February 7, 2025, Special Education Updates

Minnesota Department of Education sent this bulletin at 02/07/2025 11:45 AM CST
Minnesota Department of Education

Special Education Updates

February 7, 2025

February 14, 2025, Special Education Directors' Forum Agenda and Registration Information

The next Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Special Education Directors' Forum will be held virtually on Friday, February 14, 2025, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Please register for the webinar on the ZoomGov website; you will then receive a link to join the webinar.

Webinar attendees will be muted; please use the Q and A function for questions during the Forum. Our partners at Paradigm Veritext will 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 American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, please email Maggie Bangert.

Four Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for the February Forum.

This Forum will be recorded. A captioned version will be made available for later viewing.

Agenda​ 

  • Welcome and Announcements: Sonia Smith, Director of Special Education, MDE
  • Minnesota Administrators for Special Education (MASE): Erin Toninato, Executive Director, MASE; Niceta Thomas, President, MASE
  • Agency and Legislative Updates: Daron Korte, Assistant Commissioner, MDE
  • Special Education Funding: Paul Ferrin, Special Education Funding and Data Supervisor, MDE
  • Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE): Danielle Hayden, Early Education Director, MDE
  • Break
  • General Counsel: Maren Hulden, Office of General Counsel, MDE
  • Indicator Data Collection Updates: Rebecca Nesset, Program Monitoring Supervisor, MDE
  • Getting Started with Billing for Mental Health Services in Special Education:

    Tom Delaney, Interagency Partnerships Supervisor, MDE; Jennifer Butler, School and Community-based Services Supervisor, DHS; Julie Neururer, School-based Medicaid Coordinator, DHS; Krista Moore, School-based Clinical Coordinator, DHS

  • Closing/Evaluation: Sonia Smith, Director of Special Education, MDE

Reminder: Minnesota Provider Screening and Enrollment (MPSE) Portal

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has resources to support Minnesota school districts navigating the Minnesota Provider Screening and Enrollment (MPSE) portal. The MPSE portal is used to submit re-enrollment records and requests for Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP). To assist with its use, MHCP offers weekly question and answer sessions as well as live, instructor-led training webinars on specific topics. Additionally, the MPSE webpage provides FAQs and video tutorials that walk users through the portal's key features.

The weekly MPSE Portal Question and Answer Sessions are held every Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. These sessions focus on navigation and general technical questions about the MPSE portal. There is no fee or registration required, and the link to join remains the same each week.

Minnesota Provider Screening and Enrollment (MPSE) portal training / Minnesota Department of Human Services

Reminder: Save the Date for Medicaid in Education Spring Forum

The Minnesota Departments of Education and Human Services invite you to the Medicaid in Education Spring Forum on April 23–24, 2025, at the Best Western Kelly Inn Meeting Center in St. Cloud.

Forum Objectives

Participants will:

  • Gain an overview of the third-party billing process, including key tasks and timelines throughout the school year.
  • Learn about the new Mental Health Services in Special Education benefit and essential processes for its implementation.
  • Participate in interactive Q and A sessions to address commonly asked questions and deepen their understanding of forum topics.

Location and Schedule

  • Venue: Best Western Kelly Inn, 100 Fourth Avenue South, St. Cloud, MN 56301.
  • Meet and Greet: Join us on Wednesday, April 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. for appetizers at Green Mill, located inside the hotel.
  • Forum Day: The main event will take place on Thursday, April 24:
    • Check-in: 8:15 a.m.
    • Presentations: 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Registration and Lodging

A block of hotel rooms is available until March 23, 2025. To reserve a room, call the Best Western at 320-253-0606 and mention the code MDE DHS SPRING FORUM or book online with Best Western Hotels and Resorts.

Details on conference registration, the agenda and additional announcements will be shared soon. For questions, email Sandra Mikulsky.

Reminder: Federal Education in the Most Integrated Setting Grant – State Fiscal Year 2025

The Federal Education in the Most Integrated Setting funding opportunity documentation, including the instructions, application and budget documentation, is now available on the Competitive Grant Opportunities website. 

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) makes this funding available to Minnesota local education agencies (LEAs), intermediate districts, and special education cooperatives for the purpose of supporting local-level improvement activities that increase the rates of integration of students with disabilities as well as decreases to the rates of segregation of students with disabilities.

The application period closes February 14, 2025, at 5 p.m. Central Standard Time. 

Please contact Holly Andersen at 651-582-8668 for further information.

The Minnesota Department of Education's (MDE) Special Education Division works toward its vision that all children get necessary support for healthy development and lifelong learning; its mission is to provide leadership to ensure a high-quality education for Minnesota's children and youth with disabilities. To learn more, visit the Special Education section of the MDE website.