2 to advise Huntsman on education

A former congressional candidate and a University of Utah trustee will advise Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. on education issues.

Former Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Tim Bridgewater and U. Board of Trustees vice chairwoman C. Hope Eccles on Friday were announced as Huntsman's co-education deputies.

Bridgewater will focus on public education; Eccles, on higher education.

The pair, who were on Huntsman's education transition committee, will work without a government salary.

The education deputy in the past two administrations has been a single, full-time, paid position, most recently occupied by Darrell White, currently interim president of the Utah College for Applied Technology.

"I hope that having a deputy over public education and a deputy over higher education shows my commitment to education in the state," Huntsman said in a prepared statement. "I am convinced these people will bring insights and fresh ideas to the education system in Utah."

• Bridgewater plans to carry out the governor's vision to improve education, from improving teacher pay to notching up math help for elementary students.

"There's a lot of optimism for the future," he said.

Bridgewater is on the board of trustees for the Sutherland Institute, a conservative think tank that has advocated for universal tuition tax credits, which most public education leaders and the state's largest teachers union oppose.

But Bridgewater says he will resign from all education-related boards as he starts his new job.

"I think that's appropriate in . . . being an unbiased voice to the governor on education policy and initiatives," Bridgewater said. "My personal agenda is less important than carrying out the agenda of the governor."

Utah Education Association President Pat Rusk met Friday with Bridgewater, who she believes will have "a very open-door policy."

Salt Lake Superintendent McKell Withers looks forward to Bridgewater's interest in preparing students for the future.

"I know some people are concerned about his public positions and some of the boards he's been part of that have not been very friendly to public education," Withers said. "We'll just have to see how that unfolds."