LANSING (AP) - For Democrat Geoffrey Fieger, the gubernatorial race is a chance to fix what he believes Gov. John Engler has broken. At the top of the list is education.

At a rally last week, Fieger referred to some of Engler's education policies - including a plan for parents to take over schools - as "the product of a deranged mine." Fieger also has spoken out against Engler legislation that penalized striking teachers.

But with incumbency and rising test scores on his side, Engler is fighting back. He is fond of saying he wants to make Michigan's schools the best in the world, and to prove it, he's touting record funding levels and a tougher stand on school violence.

"I think in many ways, Michigan is looked to as an education leader," Engler told a group of teachers and administrators last week at the Governor's Summit on Education.

"You couldn't make us take the schools in California, Texas or Ohio. ... Our goal is not to be lulled into the low expectations of those schools, but to set our sights high."

To some, Engler's words on education ring hollow for a governor who has focused previously on tax cuts and other measures that often harm education.

"Engler has continued talking like a Democrat on education and other issues," said EPIC/MRA pollster Ed Sarpolus. "You hardly ever hear him speak about tax cuts anymore."

Engler also has shied away from vouchers and other Republican initiatives he supported during the 1996 campaign, favoring the promotion of an early-childhood reading program that was developed by Democrats several years ago.

The candidates' differences on education are likely to attract voter attention. Last week, a poll by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA found 20 percent of those questioned said it was their top concern.

School administrators will be watching closely, too. They have criticized Engler for concentrating so heavily on charter schools and other issues instead of traditional public schools.

"He's moved away from a focus on fixing the public schools and into an attitude of abandoning them," said Margaret Trimer-Hartley, a consultant with the Michigan Education Association.

"There's so many proven solutions, but those are getting short shrift. You've got to get in and make a commitment that public education is important, and we haven't seen that in the last four years."

Engler has also been criticized for his role in pushing 1994 legislation that penalizes teachers who go on strike. It's an issue that helps Fieger, the son of a teacher union activist who has promised to repeal the laws.

09-28-98