Countywide : School Chief Peterson Will Seek a 7th Term

Robert D. Peterson, who is now in his sixth term as county superintendent of Orange County schools, announced Friday that he has decided to run for a seventh term next June.

Peterson, who has never faced serious opposition and ran unopposed in 1986, said he is announcing earlier than usual because elections have become more costly. Peterson said he wants to begin collecting campaign funds, with a goal of $60,000 by the end of the year.

Peterson, 69, said he was eligible for retirement six years ago.

“But we’ve got some good things going on right now that I’d like to stay with,” he said. “I just feel like I’ve got some work left to do before I finish this job.

Peterson mentioned, for example, the countywide drug-prevention program in the schools. The county will soon receive federal money for it, which could quadruple the amount of funds the county now has for the program. He also mentioned a county training program to help teachers identify students who are likely to have trouble making it to graduation and may need extra help.

Right now, that program--called Early Identification for School Success--is just for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade teachers. But Peterson said he hopes it can be expanded to include teachers in second, third and fourth grades.

Peterson was an elementary school principal in 1966 when he ran for the superintendent’s post and defeated the incumbent, Frank Grunenfelder. Peterson’s department, which coordinates a variety of educational programs in the county, has 800 employees.