Independence Cited : Elected Schools Chief Vital, Peterson Asserts

Arguing that voters should continue to elect the Orange County superintendent of schools, incumbent Supt. Robert Peterson on Friday said that if state schools superintendent Bill Honig had been appointed, “He would already be muzzled.”

Peterson made his comments in an appearance before the seven-member Blue Ribbon Commission that is studying the issue of whether superintendents of schools should be appointed or elected. The commission held its meeting Friday at the county Department of Education offices in Costa Mesa.

Orange County has always had an elected superintendent of schools, and Peterson has held that post since 1966. But some county grand juries, including last year’s, have recommended having a superintendent appointed by the five-member elected county Board of Education.

Peterson’s point Friday was that since state Superintendent of Public Instruction Honig is elected, he is able to speak his mind on educational issues. This is something that county superintendents also need, Peterson said, and is a major reason Orange County should not change from having an elected superintendent of schools.

Public Argument

Honig recently has engaged in a public argument with Gov. George Deukmejian over education funding.

The 1985-86 Orange County Grand Jury, in its report, said that having an appointed superintendent would allow the county to shop for the best professionally qualified education candidate.

But Peterson said Friday that switching to appointed superintendents would work against checks and balances in county education.

“It is traditional in America that we have an executive branch and a legislative branch,” Peterson said. “In Orange County, you might think of the county superintendent as being the executive, and the county Board of Education as being the legislative. It’s give-and-take between those two, and neither is supreme.”

Peterson noted that the county Board of Education has power over the budget, while he has power over the daily workings of the Department of Education, which has about 700 employees and this year has a budget of around $50 million.

“The voters want to elect their county superintendent and state superintendent of public instruction,” Peterson said. “And no matter what type of recommendation is made to them, voters will jealously guard their right to elect their superintendent.

“An appointed county superintendent is an employee of the board, and the relationship between board and superintendent isn’t one of balance.”

Peterson told the commission that he is “not at all antagonistic to your careful study” of the elected-versus-appointed issue. But, he said, if the result leads to the question going to the Orange County voters, “I will campaign to my utmost ability to keep the county superintendent elected.”

The commission chairman, Orange Mayor Jess F. Perez, said Friday that the panel will hold one more meeting and then make its report sometime in March to the county Board of Education.

Also appearing before the commission on Friday was county Board of Education member Dean McCormick.

McCormick said: “What we have now in Orange County works because of the personal relationship between Dr. Peterson and the board. But I know counties where the board members and the elected superintendent are at loggerheads.”