COLUMBUS - The job of Ohio's superintendent of public instruction may be in jeopardy because some state school board members think he hasn't done enough to defend their interests.
As state lawmakers haggle over an Ohio Supreme Court decision that ordered them to overhaul the school funding system, three board members met privately with John Goff on Monday to discuss his annual evaluation.
At issue is the role of the Ohio Department of Education - and the state Board of Education that oversees it - in a revamped public school system.
Some board members are upset that Gov. George Voinovich and lawmakers have stripped the education department of several duties in recent years, including control of programs that fund classroom computers and school building construction.
''There is a concern that the state board's power has been usurped and Dr. Goff hasn't done enough to prevent that,'' said Sue Westendorf of Napoleon, who was appointed to the board by Mr. Voinovich last year.
If watching the General Assembly gradually strip away their responsibilities wasn't enough, Ms. Westendorf said, some board members also aren't happy that Dr. Goff co-chairs a coalition of business, education and community leaders called Ohio's BEST.
One of BEST's recommendations to improve schools is creating an independent citizens commission - separate from the education department - that would monitor student achievement.
Melanie Bates, an elected board member from Cincinnati, said the 19-member panel is divided into factions, some of which think Dr. Goff is too aggressive in charting a course that doesn't include the board.
By trying to satisfy the concerns of those different groups, she said, Dr. Goff has made himself a target.
''He hasn't said anything offensive,'' Ms. Bates said. ''If he did, maybe his supporters would rally around him.''
The group that met Monday with Dr. Goff included board President Jennifer Sheets of Pomeroy and Dwight Hibbard of Cincinnati, both Voinovich appointees, and Oliver Ocasek, an elected board member from the Akron area.
Mr. Ocasek said he supports Dr. Goff, but Ms. Sheets and Mr. Hibbard refused to state their position on the superintendent's job. ''An evaluation of an employee shouldn't be a public record,'' Mr. Hibbard said.
Ms. Sheets also refused to speculate whether Dr. Goff will be fired or asked to resign. Before either could happen, the board would have to vote in a public session.
Dr. Goff could not be reached for comment.
Diana Fessler, an elected board member from New Carlisle, has tangled with Dr. Goff on academic standards the panel drafted after three years of study, only to see its recommendations largely ignored by lawmakers.
Despite concerns about his involvement with the BEST coalition, Ms. Fessler said she doesn't want him to leave the education department. She attributed the speculation about his future to a new evaluation procedure that solicited detailed comments about his performance.
''This was a very difficult format, with very long executive sessions,'' she said. ''But this board isn't going to fire John Goff.''
Dr. Goff's fellow BEST coalition co-chairman, Bob Wehling, senior vice president for Procter & Gamble Co., said the makeup of the board itself is part of the problem. Eleven members are elected from different parts of the state, while eight are appointed by the governor.
Former State Superintendent Ted Sanders said a lack of support among board members for BEST's work was one reason he left Ohio three years ago.
''I don't know who is trying to undermine Dr. Goff, but obviously we are into a bit of a turf battle here,'' Mr. Wehling said. ''We're all supposed to have the interests of the kids at heart. I think he's doing a great job in a bad situation.''
