Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is seeking a public education deputy to fill a full-time, paid position.

"We're going, I'd say in the next month or two, (to) have a full-time deputy for public ed," Huntsman told the Deseret Morning News Editorial Board recently. "I've got a couple of ideas in mind but that I'm not yet ready to unfurl."

Tim Bridgewater currently volunteers as Huntsman's education deputy over public schools. Hope Eccles is a volunteer deputy over higher education.

Eccles' work will continue, Huntsman said.

But a full-time, paid deputy will "take Tim Bridgewater's place," Huntsman said.

"As a volunteer, somebody who's given us a lot of time, he's been fantastic. He navigated the shoals of the No Child Left Behind over the weeks and months and I have to say, did it pretty adroitly. It was not an easy time."

Bridgewater, who runs a consulting company, believes he will continue to volunteer for the governor. He currently is helping create groups examining high school rigor and the achievement gap between whites and minorities and the haves and have-nots.

But Bridgewater says a full-time, paid deputy is needed to handle loads of day-to-day work.

"I love the issues . . . and I would still work," Bridgewater said. "There is so much day-to-day stuff, we need someone who can be to the meetings," which can stack up to 20 a day, he said.

Utah has entered politically charged, nationally publicized education battles with the federal government in Bridgewater's tenure.

The state in April created a law challenging the federal No Child Left Behind's reach into Utah public schools, and prioritizing state educational goals over NCLB. The U.S. Secretary of Education has said the law could jeopardize millions in federal funds; state education leaders say they would never lead Utah down that path.

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com