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Education leaders await choice of CFL boss
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
January 8, 2003

Gov. Pawlenty began his term in office with several key cabinet positions still vacant. The Republican governor is pushing for big changes in K-12 education, but he has yet to name an education commissioner to carry out that agenda. Representatives of state education groups have some widely divergent opinions on the type of person needed to lead the Department of Children, Families and Learning.

St. Paul, Minn. — During his campaign for governor, Tim Pawlenty talked about the need to hold public schools more accountable for results. Education makes up 40 percent of state spending, at a time when the state is facing a $4.5 billion budget deficit. He also promised a repeal of the state's high school graduation standards, known as the Profile of Learning.

Pawlenty's communication director, Dan Wolter, says the governor has worked hard to find the best candidate for education commissioner and could make a decision within the next week. Wolter says the governor wants an experienced reformer who also has the respect of educators.

"The people who are actually there in the classrooms teaching the children, the people working at the department, the school boards, administrators, all those, Those are the ones that are in the trenches educating our children. And the governor wants someone respected in that community and who can aggressively work to get their buy in for his reform agenda," he said.

Wolter says Pawlenty has sought input from the public and various interest groups about all of his cabinet appointments.

Charles Kyte, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, says he's offered his advice on a new state education chief. Kyte says the person must be progressive enough to oversee needed changes in K-12 education. But he says the new commissioner should have a lot of experience within the public education system.

"We are very, very hungry for a leader that has an understanding of the culture, understands the levers to pull and to push in order to help change public education, and a person we can follow in a respectful manner," Kyte said.

But other education observers say that kind of insider is exactly what Pawlenty should avoid. Randy Wanke, executive director of the Minnesota Education League, says he wants the administration focused on the governor's reform proposals, including the repeal of the Profile of Learning. He says it will take someone from outside the education establishment to get the job done.

"You can't have somebody who's going to fight for change if they are associated with organizations that have been defending the status quo. We can't have somebody in that position who's answerable to the school board association, who's answerable to the teachers union. We need someone in that position that's answerable to the governor and the governor's desire to reform education and make education more accountable," according to Wanke.

The recently departed commissioner of Children, Families and Learning took a similar approach to the job, and she was often at odds with education groups. Christine Jax says the state's budget deficit will make the job more difficult as the special interests fight over limited resources. Jax says her successor should not waste time trying to make everyone happy.

"Expect to have people mad at you at any given time, because just about everyone in the state is a stakeholder, and you can't make everyone happy. And if you have as your goal calm waters and happy constituents you'll be ineffective, because you'll be so busy nodding and smiling at people you won't be taking the risks you need to actually get the job done," Jax says.

Jax says she brought some much needed stability to the department, serving the full four years under Gov. Ventura. There were six education commissioners during the previous eight years of the Carlson administration. Gov. Pawlenty has named assistant CFL commissioner Jessie Montano to serve as the agency's acting commissioner until a permanent appointment is made.

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