Understanding the legislative process and the importance of advocating on your issues
Curious about how the legislature works? Wondering how to effectively communicate with
elected officials? If so, we have a session just for you.
This session will help you gain an understanding of the Minnesota legislature and give you a 101
on how it works. You will learn the importance of grassroots advocacy, different ways you can
connect with your elected officials and how to craft your elevator pitch to tell the community
education story.
Tuesday, Dec. 6
9:00 AM – Noon
Virtual – link will be sent out the day before the event
$25 (includes 3 CEUs)
Timeline for this workshop
Introductions/Welcome 9:00-9:10
Overview of the MN Legislature 9:10-9:50
Break 9:50-10:00
Why Advocacy Matters/Connecting with Elected Officials 10:00-10:40
“Telling Your Story” Worksheet 10:40-11:00
Hear from a legislator – Senator Steve Cwodzinksi 11:00-11:30
Connecting with RALLI 11:30-11:45
Wrap-up/Questions 11:45-12:00
Leadership Days – Feb. 16 & 17, 2023 at the Best Western Kelly Inn – St. Cloud
Info. coming in Dec.
Thursday
8:00 – 9:00 am – Registration & Breakfast
9:00 – Welcome
9:15 – 10:00 Keynoter
10:15 – 11:15 Brekout
11:30 – noon – Lunch
Noon – 1:00p – Awards, Annual Meeting, Legis. Update
1:15 – 2:15 – Breakouts
2:30 – 3:30 Breakouts
Friday
7:30 – 8:30am – Registration, Breakfast & Welcome
8:30 – -9:45 Keynote
10:00 – 11:30 Brekout
11:30 – Soup & Salad Buffet & Networking lunch
Join us to discuss Legislation, Board goals, and other issues facing community educators today. If your regional meeting is at least 3 hours long, 3 CEUs will be provided. If you wish to join a different meeting other than your region, you can certainly do so.
Regions 1/2 (Virtual)
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 – 9:00 -10:30 am
Regions 3-6 (Virtual)
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 – 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Regions 7/8 (In Person)
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 – 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Hermantown Learning Center, 4333 Hawk Circle Dr., Hermantown
See agenda here
Region 9 (Virtual)
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 – 9:00 am
Join us on the third Thursday of the month via Zoom for our Leadership Forums. Forums are free and last one hour. No CEUs can be given. Please register and put your questions/concerns in the registration form. Zoom link will be sent out the day prior or the morning of the forum.
Topics for spring, 2022 are below:
Thursday, March 17, 12-1pm, Marketing Ideas for Summer (and Fall)
Register here for this event only.
Thursday, April 21, 12-1pm, Enhancing and Leveraging Community, District, and Family Partnerships
Register here for this event only.
Thursday, May 19, 12-1pm Fall Planning: What’s New?
Struggling to find qualified candidates to fill open positions? Learn about labor force and industry trends and hiring trends from Tim O’Neill from Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Walk away with a better understanding of the job market and how you can attract the best candidates.
You’ve hired a great candidate; now what? Onboarding is your chance to acclimate your new employee to your district, the vision and mission of your department, and the district culture. Nate Eklund from Eklund Consulting will help you discover how to get your staff off to a great start with planful onboarding.
Staff turnover is expensive and unwanted turnover negatively impacts the performance of your department. Engaged employees are more productive, provide better customer service, experience more job satisfaction and are more invested in their job. Explore the best ways to engage and retain your employees with Nate Eklund, founder and President of Eklund Consulting.
Join others who participated in this series to share what you are implementing and what you are not. Find out what is working and ask questions of your peers.
Tim O’Neill is DEED’s labor market analyst for the seven-county Twin Cities region of Minnesota. He focuses on labor force and industry trends, regional demographics, hiring demand, and educational outcomes. He has a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from St. Olaf College in Northfield and a master’s degree in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
Nathan Eklund, President and Founder of Eklund Consulting knew, after 13 years of being a classroom teacher, that there were other ways he wanted to serve the field of education. Focusing on teacher job satisfaction and organizational improvement in schools, he published his book “How Was YOUR Day at School? Improving Dialogue About Teacher Job Satisfaction.” The book led to speaking. Speaking led to consulting which led to launching Eklund Consulting. Now that focus and passion has led to improving the lives and work of thousands of educators and administrators.
Community Education Finance and Financial Management –Maintaining Integrity and Viability
Presented by Bob Meyer, MCEA Executive Director
CE finance and financial management is becoming increasingly complex. CE Directors, Coordinators, Managers and Supervisors are coping with numerous challenges, including changes in funding formulas, continuous balancing of multiple revenue sources, generating new revenues and protecting existing revenues in CE.
Three separate financial management sessions are being offered with a follow-up clinic for technical assistance concluding the last session. These workshops will include various materials, examples and useful tools and information.
Click here to register for one, two or all three workshops (sorry – no discounts for attending all 3)
Session 1: #101… Building the Base of a Budget – Wed., Sept. 29, 2021
Understanding State laws and Statutes
Reading the budget print out
UFARS coding and reporting
State budget Levy and Aide statements and reports
Wed., Sept. 29, 2021
Location: Best Western, Monticello
$70
9:00-1:30 (Lunch provided) 4 CEUs
Click here to register
Session 2: #201… Managing Your CE Money – Wed, Oct. 13, 2021
Participants will learn:
How to create a program budget
How to handle variations in expenses and revenues
What a district audit means for CE
How to troubleshoot financial issues
Wed., Oct. 13, 2021
Location: Best Western, Monticello
$75
9:30-1:30 (lunch provided) 4 CEUs
Click here to register
Session 3: #301…Financial Planning and Budget Strategies – Wednesday, Oct. 27
**Minneapolis Marriott NW, Brooklyn Center**
Focus will be on:
Analyzing your state report
Analyzing trends and variances
Identifying areas of strength and areas of potential problems for planning purposes
Differentiation between direct and indirect expenses
Projecting income and monitoring budget performance
Wed., Oct. 27, 2021
Location: Minneapolis Marriott NW, Brooklyn Center **
$80
8:00-12:00 (coffee provided – lunch on your own) – 4 CEUs
Click here to register
(**Same day as the start of the MCEA Fall Conf. and different location from the previous 2 workshops – Fall Conf. begins a 1:00 pm)
Discovering Possibilities (Virtual Fall Conference) 
Check out the breakout sessions available at our Discovering Possibilities conference!
Fees are based on your TOTAL DISTRICT POPULATION and for that SINGLE district fee, you can register as many people as you want.
We just ask that ONE person enter all the names & emails at one time.
PLEASE USE THE SEPARATE GOOGLE FORM TO REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE.
One link is for payment and one link is for registration.
Pay for your district using this link:
https://mnmcea.wufoo.com/forms/z13oywe21qv8pts/
Register everyone from your district using this link:
https://forms.gle/hAUEHCKwjVbie4EF6
District Size – Fee (based on TOTAL district population) One fee for unlimited participants
Less than 5,000 – $60
5,000-19,999 – $120
20,000-49,999 – $240
50,000 + – $480
Individual NOT associated w/a District (Member) – $60
Individual NOT associated w/a District (Non-memb.) – $150
Non-member Districts – $480
Leadership Days – Feb. 17 & 18 at the Best Western Kelly Inn – St. Cloud
Click here to see Leadership Days flier
Thursday
8:00 – 9:00 am – Registration & Breakfast
9:00 – Welcome
9:15 – 10:00 Keynoter – SSG John Kreisel
10:15 – 11:15 Keynoter – Jim Johson, Prof. at MSUM
11:30 – noon – Lunch
Noon – 1:00p – Awards, Annual Meeting, Legis. Update
1:15 – 3:30 – Large Group – Kara Radke – Equity
Friday
7:30 – 8:30am – Registration, Breakfast & Welcome
8:30 – -9:45 Keynote Ursula Pottinga – Science of Stress
10:00 – 11:30 Keynote Ursual Pottinga – Stress Management by Effectiveness
11:30 – Soup & Salad Buffet & Networking lunch