you already have a consultation on the calendar with your team, please keep that date and still follow through with submitting the request form. If you have previously worked with or are continuing to work with local public health or tribal health, you do not need to complete this form.
To schedule a consultation with your team: complete the request form now.
MDH now seeking statewide public input on how to sequence target groups identified by federal guidelines for upcoming vaccination phases
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has announced it is seeking Minnesotans’ feedback on how to continue progress toward the goal of distributing the initial supply of COVID-19 vaccine in a way that saves the most lives and puts us on a path to ending the crisis brought on by the pandemic as quickly as possible. The limited initial supply of COVID-19 vaccine means there is not enough for everyone who needs it. The state must therefore determine a process that ensures fair, equitable, and effective distribution of the vaccine.
As Minnesota health officials work with a wide range of partners to distribute the first small shipments of COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers and long-term care residents and staff (in “Phase 1a” of vaccine distribution), they continue planning for the larger shipments of vaccine expected in the coming weeks and months.
Minnesota is following federal recommendations to start vaccine distribution with the people who are most likely to get COVID-19 and those most at risk of serious complications.
Minnesotans may provide feedback about how to implement ACIP’s guidelines in Minnesota through the MDH website: Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Advisory Group.
Read the full release.
Voluntary Prekindergarten and School Readiness Plus Application Open January 5 to February 1, 2021
The application period for voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) and school readiness plus (SRP) funding for fiscal year (FY) 2022 (school year 2021-22) will open on January 5, 2021 and is due on February 1, 2021. VPK sites funded for the first time in FY17 (school year 2016-17) will receive continued funding for their original number of seats; VPK/SRP seats initially funded in FY18, FY19, FY20, and FY21 are currently scheduled to sunset at the end of the 2020-21 school year unless action is taken by the legislature. Preschool program funding decisions will be made during the 2021 legislative session.
All currently funded districts and charter schools interested in funding for FY22 must apply during the January application period to receive ongoing funding or to be considered should additional funding become available. Currently unfunded districts must also apply to be considered for funding should additional funding become available. All districts are encouraged to apply annually as the information from the application is used to demonstrate ongoing interest in and need for VPK/SRP funding. Information about the application process is available on the VPK/SRP webpage of the MDE website. If you have any questions, please contact MDE.VPK@state.mn.us.
New! COVID-19 Resources for Minnesota Schools and Out of School Time Programs
MDE and MDH have a new resource available which provides up-to-date guidance on COVID-19 for staff who work in schools and in out of school time programs. New content will be added throughout the school year. The trainings and resources are available in the Canvas Learning Management system and focus on the following topics:
- Health and Safety – currently available
- Reducing the risk of transmission, guidance on PPE, chronic disease management, procedures for isolating and transporting sick individuals, and more
- Out of School Time – currently available
- Federal guidance, state guidance, upcoming training opportunities, recorded trainings, and more
- School Meal Programs – currently available
- Meals in the classroom, USDA waiver information, training, resources, preventing the spread of COVID-19
- Physical Education and Physical Activity – currently available
- Federal guidance, state guidance, sport specific guidance, training, and resources
- Mental Health – coming soon
- Social and Emotional Learning – coming soon
Instructions for accessing the resources:
- Go to COVID-19 Resources for Minnesota Schools and Out of School Time Programs to access the Canvas Learning Management System.
- Enter your email address as your username. Click Enroll in Course.
- You will receive an email from MDE (notifications@instructure.com). A hyperlink will be provided to finish the registration process.
- In Canvas, create a password and Click Register. View the course.
For best performance, Canvas should be used on the following internet browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Contact mde.healthyyouth@state.mn.us if you have questions.
Reminder: Free and Reduced-Price Meal Certification Extension
Earlier this week, the Minnesota Legislature passed SF31,which provides an extension of the deadline for certifying free and reduced-price meal applications for this school year only. This also extends the direct certification deadline. Without these laws, the annual deadline is December 15. The extension allows schools to continue to certify Applications for Educational Benefits, Alternate Applications for Educational Benefits and direct certification through January 4, 2021. These certifications can be reported on MARSS using the Economic Indicator data item and will be included in the school’s compensatory revenue calculation for FY 2022. The updated MARSS files are still due on Thursday, January 7, 2021.
The law requires schools to log the number of students whose free or reduced-price meal eligibility is certified during the extended deadline. These numbers will be reported to MDE. We are working with our MNIT staff to develop a system for this reporting.
Final Review of FY 2020 Long-Term Facilities Maintenance (LTFM) Approved vs. UFARS Expenditures Reconciliation Report and 19-20 Aid Entitlement Report
Please Note: The Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Long-Term Facilities Maintenance (LTFM) reconciliation process does not apply to charter schools.
Please reference the December 17, 2020 Memo – FY 2020 LTFM Revenue - Final Review of Approved vs. UFARS Expenditure Reconciliation Report and 19-20 Aid Entitlement Report.
All school districts are reminded to complete the final review of the two FY 2020 LTFM Reconciliation spreadsheets as soon as possible, but no later than the January 5, 2021. All districts are required to respond to the MDE Facilities email (mde.facilities@state.mn.us) by the January 5 deadline and inform MDE of one of the following:
- Your school district has reviewed the FY 2020 LTFM Reconciliation Spreadsheets and agrees with the numbers, or
- Your school district has reviewed the FY 2020 LTFM Reconciliation Spreadsheets, but does not agree with the numbers and wishes to appeal. Appeal information and additional documentation to substantiate the appeal must be submitted no later than January 5, 2021, to be considered in final LTFM revenue authority. For further information, please reference the appeal process in the December 17, 2020 Memo.
If you have questions regarding the FY 2020 LTFM Revenue Reconciliation Memo, please contact Sarah C. Miller.
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