A week away from the April 20 school board election, four local candidates contending for three seats on the Board of Education gathered at Jefferson School for a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Presidents' Council (a body comprised of the heads of school PTOs and HSAs).

Each candidate gave an opening and a closing statement and responded to eight prepared questions and then a smattering of questions from the audience. The  forum was moderated by Dianne Gallo of the NJ League of Women Voters. Here's an overview of the responses:

How are we going to support our teachers in a tight budget environment to develop professionally and be more effective?

Current Board member Lynne Crawford observed that a few teachers had achieved National Board Certification this year, and the district was looking to guide more through the process. She also noted that video training and learning communities could be helpful. Her running mate, current Board member Beth Daugherty, spoke of the importance of the new English/Language Arts curriculum (still a work in progress) and the new evaluation process in helping teachers improve their performance. She also said that mentoring could come into play: "We have an awful lot of talent in this district that can mentor the other teachers." Wendy Sachs spoke of the need for greater accountability, and David Giles also emphasized curriculum.

What is your view on tying teacher/administrator compensation to student performance?

All candidates except for Giles were supportive of the idea of merit pay (which is tentatively being implemented in Washington, D.C.) The current Board members noted that a pilot program is in effect for the 2009-2010 school year for administrators and supervisors, whose union agreed to the deal. (Compensation won't be determined until test scores come out at the end of the year.) Giles said he doesn't support a direct link between teacher compensation and student performance because "excessive emphasis on standardized tests" can have bad consequences on learning.

Given the bleak budget outlook for the foreseeable future, what areas of our strategic plan would you give the highest priority? Lowest priority?

Sachs said that the technology plan should be given high priority, since the district has fallen behind its neighbors in that area. Daugherty also mentioned technology and its possible role in reducing costs if resources can be accessed online. Crawford spoke of the achievement gap and cited the statistic that 27 percent of district students were recently either in basic skills or special education, mostly because of problems with reading. "It comes back to curriculum development," she said.

How can technology impact instruction in your view? What is your vision of technology for our district?

All candidates spoke of the potential of technology to transform learning. Daugherty mentioned that smartboards had been installed in all fifth grade classrooms this year and will be brought to fourth grade classrooms in 2010-2011. She also noted that a parent portal is scheduled to be rolled out next year, allowing parents to look at childrens' grades and assignments online. Crawford, a special ed administrator in the Rutherford school district, rattled off technology available in her district, like the use of iPods to download textbooks.

How do you envision your role as a Board of Education member in maintaining the high quality of special education services our district has traditionally provided to students with special needs?

Sachs said that special education was sacrosanct, and the district should be creative with how 25 percent of its budget is financed and perhaps look into forming a consortium with other districts to manage costs. She also raised the idea of reaching out to corporate donors—such as pharmaceutical companies—to see if they would alleviate the burden of major costs like out-of-district transport. Giles said he was wary of statements from district leadership on how the district is still providing legally required services for special education, despite this year's cuts, and said that the Board needed to keep a close watch on their impact. Daugherty spoke of the inclusion model, which was implemented across the elementary schools with the help of federal stimulus dollars this year, but will be scaled back next year. "We're still committed to the inclusion model," she said, noting that over $3 million in lost state aid this year was for special education programming, but special ed cuts in the budget didn't amount to nearly that much.

The achievement gap is still a challenge to our school district. What, if any, school initiatives appear to be working to solve the problem? What other programs or approaches would you advocate to reduce the gap?

Crawford spoke of her hopes that an improved English/Language Arts curriculum with more attention to phonics for children learning to read will have an impact. She also noted that access to AP courses had been improved over the past few years, and students have done well, and she praised Supt. Brian Osborne, who has "done a lot to maximize the talent of the principals" as educational leaders. Giles said, while there's no simple answer, that targeted interventions were needed to address the skills and social/emotional needs of learners who fall behind. Daugherty said she's hopeful about the effect of full-day kindergarten, rolled out last year, and is eagerly awaiting the report from a task force appointed to research class leveling policies. (On levels: "I don't think it's the cause of the achievement gap, but if we don't change it, I don't think we'll close the achievement gap.) Sachs said the district should be aggressive and look to successful models to bring about a "real reform of culture": "The baby steps are helpful and they're in the right direction, but they're not enough."

How do you think the Board of Education can be more effective?

Giles noted that the budget is already lean, and the district is running out of places to cut, so lobbying the state to reform its funding system should be a priority. He also said he believes there should be less of an emphasis on test scores, since he's heard "time and again" from parents who don't think their children are being challenged: "As Board members, we need to hear that and make sure the administration is responding." Daugherty said the Board could do a more effective job of monitoring progress toward district goals (though the superintendent already gives reports throughout the year). Sachs said the Board could do a better job of communicating with parents.

How do you view balancing the pressure to reduce property taxes and maintaining a quality school system?

Daugherty said the district could look for more opportunities to share services with municipalities and neighboring school districts, possibly even looking to share educational services. She also mentioned the cost-cutting potential for online learning and reaching out to Trenton, noting that "we do have a fairly active lobbying board." Sachs said the district should be seeking grants from donors like the Gates and Wallace foundations. (Crawford and Daugherty subsequently said that grants are challenging for the district, since, on paper, South Orange and Maplewood are too wealthy.) Crawford underscored the complexity of the situation, noting that the district has a number of fixed costs—health care and out-of-district transportation, as well as 41 percent of teachers making top salary—that are rising every year. Giles spoke of the need to fix the state funding system "so we can get a more equitable share of state aid."

Note: Candidates first debated last month and will participate in another forum tonight (Wednesday) at Marshall School at 7 p.m., sponsored by the Community Coalition on Race.