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April 9, 2024
In The Staff Lounge Today
Thank you to everyone who attended our Professional Development (PD) Day last Thursday. It was a day full of positive energy, connection and learning.
 Kleber Ortiz speaks to MDE staff
Keynote speaker Kleber Ortiz started the day off on an inspirational note, talking about reimagination and hope. He encouraged us to develop a new vision of the future, something we can work together to build.
The keynote was followed by a variety of excellent elective offerings. Dr. Kristin Morris, pictured below, facilitated one of the You Matter sessions on equity, diversity and inclusion.
Provide Feedback in PD Day Surveys
Please provide feedback on the full day and individual sessions to help us plan for the future.
To provide feedback on the full day, please complete the Overall Professional Development Day Survey.
To provide feedback on the individual sessions you attended, please visit please the Professional Development Day Surveys document on Inside MDE for links to the surveys.
These are the same surveys that were linked from the QR codes shared on Thursday.
PD Day Resources and CEUs
Find PD Day resources as well as PD Day CEUs for teachers and administrators on the Human Resources Training page on Inside MDE.
Next PD Days
Remember to mark July 24 and November 4 on your calendars for our next two PD Days. More information to come.
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 Draft of new MDE homepage design with placeholder text
Redesign to Improve User Experience
The Communications Division and MNIT@MDE plan to launch a modernized look and feel for the MDE website homepage on April 23. This will include updates to the header (blue bar and above at the top of the page) and footer (blue section at the bottom of the page), which appear on every page.
Why are we making this update?
We are excited to improve the user experience and provide relevant content based on data analytics and MDE strategic priorities.
What does this mean for divisions?
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In order to roll out this update, we will need to pause all edits to the homepage and webpage structure changes to any page next week, April 15-19.
- Any website structure changes submitted in the Minnesota Service Hub close to or during those dates will need wait until after the April 23 rollout.
- Examples of website structure changes are: addition or deletion of pages, addition or deletion of sub-pages, addition or deletion of sub-tiers (drawers), edits to page titles or page organization on the left-nav of pages. new or updated right-side images.
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Content changes in Oracle Workflow will be able to continue during this time.
- You will not need to take any actions or do anything differently as a result of this effort, beyond holding website structure changes the week of April 15.
You may be used to using Google Docs products in your personal life or previous jobs. But did you know that Microsoft offers better accessibility and security? That’s why MDE strongly recommends the use of Microsoft products for file sharing and collaboration.
In addition to being able to share Word documents, PowerPoints and Excel files with partners for collaboration, Microsoft offers other useful tools. Check out Whiteboard (instead of Google Jamboard), Forms (instead of Google Forms) and Stream (video). See all of the tools available to you at Apps | Microsoft 365.
Visit Using Microsoft Products to Maximize Accessibility and Security page on Inside MDE for more information.
 Mark your calendars: our MDE Employee Appreciation Week Celebration is set for Tuesday, May 7, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at MDE.
The 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.
During April, MDE's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Center is hosting lunch and learns to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month, Autism Acceptance and National
Deaf History Month. All State of Minnesota employees are invited to the lunch and learns.
Arab American Heritage Month
Arab American Heritage Month celebrates the rich and diverse culture of Arab Americans while paying tribute to the contributions they have made to our country and society.
Join the Thursday, April 18, 12 p.m. Lunch and Learn with Saed Wadi.
Saed Wadi is a Palestinian American who has proudly called Minnesota home for over three decades. He holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota. Following a successful nine years at Honeywell Research and Development, Saed ventured into diverse industries, including the import and export of limestone and real estate. Currently, Saed and his brother own World Street Kitchen & Milkjam Creamery in Minneapolis' Uptown.
Autism Acceptance (Awareness) Month
Autism Acceptance (Awareness) Month celebrates and honors the contributions of people on the autism spectrum and the autism community as a whole while also recognizing the needs of people on the autism spectrum and the community.
Join the Thursday, April 11, 12 p.m. Lunch and Learn with Daren Howard.
Daren Howard, deputy director, Autism Society of Minnesota, is an autistic parent of an autistic child and a nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience. In addition to his executive leadership at the Autism Society of Minnesota, Daren helps organizations operationalize their understanding of autism and disability justice issues.
National Deaf History Month
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) began National Deaf History Month in 1997 to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Join the Wednesday, April 24, 12 p.m. Lunch and Learn with Heidy Nazario.
Heidy (pronounced hay-dee) Nazario is a bilingual, Puerto Rican woman who has been working with Minnesota Hands and Voices (MNH&V) as a Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Adult Role Model since 2016, and as a DHH Guide Supervisor since January 2019. Heidy feels passionate about working with DHH families as she is deaf herself. With a genetic and progressive hearing difference in both ears, she has many experiences to share.
Please remember fiscal transaction deadlines for fiscal year (FY) 2024. See more fiscal transaction deadline information.
- April 15 – All OGAN amendments for work to extend beyond June 30, 2024
- April 5 – New PT Contracts or amendments for work prior to June 30, 2024
- April 26 – Annual Plan Agreements for work prior to June 30, 2024
- May 10 – All FY24 Purchasing, Travel and Special Expenses requests must be entered into SharePoint Requisitions/EIOR
- July 11 – last day to enter all SFY2024 employee business expenses
- July 19 – All P/T Invoices for services through June 30, 2024
- July 31 – All goods and services and OGAN invoices for grants/services provided through June 30, 2024
Remember to submit your employee business expenses within 60 days after the expenses were paid or incurred.
After 60 days, the Internal Revenue Service considers the expense reimbursement as supplemental wages, which means it becomes taxable and withholding tax must be taken. To learn more, read the Business Expense Tax Implications: Agency Responsibilities. The last day to submit payroll expense transfer to payroll is June 28, 2024. Read more about the fiscal transaction deadlines for state fiscal year 2024.
MDE’s Procurement team and MNIT implemented the Electronic Inter Office Requisition (EIOR) system on Wed., April 3. Requisitions will be the only form that will be transitioning at this time. Other Finance forms such as In-State, Out-of-State travel forms, PT Contracts and Payment Approval (to name a few) will be transitioning in the coming months.
REQs were turned off for ordering in SharePoint at the end of the business day on Tues., April 2. If you have any purchasing needs after this time, please reach out to your division’s assigned purchasing liaison for further assistance going forward. We look forward for this opportunity to work with you to improve our forms and processes.
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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