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March 12, 2024
In The Staff Lounge Today
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Division of School Finance has been awarded funds for a project to improve and modernize how school-related data and tax data is collected from county auditors throughout the state.
Money for the project is a result of legislation signed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023. The legislation provides $40 million in funding over four years for the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF). Through TMF, Minnesota IT Services funds projects and efforts that will modernize, secure and improve the customer experience of executive branch technology systems.
The current data collection process School Finance uses is time consuming and not customer friendly. School Finance receives data and property tax data from all 87 counties in the state related to the 329 school districts through a submission of six different data reports. These reports are delivered manually using either paper forms or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets formatted primarily for distribution back and forth through email. MDE staff then manually enter these forms into technical solutions.
School finance requested modernization funds to create a new submission system for county auditors to use. School finance was awarded the amount requested for its County Auditor Reporting Data Submissions (CARDS) Project. The CARDS project will produce a web-based automated data submission tool that county auditors will use to deliver data to MDE for use by school finance in a variety of reporting and calculation functions. Over the next year, MDE staff will be working with county auditors on this project to modernize the data submission process.
If you have any questions on the CARDS project, please contact Daley Lehmann.
Our first all-staff professional development day of 2024 is on Thursday, April 4, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., at Hopkins High School, located at 2400 Royals Drive, Minnetonka.
If you have questions about the day, please read the Professional Development Day FAQ on Inside MDE.
Please contact MDE ADA Coordinator Lynn Link to discuss any needs you may have for accommodations.
A continental breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack will be provided. Gluten free, vegetarian and vegan will be available. Contact Lorenzo Nelson by 5 p.m. Thursday, March 14, to discuss dietary restrictions or allergies that are not addressed with the options included above.
More information about the learning sessions and signing up for sessions will be communicated soon.
 Mark your calendars. Our MDE Employee Appreciation Week Celebration is set for Tuesday, May 7, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at MDE.
Our celebration will be outdoors. In the case of inclement weather, we will move the celebration to the building's lower level.
We will share more details about the celebration as they become available.
Minnesota Management and Budget State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) has to change how it provides access to the Employee Assistance Program and its Lifestyle Benefits. The previous access codes and phone numbers will soon be deleted from the SEGIP website.
Details on how to access EAP are below and posted in Self Service under announcements.
You may have heard LifeMatters is a place to get counseling. They offer that and so much more. Some of the confidential and free help through the Lifestyle Benefits includes finding care for elders, care for children, services such as plumbers or pet sitters, tutors or coaches.
The easiest way to get the help you need is to contact LifeMatters directly. Employees and the people you live with can contact LifeMatters by:
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Texting "Hello" to 61295. Use Access Code: STMN1.
- Calling 1-800-657-3719. Use Access Code: STMN1.
First responders can contact LifeMatters by:
- Calling 1-877-307-2813. Use Access Code: STMNFRS
What else can LifeMatters Do for You?
LifeMatters is also your source for free counseling sessions, legal and financial consultation, and more. Check the updated website (using the access codes above) for articles, podcasts, webinars assessments and other resources. They cover a variety of topics.
Help from LifeMatters is confidential and free through the Employee Assistance Program. It’s for all state employees and the people they live with.
Commissioner Willie Jett joined Governor Tim Walz, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long at Fridley Middle School March 8 to celebrate National School Breakfast Week and the Free School Meals for Kids Program.
The number of school breakfasts served between September and November last fall increased by 4.3 million meals compared to the same time period in 2022, for a 37% increase. The number of school lunches served to students last fall increased by 4.5 million meals compared to the previous school year, for a 15% increase.
Read our MDE Class in Session Blog for latest information on the success of the Free School Meals for Kids Program.
MDE Nutrition Program Services staff joined U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long for a visit to Minneapolis Public Schools Central Kitchen and Franklin School Thursday to see the meal service and a demonstration of Central Kitchen equipment for peeling vegetables, making dip cups and bagging food on a large scale and a discussion.
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Celebrating Women's History Month
Women's History Month's 2024 theme is celebrating women who advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Please mark your calendars for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Center's Women's History Month lunch and learns:
Join the Thursday, March 14, 2024, 12-1 p.m., Lunch and Learn with Abena Abrahams who works at Headwaters Foundation for Justice. She will share about her journey and the foundation.
Join the Thursday, March 21, 2024, 12-1 p.m., Lunch and Learn with Anna Lifson and Jasmine Gill who work at the Women's Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Kortney Hill, Assistant Director of the EDI Center. Read about the Women's History Month speakers on EDI's Inside MDE page.
Be Good Neighbors as More UCare Employees Work Next Door
An increasing number of UCare employees will be working in their offices next door. That means they will be using UCare’s designated parking spots in the lot at the back of our building.
If you having been parking in UCare spaces, be sure to scoot your vehicle on over to our designated MDE employee parking areas.
Please view our MDE Employee Parking Map to see MDE’s designated employee parking lots and spaces. When you open the map, pay attention to MDE Lot A which is highlighted in blue to show where MDE employees can park in that lot. Please note that parking spaces in front of our building are reserved for visitors.
UCare employees display permits on vehicle windows to park in their designated spaces. IT is crucial that MDE employees refrain from parking in UCare’s designated parking area.
We appreciate your help in being good neighbors to UCare!
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Whether it's password trouble or an application keeps freezing, we turn to MNIT to help us fix it fast. And, when our IT problem is resolved, we quickly return to our work. Then a message pops up asking to rate the service provided.
Who is going to read those responses anyway?
Well, it turns out that our MNIT colleagues do!
They want to read our comments. In fact, they read every single one. So the next time one of these comment cards pops up, take a few extra seconds and respond. It helps them make improvements in their work to better serve us.
Who do I go to for tech help? Contact MNIT’s 24/7 IT Support Enterprise Service Desk Support by submitting an IT support request online through the Minnesota Service Hub. If you have an urgent issue please call the Enterprise Service Desk at 651-297-1111.
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Members of the Green Team and other interested employees joined Holly Anderson on Feb. 15 for a tour of TARE Market as part of the February Plastic-Free Challenge. TARE Market is located at 945 Broadway Street N.E., Minneapolis – within 1.5 miles of MDE.
The market supports many BIPOC and local vendors. As a Zero Waste store, the market makes it their duty to vet the products they carry, so you can reduce your carbon footprint, lead a more sustainable lifestyle, and live more in tune with the natural environment.
Products offered include bulk foods, personal care products, cleaning product refills for kitchen, bathroom and laundry, pet toys and treats, containers and more.
Remember to bring your own clean containers to carry all your “finds.” Forgot your containers? The market has a community jar kiosk. This kiosk holds clean reusable containers that anyone can use for their purchases.
– Julie Johnston, Green Team
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Shout-Out to Kristie Anderson
Shout-out to our colleague Kristie Anderson. As new MDE employees, Kristie has been instrumental in supporting and welcoming us to MDE. She is always available to answer questions, jump on a call and create systems to help us work more efficiently. Thank you, Kristie!
– Gricel Escobedo-Kingwell and Maria-Renee Grigsby
Shout-Out to Brad Hasskamp and the Adult Ed Team
Shout-out and sincere appreciation to Brad Hasskamp and the Adult Ed Team for the diligent collection of detailed documentation for the federal monitoring visit. They were perfect hosts to the fed team while they were here during the last week in January.
Shout-Out to Sean Fahnhorst and the Agency Finance Team
Shout-out and great thanks to Sean Fahnhorst and the Agency Finance Team who were close collaborators and compilers of many documents and files for this same review. It was an exemplar in cooperation across divisions to successfully accomplish the work of the agency.
– Sally A. Reynolds, Director
Are you curious about what’s going on this legislative session, what bills are being heard, and what is being passed? Please join the Government Relations team on Mondays at 9 a.m. during the legislative session for the Legislative Update Meetings. Please check the Inside MDE calendar often for cancellations. View the full schedule on the Legislative Resources webpage. If you have questions, contact Nicole Parsons.
Even if you are not required to file a Minnesota income tax return, you can still file to claim valuable Minnesota tax benefits.
The new and refundable Child Tax Credit is available to Minnesotans who have children under age 18. By filing a Minnesota tax return, you may qualify for $1,750 per child with no limit on the number of children. Claim the Child Tax Credit using Schedule M1CWFC, Minnesota Child and Working Family Credits, available in the 2024 tax filing season.
Learn more about the new Minnesota Child Tax Credit.
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