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Seagren confirmation sails through education committee
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
January 11, 2005

No senators, educators or members of the public spoke against Alice Seagren. (MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire)

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) Hearing only praise, Alice Seagren received unanimous support from the Senate Education Committee in her quest for confirmation as Gov. Tim Pawlenty's education commissioner. Tuesday's 80-minute hearing was a world away from last year, when the same panel grilled then-commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke for two days before casting a no-confidence vote. Yecke lost her job on a party-line vote by the DFL-controlled Senate in the session's waning hours.

Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, summed up the changed dynamics before the committee voted on Seagren, a former GOP state representative from Bloomington who has been in charge at the Department of Education since summer.

"It's much nicer to be talking about the commissioner of education at 4:15 in the afternoon than 4:15 in the morning," Michel said.

No senators, educators or members of the public spoke against Seagren. Seven people testified in favor of her and senators were presented a stack of glowing letters recommending her approval.

"She is a leader with a trusted, tough tenderness," said Ric Dressen, Alexandria's superintendent.

"It's such an awesome responsibility, and I will take it very seriously," Seagren told the committee, adding after the vote, "I am very humbled by this."

The recommendation goes to the full Senate, which is almost certain to follow the committee's advice. The job pays $108,393 per year.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Steve Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, said Seagren endeared herself to many in the Legislature having risen from their ranks. Until her appointment, Seagren was chairwoman of the House Education Finance Committee and was known for her collaborative style.

Yecke's critics regarded her as an inflexible conservative out to undermine public education, a characterization she denied.

Last year's Yecke hearings were tense and the questions were hostile. Seagren faced an audience of admirers and a lighthearted atmosphere, giving her room to crack jokes in a few instances.

Relating a conversation she had with her Wisconsin counterpart about their students' tie for the nation's best ACT scores, Seagren threw down a marker for future years.

"We will not be tied with the cheeseheads," she said. "You can take that to the bank."