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March 11, 2022
March 2022 Special Education Directors' Forum Agenda and Instructions
The next Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Special Education Directors' Forum has been scheduled for Friday, March 18, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. We look forward to joining you for a review of the latest information and to preview upcoming events of importance to Minnesota students receiving special education services, educators and administrators.
Agenda
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9:30 a.m.: Welcome and Announcements – Robyn Widley, Director of Special Education, MDE
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9:40 a.m.: Agency and Legislative Update – Daron Korte, Assistant Commissioner or Agency Representative, MDE
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9:55 a.m.: Minnesota Administrators for Special Education (MASE) Update – John Klaber, Executive Director, MASE; Jamie Nord, President, MASE
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10:05 a.m.: Division of Assistance and Compliance Update – Sonia Smith, Director of Assistance and Compliance, MDE
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10:20 a.m.: Early Learning Services/Early Childhood Special Education Update – Danielle Hayden, Early Childhood Special Education Supervisor, Early Learning, MDE
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10:35 a.m.: Break
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10:40 a.m.: Special Education Finance Update – Paul Ferrin, Special Education Funding and Data Supervisor, MDE
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10:55 a.m.: Special Education Division Update – Eric Kloos, Assistant Director of Special Education, MDE; Tom Delaney, Interagency Partnerships Supervisor, MDE; Aaron Barnes, Workforce and Low Incidence Disabilities Supervisor, MDE; Kirsten Rewey, Interim Part B Data Manager, MDE
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11:30 a.m.: Closing and Adjourn – Robyn Widley, Director of Special Education, MDE
Attendee Instructions
We will be using Zoom Webinar for this virtual Forum. Register for the Forum on the ZoomGov website. Registered attendees will receive a personalized link to join the March 18 Forum. As we have been doing, we will start the webinar fairly close to the scheduled 9:30 a.m. time. Attendees may not be able to log in to the webinar until a few minutes before the scheduled start.
Forum attendees will be muted; please use the Q&A function for questions during the Forum. After the Forum, address questions to mde.special-ed@state.mn.us. Use the chat box to alert the host about technical or other issues with the Forum.
This Forum will be recorded. A captioned version will be made available for later viewing.
Our partners at Paradigm Veritext will again provide a live transcription of the Forum through the Zoom application. During the Forum, access the captions with the Closed Caption button at the bottom right of the Zoom meeting screen. If you wish to access the ASL interpretation also available for this Forum, please email Doug Gray.
After the Forum ends, attendees will be directed to an online evaluation on the Alchemer website. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available for the March forum via a link from the evaluation form.
We look forward to seeing you at our monthly virtual Directors' Forums. Thank you for everything you do for Minnesota students receiving special education services.
Part C American Rescue Plan (ARP): District Grants ‒ FY22
Due Date: March 23, 2022
Total amount available: $1,362,073.15
MDE makes this funding available for enhancing supports for infants and toddlers with dis/abilities and their families through public school districts, cooperatives and charter schools across Minnesota and on Tribal Nation lands who have Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C (0-3) programs. The purpose of this grant is to provide additional funding in order to implement aspects of programming which regular federal Part C funding may not be able to provide during this extraordinary time. Funding priorities will include 25% for rural and 25% for cooperative programs. If there are not enough applicants from these programs, the reserved amounts will be applied to statewide applicants. All approved possible areas of focus were determined through intensive stakeholder engagement of Early Childhood Special Education leadership and providers, other stakeholders, and Dream Catchers program staff and coordinators from across the state and Tribal Nations. Note that this funding is a one-time opportunity.
The general outcomes expected are that these funds will be used to create or enhance equitable services, supports and collaborations for infants, toddlers and families through Part C services and demonstrate children and families are better off for these efforts.
While all families with infants and toddlers receiving Part C services in Minnesota will benefit from the changes derived directly from districts’ use of these funds, intentional focus should be the intersectionality of dis/ability and American Indian families, families of color, families who speak heritage languages as primary home languages, families who experience homelessness and/or near homelessness, families experiencing wealth inequities, families with caregiver(s) who have disabilities or mental health needs and families with child protection involvement.
There will be an informational webinar on Wednesday, March 16, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Register on the Alchemer website up to one hour before the session and the Zoom information will be sent to you. All questions will be compiled and posted as soon as possible afterward on this grant’s webpage on the MDE website. Please email Cat Tamminga Flores, Part C Coordinator with any questions or issues.
Part C Family Engagement Grant – Advocacy and Training for Part C FY22
Note: It is not necessary to have extensive knowledge about Part C to apply.
Due Date: March 23, 2022
Total amount available: $75,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2022 and $75,000 for FY 2023
Maximum grant amount: $75,000
MDE makes this funding available to any private non-profit organization, public agency or institution of higher education that has experience in family engagement or supports or is connected to families of infants and toddlers who have or may have dis/abilities in Minnesota (referred to as “Part C”).
This will be a multi-year opportunity, with the initial planning part of this grant going through June 30, 2022, and the second year going from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. This grant will focus specifically on areas of support needed for ongoing family advocacy and training in early intervention for infants and toddlers with dis/abilities or who may have dis/abilities. This engagement will guide and transform future grant and program development meant to empower families, and to increase their knowledge and direct partnership in their children's development and growth from infancy up to preschool age.
While all families with infants and toddlers receiving Part C services in Minnesota will benefit from the changes derived directly from this family engagement, intentional focus is engaging Black, Indigenous and families of color, as well as families who use heritage languages as their primary home languages. Advocacy and training supports developed from this in-depth engagement will help MDE support culturally responsive family advocacy and training in Part C for each and every family across Minnesota and 11 Tribal Nations.
There will be an Wednesday, March 16, from 2 to 3 p.m. Please register for the Part C Grant Opportunities Info Session on the Alchemer website up to one hour before the session, and the Zoom information will be sent to you. All questions will be compiled and posted as soon as possible afterward on this grant’s webpage on the MDE website. Please email Cat Tamminga Flores, Part C Coordinator with any questions or issues.
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