MASA eUpdate

This week's edition of "The Henton Headlines" has info about the upcoming legislation concerning school resource officers and the finalized superintendent model contract. Read the post here.

The Minnesota School Boards Association and the Minnesota Association of School Administrators are happy to provide to member districts and administrators a revised Model Superintendent Contract. The Model Superintendent Contract has been in effect and used throughout the state for many decades. It is consistent with state statutes regarding Minnesota superintendent contracts and other employment law rights and obligations and also with what MSBA and MASA see as best practices in a fair and efficient contract between a district and its chief executive officer. It is the product of many years of experience and a balanced treatment.

Read the full message and download a copy here.

Links to the contract are housed on the members-only section of the MASA website for future access: https://www.mnasa.org/superintendent-contracts.html

February 26 - March 1, 2024

Public Schools Week is our opportunity to consider the total impact of our public schools on our communities. We celebrate the role of our public schools in ensuring that our nation’s citizens have the knowledge and skills required to be effective members of a democracy and the ability to learn and relearn as our economy and jobs transform.

Most of all, Public Schools Week enables us to celebrate the promise of schools as places where every child, no matter their situation, is welcomed and celebrated.

To help you and your district celebrate Public Schools Week, MASA has developed a communications toolkit, which includes template emails to staff and parents, copy and images for social media, and related items. Check it out here: www.mnasa.org/public-schools-week-toolkit.

9 a.m. Monday, March 18, 2024
Radisson Hotel St. Paul Downtown, 161 St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55103
Room: Capitol Hall

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open our joint day at the capitol with MSBA! Members from MSBA and MASA will gather for networking and learning, and to hear from some of Minnesota’s education policy and finance decision-makers. Full information, lodging, and registration can be found here: www.mnmsba.org/workshops-events/day-at-the-capitol/.

Registration: Click here to access the MSBA Event Registration webpage (log-in required).

Fee: $60 ($80 for late/walk-in registration) (The registration fee will cover a morning snack, lunch, program materials, and parking at the hotel.)

Registration deadline: March 11, 2024 — Registration completed after March 11 will be considered late/walk-in.

Direct Registration and Questions: Jen Ebert at registration@mnmsba.org

MASA members are invited to a series of virtual legislative updates from MASA Lobbyist Valerie Dosland during the 2024 Minnesota Legislative Session! We are happy to be partnering with the Minnesota Association of School Business Officials (MASBO) for these virtual sessions. Valerie will share what is happening at the legislature and what you can do to advocate for your district. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions and share concerns and information!

All sessions are hosted via Zoom at 12:30 pm CST!

Dates for additional updates will be added as needed throughout the legislative session.
Please change your user name upon entry into the zoom room!

February 16 | Zoom Link | Add to calendar

March 1 | Zoom Link | Add to calendar

March 15 | Zoom Link | Add to calendar

April 5 | Zoom Link | Add to calendar

April 19 | Zoom Link | Add to calendar

May 3 | Zoom Link | Add to calendar

May 22 | Zoom Link | Add to calendar

If you have a MASBO account, you can register for all the sessions at once here.

Special thank you to MASA Lobbyist Valerie Dosland and MASBO Executive Director Connie Nordquist for collaborating with MASA to host these sessions!

Our 2024 legislative priorities have been published. Check out the full document here: www.mnasa.org/legislative-platform.

View all the upcoming events here: www.mnasa.org/upcoming-events.

Self Restoration: Under the Hood

Facilitated by Bill Sommers and featuring author Stan Slap

Monday, February 12 | 2 - 5 pm CST | Zoom | Register | Full info

CEUs will be issued | No fee to attend for MASA members!

"So…We Lost Our Referendum: Now What?"
Presented by:

Don Lifto, Ph.D., School Election Strategies

Jeff Dehler, Dehler PR

Mike Redmond, Superintendent, Shakopee Public Schools

Thursday, February 22 | 9:30 am - 2:45 pm CST | Zoom | Registration and Info

MASA EdTalks: College and Career Readiness

Presented by:

Bob Manning, Career Pathways Coordinator, Stillwater Area High School

Rachel Steil, Career Pathways Coordinator, Stillwater Area High School

Denise Pontrelli, CEO, PartnerED Consultants

Monday, February 26 | 12 noon - 1 pm CST | Zoom | Register | Full info

Informational Session: Clean Energy Project Funding – The Inflation Reduction Act
Presented by:

Jesse Nelson, CPA, Partner, Baker Tilly

Ryan Fetters, Director, Baker Tilly

Jeff Bertrang, Public Sector Advisory Team, Baker Tilly
Tuesday, February 20 | 9 - 10 am CST | Zoom | Register | Full info

Informational Session: Taking Care of Your People

Presented by Laura Eiden, Vice President, Employee Experience, CESO

Tuesday, February 27 | 12 noon - 1 pm CST | Zoom | Register | Full info

Facilitated by Bill Sommers, Ph.D. and NYT best-selling author Stan Slap

Monday, February 12, 2024

2 - 5 pm CST | Zoom | Register | Full info

CEUs will be issued | No fee for members

Don't miss out on this exclusive session with Stan Slap, New York Times best-selling author and renowned organizational culture thought leader, and Bill Sommers, Ph.D. Join us as we seek to understand how a culture gains energy, decides to give or withhold trust, and communicates amongst itself. A recording of the session and materials will be distributed to all registered individuals. CEUs will be provided to members who attend synchronously at 2 pm CST.

March 14-15, 2024 | Minneapolis Marriott NW, Brooklyn Park

Join your colleagues from across the state where we continue our journey through the evolving landscape of education. Full information and registration links here: www.mnasa.org/spring-conference.

MASA and MASE members who are retiring at the end of this school year may choose to be honored during the General Session on Friday (8:00 in the Minnesota Ballroom). Retirees will be asked to come forward and receive an engraved desk clock. If you would like your retirement to be recognized at this event, click here to complete the form.

February 22, 2024 | 9:30 am - 2:45 pm | Hosted via Zoom

Presented by:

Don Lifto, Ph.D., School Election Strategies

Jeff Dehler, Dehler PR

Mike Redmond, Superintendent, Shakopee Public Schools

This workshop will focus on the challenges, opportunities, and strategies that can guide planning after a referendum loss, hopefully positioning your school district for success in a future referendum.

Workshop Details

February 22, 2024 | 9:30 am - 2:45 pm | Zoom | Registration & info here!

One strategy article will be posted to the MASA website each month! You can find Don's latest referendum strategy, "Hands on or Laissez-Faire?" online at: https://www.mnasa.org/school-tax-elections.

Business Partner Level: Friend
Industry: Executive Coaching and Training

Why do you partner with MASA? I partner with MASA to increase the success and wins of Minnesota School District leaders. When I last presented to MASA Region 6 Superintendents and District leaders, they commented that it was the best, most applicable, leadership training that they had in the last six years.

MASA Member Contact:

Dr. Dave Webb

Executive Coach and Trainer

drdavewebb@homerunleadership.com

651-226-6318 | www.homerunleadership.com

MASA will be featuring our valued business partners in our weekly association eUpdate to all MASA members. We will select a business partner each week to feature in the weekly eUpdate. Thank you for your continued partnership with MASA!

Submit your business information here: https://forms.gle/q9kjUFV3Dv7aQp7F7.

Due to the length of our weekly eUpdates, our email will often get clipped in different email providers. If that is occurs for you, just click or tap into the email to open the eUpdate on your browser. You can also read it here!

The Minnesota Computer Science Education Strategic Plan is now open for public comment. Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group has been meeting regularly since October 2023, and has made important progress toward developing a state strategic plan for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education across all public K-12 and charter schools in Minnesota. Read the full message here!

Longtime MASA Business Partner, Horace Mann’s Student Loan Solutions can help educators lower their monthly student loan payments and get on track for forgiveness so they can stay in the career they love. View the flyer here! 90% of educators using Horace Mann's Student Loan Solutions program have found they could be better off financially. | Check out this informational video! Don't wait! Sign up to bring the value of Student Loan Solutions to your employees and district today.

Headed to San Diego in February for AASA's National Conference? If so, check out the session from the team at UndauntedK12: Beyond ESSER - How New Federal Dollars Can Improve Your School Buildings. School leaders have limited funds to operate, maintain, and improve aging school facilities. Fortunately, a new federal law called the Inflation Reduction Act offers unlimited, non-competitive funding that is available for all schools that move towards adopting more modern building systems. These improvements can bring long-lasting benefits to your district, including improved student health and safety, fewer learning disruptions, and operational cost savings that can be applied to other district priorities. Join the Undaunted Team on February 15th at 10:15am PT in room #5A at the San Diego Convention Center to learn more about investments you can make today to make your school buildings more resilient and conducive to learning, and how the Inflation Reduction Act can help offset installation costs of modern, clean energy technologies.

Understand Native MN teacher guide and essential understandings documents are available on the Understand Native MN website to download here: https://www.understandnativemn.org/publications/

A Guide to Reliable Native American-Related Teaching Resources: https://www.understandnativemn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024_-Native_American_Teaching_Resources_Guide.pdf

Minnesota Native American Essential Understandings for Educators: https://www.understandnativemn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024_MN_Native_American_Essential_Understandings.pdf

MASA is frequently looking for student groups to perform for our conference events. If you have a group you'd recommend we consider, please share it with us: https://forms.gle/gcjb11L9nW4YR36Y9.

Post unlimited job vacancies, for all levels of positions. The MASA Jobsite Online is well managed with daily attention to detail and customer service. The cost of an annual subscription is less than just a few advertisements placed in the major and local newspapers. Also, the Department of Education recognizes the MASA Jobsite as a valid advertisement when a school district is seeking a variance for a teacher in a specific subject. We currently have 118 districts using the Jobsite and they have posted nearly 2,000 jobs!

The MASA Foundation is pleased to announce the return of the Foundation Endowment Campaign! All proceeds from the campaign go toward achieving the Foundation’s mission of enhancing the leadership development of educational administrators just like you. Can your fellow MASA members count on your support for 2023-24? Full info at www.mnasa.org/donate.

Need procurement solutions? Please consider checking out our Minnesota School District Purchasing Sites! We have partnered with Sourcewell and Cooperative Purchasing Connection to create two purchasing sites for MASA members! Check them out here!

Next Session: April 2, 2024 | 8 - 9 am | Zoom
"Metrics that Matter"
Join us as we talk about the alignment of efforts within our organizations to ensure every member experiences a sense of belonging and inclusion. Equimetrics is one tool that can show us where we need to focus our work - how do you organize your work so you have the ability to execute and ensure equitable practices are implemented for every student and family across your system? Full information and registration!

Email: members@mnasa.org
Website: www.mnasa.org
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 427, Medford, MN 55049
Phone: (651) 645-6272
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