By Bill Forry

Dorchester State Reps Marie St. Fleur and Martin Walsh received promotions on Monday, when Speaker Tom Finneran named them to chair the Legislature's committees on Education and Homeland Security, respectively. It is the first chairmanship for each legislator, who are both key city allies of the Speaker.

St. Fleur, first elected in 1999, will take the helm at the Education Committee immediately.

"I am really honored," St. Fleur told the Reporter. "The Speaker has put me in a crucial position. Education is on the minds of constituents across the state, especially in these tough fiscal times. We have to preserve some of the hard-fought gains we've made in the classrooms."

St. Fleur, who represents the Fifth Suffolk district, has quickly established herself as one of the Legislature's rising stars, thanks in part to a growing partnership with her powerful Dorchester neighbor, who has discretion over which of the 165 members of the House of Representatives move into key positions- and which ones do not.

Last year, Finneran named St. Fleur co-chairperson of the influential Bills in Third Reading committee, a three-person body that works closely with Finneran to decide which bills will be debated by the Legislature.

The Education Committee, however, brings her profile to a whole new level. Through the position, St. Fleur will be a key arbiter of policy governing education legislation and funding. The new posting means a new office, more staff, and an increased salary for the third-term state representative. It will also, most certainly, mean more pressure, particularly with the state's gloomy financial prospects.

"I am excited about this opportunity and also anxious, to be honest," St. Fleur admitted. "We're in the midst of one of the worst economic crisis we've ever faced. That's a reality. I hope to bring some insight and make cuts judiciously."

Like St. Fleur, Finneran remains a staunch advocate of the MCAS examination, the test that screens high school students across the state. St. Fleur also shares Finneran's moderate position on bilingual education, which she has pushed to reform, but not eliminate altogether.

The two topics, which remain controversial, will likely take the back-burner to the state's deepening financial crisis in the Legislature's 2003 calendar. A more immediate concern is how cities and towns will manage to improve or at least stabilize education gains in the face of what could prove to be massive cuts to local public education budgets.

St. Fleur, who was born in Haiti and raised in Dorchester, attended Boston College Law School and is a former state prosecutor. She and her husband John Lauture are the parents of three children.

State Rep. Walsh of Dorchester's 13th Suffolk district received his first committee chairmanship in his six-year old State House career when Finneran tapped him to head a newly formed committee on Homeland Security and Federal Funds. Most recently, Walsh has served as a vice-chairman of Steering, Policy and Scheduling committee and has been a member of committees on Health Care and The Judiciary. Walsh will be joined on the new committee by State Rep. Brian Wallace, whose district includes South Boston and adjacent parts of Dorchester, including precincts in and around Edward Everett Square and St. Margaret's parish.