A conversation with Alice Seagren, Minnesota’s state education commissioner.
Alice Seagren knows the demands of public life can be rigorous. For 12 years, she was a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Bloomington, and for six years, she served as the chair of the House Education Finance Committee. So Seagren, 57, jumped in feet-first following her unanimous confirmation as Minnesota's new education commissioner by the State Senate in late January. She spent her first week on the job at Minnesota schools, meeting teachers, principals, and guidance counselors; and she capped off her first days with a presentation to young coloring-contest winners at Landmark Center in St. Paul. Seagren, now the public face of education for the state of Minnesota, holds educational policy views deeply rooted in the years she spent as a young mother raising two children, each with unique academic challenges, in the 1970s.
A FAMILY ADVOCATE
Seagren's daughter, now 34, was a gifted learner. "I really started to get involved as a parent in education when my little girl, who was in fourth grade at the time, came home crying because the principal wouldn't let her bring her reading book home," Seagren recalls. "He told her it was because she would 'get too far ahead, which was just ridiculous." Seagren says she wanted to find out what to do for her bright child, who was feeling isolated and was being teased because other kids said "she talked funny, when what she was doing was using adult phrases," explains Seagren.
The family lived in St. Louis, Missouri at the time, and Seagren says she and a few other parents with similar learners met with school district officials, encouraging them to create programs for gifted grade school students. "After we did that, we discovered they didn't have anything for them at the junior high level [either]," she recalls, adding that junior and senior high programs for gifted learners were eventually adopted by the district.
Seagren's son had unique challenges of his own. He was born with brain damage and is cognitively impaired. "He was born in 1975, the same year the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed, so he really grew up with that law," she says. In St. Louis, occupational therapy was available for children like the young Seagren boy, and his mother says the benefits were notable. When the family relocated to Bloomington, Seagren was disappointed to find similar programs were not in place in Minnesota.
Not yet anyway.
As "a tenacious parent, not an obnoxious one," Seagren once again met with district officials to plead her case. "I'm really proud to say that the Bloomington school district was the first in the state to hire occupational therapists for special education students," she says. A few years later, Seagren ran for and was elected to the Bloomington School Board.
A NEW CHAPTER
Seagren believes her tenures on the Bloomington School Board and in the Minnesota Legislature have prepared her well for her new role as education commissioner. "I know just about every education issue that has happened in the past 12 years, some in more broad ways than others," she says. " I also know everyone on both sides of the House, except for the newly elected members, and I'm familiar with the strategic people in key positions."
Seagren admits that in working with her colleagues in the House "we haven't always agreed" but acknowledges that's part of the territory. Her negotiating experience will prove itself to be especially valuable when it comes time for the Legislature to make decisions surrounding Governor Tim Pawlenty's proposed K - 12 budget for the 2006 - 07 fiscal year. "I really do disdain the bickering that occasionally happens on both sides of the aisle," Seagren says. "The important thing is that we need to have stable funding for our schools, and parents need to be assured they are getting the most efficient use of their tax dollars, as opposed to adding layer upon layer of programs."
PROPOSED EDUCATION FUNDING AND PROGRAMS
When Seagren spoke to Minnesota Parent in late January, Governor Pawlenty had just formally presented the proposed state education budget. Seagren weighed in on some of its specifics, as well as on other topics such as charter schools, The Choice Is Yours program in Minneapolis, and some of the joys and challenges she faces as the state's new education commissioner.
Pawlenty's proposed K - 12 budget represents a total of $12.4 billion, amounting to an increase of $369 million - or 3.1percent - which will be used to provide additional classroom funding, improvement in teacher pay, and further accountability measures throughout the state's public education system. (The overall figure also includes $1.2 billion in federal funding and $84.6 million in other funds received biennially.)
On an individual basis, this means a 2 percent per pupil funding increase amounting to approximately $200 in additional funding for each student over the course of the next two years.
Included in Pawlenty's budget plan is the $60 million "Q. Comp" proposal: money school districts could access for merit pay for quality teachers. The districts would work with management and teachers' unions to negotiate terms. An evaluation system would be put into place whereby the individual teacher's principal and peers would determine if merit pay would be granted based on achievement of goals and improvement of student learning in the classroom.
Seagren is optimistic about this proposal and what it can mean for teachers and students alike. "One of the key elements of Q. Comp is the career ladder for teachers," she explains. "To reach the top is to be known as a master teacher, really what I like to refer to as the Michelangelos of their profession. As parents, these are the teachers you definitely want your child to have."
According to Seagren, the expertise master teachers have acquired over the years could be used to help develop curriculum plans; these individuals could also provide leadership and assist principals in the evaluation of other building teachers. "Part of the Q. Comp funding would offer merit increase so (teachers) want to and are able to stay in the classroom, and also provide money to be used to cover wages for a substitute teacher who takes over in the master's classroom while he or she is working with another class or teacher," says Seagren.
Other levels on the career ladder include beginning teachers, career teachers, and mentors, who could also work with less-experienced teachers on instructional and classroom management techniques. "There would be additional funding available for professional staff development based on the school and the needs of its students," says Seagren, listing subjects such as skill development and reading strategies, alignment of curriculum with learning standards, and intervention techniques for struggling learners. The expectation would be for teachers to move up the ranks in their profession as a result of ongoing training, development, and experience.
As mentioned, a final evaluation of eligible teachers would be completed each year to determine if financial recognition would be given beyond the inflationary pay increase. "For example, if there's a 2 percent inflationary increase statewide, a district could choose to automatically give 1.5 percent raises and retain the remaining half percent to be used for merit pay," says Seagren.
In his presentation of the new budget, Pawlenty also raised the controversial possibility of seeking donations from corporations and businesses to help fund scholarships so poor and disadvantaged families could send their children to private school. Seagren defines the proposal as a scholarship program, not a voucher program. "We already have tax credits in place, but the governor wants to move them into the tuition realm for families that are struggling and offer them an educational choice," she says. With this program, companies could contribute to a scholarship organization, and families would then apply directly for tuition funding through this organization. "Our public schools try to do a really good job of teaching values and respect," says Seagren. "For some families, they believe their child might benefit from the moral instruction that would be available in a private school. I think those families who want that for their child should be able to have those options." Initial conversations with some members of the business community about the idea have been positive, she adds.
Seagren says that in considering this proposal, Pawlenty has been clear on his intention to have an evaluative component in place to ascertain whether there is a difference in academic achievement in the children whose families may decide to take advantage of this scholarship opportunity. "The governor has said this type of program would be evaluated two or three years down the road, and if it wasn't working, it would be scrapped," she explains.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Seagren calls herself "a big supporter" of charter schools. On behalf of the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools, and other sponsoring organizations, Seagren recently announced some new accountability initiatives for charter schools in the state. These include new training sessions for charter school board members and sponsors, addressing their roles, liabilities, and legal responsibilities.
Completion of these training sessions would be required before a charter school files an application with the Minnesota Department of Education. The same stakeholders would also be required to attend programs focusing on effective operation and oversight of schools before a second installment of its federal grant monies for school planning could be obtained.
"The type of training and requirements for charter school board members shouldn't be any different from what local community school board members get," says Seagren. "When those members are elected, training is provided and accountability is expected."
THE CHOICE IS YOURS PROGRAM IN MINNEAPOLIS
Now in its third year, The Choice Is Yours provides qualifying students with the opportunity to attend either a magnet school in Minneapolis or a suburban school.
During the 2003 - 04 school year, over 1,100 such students attended 60 suburban schools located in eight districts. An additional 973 attended city magnet schools. Over half the number of students enrolled in the suburban schools live in near North and North Minneapolis neighborhoods.
According to Seagren, a report on the program's success will be ready by the end of the year, and she admits there are some who have expressed frustration that such a report has yet to be released. "The initial indicators are that kids feel safer, feel welcome in these schools, and don't feel isolated," she says. "Overall the experiences of the children and their parents have been very positive." Tracking mobility issues and academic progress is ongoing, Seagren says, adding that the Minneapolis School District continues to work to inform parents of the types of educational choices available for their families.
JOYS AND CHALLENGES
Seagren says her biggest learning curve as commissioner is running an agency of 500 employees at the Minnesota Department of Education in Roseville. Those individuals, as well as the teachers and administrative professionals working day to day with students throughout the state are people that Seagren-who has a degree in marketing-has grown to greatly admire. "There's nothing more wonderful than to be a teacher," she says. "When a student arrives in the classroom, you have the privilege of watching [his or her] mind click on and engage. Teachers impact a child's life forever. It is such a high calling."
The new commissioner says the most fun she has on the job is the time she spends visiting schools. "I love to meet students," she says, telling of a recent experience with juniors and seniors at Harding High School in St. Paul. "They were talking to me about their future plans, and they were such a cool group of kids." Seagren has an especially soft spot in her heart for the little ones she meets. "I love playing with them and talking to them. The adults I'm with always have to remind me about the schedule I need to keep," she says.
For more information about the Minnesota Department of Education, Alice Seagren and state education initiatives, visit the website at www.education.state.mn.us.
