EDUCATION WATCH : Crash Course

Gov. Wilson’s nominee to be state superintendent of public instruction is way out of the loop as far as the educational Establishment is concerned. But as an outsider, Sanford C. Sigoloff’s contribution in the job--should he be confirmed--could be to deliver a fresh assessment of the state education scene.

Sigoloff was tapped to fill the unexpired term of Bill Honig, who resigned as superintendent early this year after a felony conviction for conflict of interest, relating to his wife’s education consulting firm. In nominating Sigoloff, Wilson is turning to a man perhaps best known to Southern California consumers for his “We get the message, Mr. Sigoloff” ad campaign for Builders Emporium during the mid-1980s. (The chain went out of business this fall, long after Sigoloff left.)

Sigoloff is a specialist in turning around financially strapped companies. His no-nonsense approach even earned him the nickname “Ming the Merciless.” Sigoloff may not come to the job with education expertise, but as an interim superintendent (he has said he will not run for the post next November) he can be a one-man blue-ribbon commission, trouble-shooting a school system plagued by violence, overcrowding, money troubles and a decline in student achievement.

It’s hard to compare a state school system to a company, even a big one, but complex organizations do have much in common. To the extent that the problems stem from organizational and operational dysfunctions, Sigoloff can help by careful observation--and then telling the public what he has found.