June 4, 2026

Columbia Heights Superintendent Zena Stenvik Accepts Prestigious JFK Profile in Courage Award for the Twin Cities

For Members with International Teachers…
Many districts have sponsored H-1B visas for international teachers. If any international teachers wish to change districts within Minnesota (whether through layoffs or by choice) another district would have to agree to take over the sponsorship of their visa.

It seems some international teachers have been led to believe they must also pay a recruiting fee in order to be considered for hire in another district. This is not true. They can simply apply directly.

Questions? Feel free to contact North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale Superintendent Christine Tucci Osorio at 651-206-9229, or Fridley Superintendent Brenda Lewis at 651-353-3960.

Final Week to Participate in Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent Contract Data Survey

MASA is currently compiling contract information from superintendents and assistant/associate superintendents across Minnesota. The resulting dataset will be shared with participants and will provide the opportunity to compare compensation and benefits information across districts. If you have not yet submitted your information and would like to be included, please complete the survey by June 5. Click here to complete the survey now!

As of June 4, only 66% of Superintendents and  38% of Assistant Superintendents have completed the survey!

If you have any questions, please email Taylor at taylor.ethen@mnasa.org.

Leadership Matters!

**A special shoutout to retired superintendent Jerry Ness, who has generously volunteered to send me weekly quotes for this section of the Henton Headlines for six years straight. Jerry was an outstanding educator and school superintendent, and even in retirement, he has continued to find meaningful ways to support and inspire MASA members. I am deeply grateful for his quiet, consistent, behind-the-scenes leadership and for the weekly reminder that leadership truly does matter.

Jerry provides us with these quotes to use as America celebrates its 250th birthday!

You have demonstrated leadership matters. Thank you Jerry!

Patriotic quotes

• "In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." – Barack Obama

• "Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history." – John McCain

• "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." – Bill Clinton

• "In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you." – Amy Tan, "The Joy Luck Club"

• "America is another name for opportunity." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• "Dreams are the foundation of America." – Lupita Nyong'o

• "In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." – Franklin D. Roosevelt

• "Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history. Sometimes a chicken can save a man’s life." – Mary Roach, "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War"

• "Freedom lies in being bold." – Robert Frost

• "The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful and virtuous." – Frederick Douglass

• "I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." – Bob Dylan

• "Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country." – Calvin Coolidge

Permanent School Fund Constitutional Amendment Resource
A Guide to the Minnesota’s Permanent School Fund Constitutional Amendment prepared by our friends at MSBA that you can share with your staff, school board and community. We have a lot of education to do around what the constitutional amendment is all about.