In the late 1990s, social studies teachers Tim Walz and Heather Mueller had neighboring classrooms at Mankato West High School until Mueller left for a larger classroom in the school’s annex.
“He had a much bigger room than I did,” she said. “I didn’t complain about it because I was a first-year teacher, but I had thoughts on it.”
Mueller joined the Minnesota Department of Education as a senior director in April 2019, a few months after Walz was sworn in as governor. She became deputy commissioner in January 2020 and has been the face of the state’s education response during the coronavirus pandemic, working with health officials to issue and revise guidance to public schools around when and how they can safely bring students back to school.
Next month, Mueller moves into the education commissioner’s office following Mary Cathryn Ricker’s resignation.
In an interview last week, Mueller spoke about her vision for the department and how to help Minnesota students and schools recover from an unpredictable year. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Coming out of the pandemic, what do you worry most about with our students?
I worry most about the safety and health and wellness of our students and our staff and their families, and just ensuring we are building systems and structures that allow us to be in-person.
The second is definitely the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on our Black community, our indigenous community and our people of color.
We need to make sure we are not only providing the high levels of academic support and programming that our students are used to but we need to make sure we have support to provide enrichment for their health and their well-being.
Do you think it was the right approach to have schools make plans last summer for in-person, hybrid and distance learning and let them decide which modes they’ll be in?
We knew that at some point in time we were going to need to have students who were completely in, completely out and somewhere in the middle. We knew that the first priority was health and well-being and the second priority was to have as much in-person learning as possible. Hybrid is very difficult, and it’s hard on staff.
We also know that every community was impacted differently so being able to be nimble and make decisions at the local level is also something that was incredibly important.
I think that it worked in the way that it could. Do I believe that there were points in time that the communication could have been better? Absolutely.
What do you think next school year looks like? Do you expect all schools to be back fully in-person?
I think that we will see our students in person; I think that it will look a little bit different. I don’t know where we will be on masks, but I believe that we know at this point that masks are important. But I’m hopeful that they get to experience school the way that they should be able to experience school, all of the best parts.”
Will schools still have to offer their own distance learning programs next school year?
We know that there are a number of districts who are interested in providing distance learning because they have students who … did excel in distance learning. At this point in time, it’s not something that we’ve said has to be done.
Is there a summer date you’re targeting to release more guidance for what school should look like next year?
We are hopeful that by the time we hit June we would be having a real solid sense of what the landscape would be.
What is your vision for the department?
The work we do is all meant to really ensure that each and every student, every single day, has access, has the ability to participate, is represented, is valued, seen and heard, and that they have options in their lives once they’ve graduated. The work we do in education is to really ensure that the systems and structures that we are creating doesn’t create barriers for students to what they hope to become and what their dreams are.
Minnesota has focused a lot on achievement gaps but hasn’t made much progress. Is that something we can improve upon, and what key strategies will you pursue?
We know that it can be because we see schools that are doing that. We also know that the achievement gap isn’t solely based in academics. That’s why the governor put forward a Due North plan that is encompassing of not only academic supports but also social-emotional and mental health support. It’s why there is a united, strategic plan across all of our agencies with making sure that this state is the best state for children and families to live.
Minnesota has a history of school choice, with charter schools and open enrollment. Do you think that has served the state well?
I think charter schools are public schools, and our public schools provide an amazing education for our students. Choices for families are important — the ability to know that they’re choosing to attend their neighborhood schools.