The Henton Headlines: May 4, 2023

THE HENTON HEADLINES
May 4, 2023
Here’s the scoop for the week

News on the Federal Front

Last week MASA and MASE representatives traveled to Washington D.C. to advocate at the federal level. The first night we were there, the House passed, on a 217-215 vote, a bill that would cut education spending overall by 22%. The Department of Education officials that met with us shared this STATE FACT SHEET of how Minnesota would be impacted. 

AASA staff told us the bill will be dead on arrival in the Senate. Yet, I advise looking over the one-page link so you can speak to the consequences of this type of legislation when you talk to your congressional representatives.

We also learned during the trip that this year the federal government is only funding 14.5% of the cost of IDEA. The historic underfunding of IDEA is known among our representatives who are sympathetic to our pleas for full funding, or at least the once promised 40%, yet no significant action is taken to even provide a phased-in approach to covering the cost of IDEA. Very disappointing and concerning. We will continue our advocacy efforts, and I know you will as well.

MSHSL Rep Assembly Information

The MSHSL Executive Director, Erich Martens, asked me to highlight information that was sent to superintendents this past week. Here is a link in case you missed it or it is buried in the countless emails you receive.

Leadership Matters!

“The secret to success is good leadership, and good leadership is all about making the lives of your team members or workers better.” - Tony Dungy

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
May 5	School Lunch Hero Day
May 6	National Nurses Day
May 8-12	Teacher Appreciation Week
May 9	BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting | 7:30 - 8:30 am | Virtual
May 12	School Communicators Day
May 16	Professional Dialogue with Dr. Brenda Cassellius | Session 7 | 9 - 10 am | Virtual
May 25	MASA Instructional Leadership Network | 9-10:30 am | Virtual
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 coming soon!
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
August 8	Save the date! MDE Back to School Conference | Minneapolis Marriott NW, Brooklyn Park
October 8-10	MASA Fall Conference | DECC, Duluth, MN