Melissa Schaller, Michelle Orcutt and I attended the CASE Conference in Washington DC in July. We met with the aides of three house members and the aides of our two senators. Representative Erik Paulsen met with us along with his aides. There were two themes that we heard; first, ESEA will be re-authorized next year and the needs and accountability for students with disabilities will be on the forefront. Second, seclusion and restraint was big. We took the postion that MN had collaboratively… Continue

Legislative Update. The Legislature is entering its third week and with committee deadlines upon us in early March, decisions are going to be made quickly. Obviously, the funding situation is the most pressing issue facing schools, but there are a lot of policy items floating around, many of which relate to special education.

One of the more important enterprises in the realm of policy being undertaken this year is the clean-up of Representative…

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I really want to thank Mia Urick for setting up the MASE Legislative Advocacy network. This is going to be provide the organization with a very effective communication and advocacy tool. Rather than search around the web for various slices of information, this new network site will be a "one-stop shop" for legislative updates. Further, it is going to provide MASE members with an on-going opportunity to exchange ideas and receive up-to-date information on what is happening at the legislature and… Continue

The MASE Legislative Committee met on Wednesday, December 02, 2009, and developed a draft legislative platform to be reviewed and considered by the MASE Board on December 10, 2009. The platform for the 2010 legislative session will focus on four planks: Teacher Licensure and Retention; Special Education Funding; Alignment with Federal IDEA Regulations; and Coordinated Services.



While these specific planks were developed, an overarching theme was present in the committee… Continue