Ricker resigns as Minnesota education commissioner
By FOX 9 Staff
Mary Cathryn Ricker has resigned as the Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner. (Minnesota Department of Education)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Mary Cathryn Ricker has resigned as Minnesota s education commissioner. Her last day is March 19.
Deputy Commissioner Heather Mueller will take over April 1. Mueller acted as the department s face to the public during the pandemic and its impact on schools.
Ricker has been mostly absent from the public eye for months, even as her agency was tasked with explaining decisions to students, teachers and parents about distance learning and the return to school. The Walz administration said Ricker wishes to leave state service to spend more time in the classroom with Minnesota students, in a release.