State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2027 Deductions for State Services for the Blind (SSB)

Minnesota Department of Education sent this bulletin at 10/19/2026 10:00 AM CDT

State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2027 Deductions for State Services for the Blind (SSB)

To: Directors of Special Education, Business Managers, and SEDRA Contacts
From: Division of School Finance

The SSB spreadsheet is now posted to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website. Select the following from each drop-down menu: Category: Special Education; Subcategory: State Services for the Blind; Year: 2027. Click List files, then the xlsx icon under Data Files. The spreadsheet shows districts that, on their Federal Special Education Application Cover Sheet for SFY 2027, authorized MDE to withhold funds for SSB. This agreement with SSB runs through June 30, 2027. The purpose of these funds is to provide braille textbooks/materials and audiotape materials to districts participating under this agreement for students requiring these materials as part of their education. The districts listed on the spreadsheet, granting permission to withhold SSB dollars, do not receive any invoices for the services provided by State Services for the Blind. Therefore, there won’t be any expenditures to enter in the Special Education Data Reporting Application (SEDRA). The spreadsheet indicates the actual amount of funds that are being withheld from your district’s federal Part B Section 611 funds, Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Standards (UFARS) Finance Code (FIN) 419 and have been deducted from your allocation in the Minnesota Education Grant System (MEGS). You will need to log in to MEGS, under Manage allocations/competitive awards, and adjust your award amount.

Districts that did not choose to participate in the agreement are responsible for providing and paying for accessible materials. Districts that chose not to have funds withheld are billed for services by State Services for the Blind; these expenditures should be budgeted in SEDRA.

Any questions regarding the agreement can be directed to Garrett Petrie. Questions concerning the adjustment to your federal Part B Section 611 funds, UFARS FIN 419, can be directed to the Special Education Funding and Data Team.

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