Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren is the latest state official to hit the road for meetings around the state: She was in Marshall, Minn., Tuesday and told educators that Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to help them.

She said the governor wants to expand the Q Comp, teacher merit pay plan, already used in Marshall, according to the Marshall Independent.

But school board member Jeff Chapman said the district hears a different future for Q Comp each year.

"I don't think it's gonna go away," Seagren said of Q Comp.

She also said:

• The governor wants to encourage more mid-level professionals to become teachers.
• Pawlenty has proposed a wage freeze for city and county government employees, but not for education employees.
• Pawlenty wants reform in collective bargaining between teachers unions and school districts, and wants an arbitration process to replace the way contracts are now negotiated and settled.
• About $677 million in stimulus money can be distributed to Minnesota school districts, but the state must first replace any cuts in education.

Yet she warned: "Be careful when you are planning your budgets, be very conservative."