Reformer to Be New Education Chief in L.A.

One of the more obscure, if high-paying, jobs in local public education was filled Tuesday when a divided Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors named a former Kentucky official and noted reformer to be superintendent of the county Office of Education.

Donald W. Ingwerson, who also once was superintendent of the Orange Unified School District, was awarded a three-year contract during a closed-door session on a 3-2 vote. Supervisors Deane Dana and Ed Edelman voted no, an indication of the controversy surrounding the appointment to what historically has been a low-profile but increasingly powerful post.

The new superintendent’s salary will be set by the appointed county Board of Education. His predecessor, Stuart Gothold, who is retiring at the end of the month, earns $118,000 annually.

Ingwerson, 60, who holds a doctorate in school administration from the University of Wyoming, was superintendent of Jefferson County Schools in Louisville for 12 years before leaving in 1993 to head the Galef Institute, a private school-reform organization in Santa Monica. He previously worked as a teacher and counselor, then administrator in several Southern California school districts, including Temple City, Glendora and Orange Unified, where he was superintendent from 1972 to 1981.

While in Jefferson County, Ingwerson implemented Kentucky’s highly touted reform effort--which overhauled financing of schools and demanded higher results--and became a figure in the national drive to improve public schools.

After he was named Kentucky Superintendent of the Year in 1992, the Louisville Courier-Journal published articles disputing academic improvement claims. The paper also ran stories about Ingwerson’s hiring of school district employees to perform work on his real estate properties. In the stories, Ingwerson denied doing anything improper. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Edelman said he strongly believed that “there were much better candidates.” There were four other finalists: Supts. Robert Aguilar of the Norwalk-La Mirada district and Ronald Hockwalt of the Walnut Valley schools, and two county Office of Education administrators, Gilberto Anzaldua and Jennifer Hartman.

Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, who voted for Ingwerson, said she was impressed by his national stature, his support in the business community and his tremendous record, especially in improving achievement among minority students. She added that supervisors looked at the Kentucky controversies but felt that they were a very small part of Ingwerson’s overall record.