Acting State Schools Chief Won’t Seek Permanent Post

The man who will fill in for state Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig said Friday that he has no ambitions beyond temporarily acting as superintendent but will continue pushing Honig’s reform agenda as long as he is in charge.

William D. Dawson, 53, executive deputy superintendent of the Department of Education, also said he would not hesitate to call on Honig--convicted on four felony conflict-of-interest charges--for advice on running the state’s educational bureaucracy.

“There is a deep commitment by all of us (on the department staff) to follow through on those reforms,” Dawson said at a news conference.

Under Honig, education reforms included beefing up school curricula, upgrading textbooks and encouraging more training for teachers and administrators.

A bitter partisan battle is shaping up between Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) and Republican Gov. Pete Wilson over whom the governor should appoint to replace Honig. Wilson’s choice is subject to confirmation by the Democratic-controlled Assembly and Senate.

Brown has said he will oppose a Republican nominee to replace Honig, a Democrat who held the nonpartisan office. The governor said he is considering candidates from both major political parties, but added he wants to “re-emphasize the nonpartisan nature of the office.” Wilson also said he is looking for someone who can win election to a full four-year term in 1994 when the next statewide election is held.

Among those reportedly being considered for the $102,000-a-year job as state superintendent of public instruction are Republican state Sens. Marian Bergeson of Newport Beach and Rebecca Morgan of Los Altos; Maureen DeMarco, Wilson’s education adviser, and Peter Mehas, former Gov. George Deukmejian’s education adviser.

Democratic lawmakers who have expressed interest in the post include Sen. Gary K. Hart of Santa Barbara, the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, and Assemblywoman Delaine Eastin of Fremont, who heads the Assembly Education Committee. Brown has said he would support former Assemblyman Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles), who heads LEARN, a coalition formed to overhaul the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Honig, 55, faces up to five years in prison and will lose his job when he is sentenced Feb. 26. He was convicted of diverting $337,509 in public funds to the Quality Education Project, a program headed by his wife, Nancy, designed to increase parental involvement in the schools.

State law provides that the chief deputy discharge the duties of the superintendent until a replacement is confirmed.

A 27-year career state employee, Dawson has served during the Administrations of five governors in the areas of personnel management and welfare. Dawson called Honig’s conviction “a terrible thing.” He said he would serve only until replaced and “absolutely will not seek this office on a permanent basis.”

Dawson promised to try to obtain more school aid as Honig did, but added, “I won’t fill Bill Honig’s shoes. Few mortals could.”

Dawson said California ranks $900 below the national average in annual per-pupil school spending--43rd in the nation between South Carolina and Louisiana. “I don’t think we want that,” he said.