The Henton Headlines: May 25, 2023

THE HENTON HEADLINES
May 25, 2023
Here’s the scoop for the week

Updated U.S. Department of Education Guidance on School Prayer:

You may find this recently released guidance on school prayer and religious expression helpful as graduation and baccalaureate ceremonies approach. Go to sections G. and H. for that information. There is other relevant information in sections II.-IV.

Upcoming Deadline for School Boards Opting to Renew Operating Levies, Fall 2023:

If your district is planning to renew an operating levy for the same amount and same amount of time this fall, your school board will need to hold a public meeting, allow for public comment, and pass a resolution prior to June 15.

With permission from MSBA, they sent out this information to all school board members and superintendents earlier this week, I advise you to download the resolution template from the MSBA website.

Trivia - Number of Licensed Library Media Specialists:

In light of the new definition of media centers contained within the education omnibus bill citing the need for a licensed media specialist or licensed librarian to oversee the program, an assistant superintendent contacted MDE and learned the following:

• Holds an Out-of-Field Permission for Library Media Specialist during the 22-23 school year – 74
• Holds a non-expired license for Library Media Specialist or Librarian as of May 17, 2023 – 989
• Holds non-expired license AND reported with the Library Media Specialist (instructional and non-instructional) assignment on the 22-23 STAR report – 383

MDE shared this week that they are looking into this requirement and how districts might comply with this new requirement. Stay tuned…

Leadership Matters!

“Without initiative, leaders are simply workers in leadership positions.” - Bo Bennett 

Detailed information may be found at
https://www.mnasa.org/whats-new.html and the MASA Calendar

May	Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Military Appreciation Month, National Mental Health Awareness Month
June 13	BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting | 7:30 - 8:30 am | Virtual
June 14	MASA Master Class: Understanding State Aid: Equalization, Ag2School and more | 10 - 11 am | Virtual | Registration and full information!
June 20	MASA Instructional Leadership Network | 1 - 2:30 pm | Virtual
June 20	Professional Dialogue with Dr. Brenda Cassellius | Session 8 | 9 - 10 am | Virtual
June 27	MASA Master Class: Building a Team of Social Media Content Creators | 10 - 11 am | Virtual | Registration coming soon!
August 8	Save the date! MDE Back to School Conference | Minneapolis Marriott NW, Brooklyn Park
October 8-10	MASA Fall Conference | DECC, Duluth, MN
February 15-17, 2024	AASA National Conference on Education | Registration and more info!
NEW DATES! March 14-15, 2024	MASA/MASE Spring Conference | Minneapolis Marriott NW, Brooklyn Park