The prospects of education in Lexington-Richland School District Five were in focus on October 8, when five school board candidates attended a public forum and answered questions regarding vital concerns affecting the district. Held at 6:At 30 p.m., the event was an excellent chance for residents to listen to the candidates who want to become members of the councils impacting on the safety, development, and evolution of schools.

Candidates participating in the forum held by the teacher forum include Scott Herring, Catherine Huddle, Ken Loveless, Jason Baynham, and Mike Ward. Huddle was the only incumbent in the group, and together with the other fellow candidates, she addressed numerous topics from the community members. This type of organization enabled initial speeches and responses that addressed topics such as safety, teacher attrition, diversity, and academic liberty in schools.

The most frequently raised concern was that for elections held after tragic school shootings, the candidates approved the idea of security upgrades at schools. Both Baynham and Ward focused on safety, whereas Ward also spoke about the need to ensure that the school infrastructure is well-kept. The candidates suggested using better cameras or other enhanced security technologies, door security systems, and gadgets that can be alarming in cases of possible threats.

Similar to teacher quality, teacher recruitment and retention were also clearly identified, Herring and Huddle stating that it is the biggest issue the district faces. Loveless expressed the same concern, insisting on the desirability to recruit the best educators as well as avoiding as many distractions in a classroom as possible. The candidates’ proposed solutions include acts that would entice more veterans into teaching, increase salaries for assuming more tasks, and give incentives after achieving some performance goals.

This was followed by a discussion of equity in education, especially with respect to the issue of PTO programs in different schools. When asked about one change that needs to happen in order for them to be successful, all candidates emphasized that there is a need for a fair distribution of resources. According to Ward, giving out information, providing training sessions, and forming strategic relations with businesses will contribute to equity and new openings for students in the whole district.

Another major talking point was the bill that seeks to fix term limits for school board members. On one of the few issues on which all candidates were in agreement, they favoured the practise of term limits for board members of two to three terms, which equals eight to twelve years in office. This position also shows the need for new ideas and innovation of the district and frequent change of leaders.

The candidates also discussed the problem of academic freedoms acknowledging the difficulties arising from the state regulation of curriculum content. Although the candidates offered different levels of concern regarding these constraints, they all understood their responsibility of implementing and enforcing state requirements in the schools.

Candidates stressed on the issue of responsibility during the forum especially in accusations involving contractors with work in school compounds. In this they concurred with each other especially on the need to follow up strongly and even punish schools who do not measure up to expectation in delivering quality infrastructure for learning facilities.

Candidates also had time to answer a question by a student about ‘Blind grading,’ which was also sourced from the students. Although all the candidates agreed with the statement that grading policies relate specifically to the district office and the superintendent, the candidates stressed that academic standards, as well as student accountability for their work at school, should be kept high.

At the end of the forum, the candidates stated their final remarks to the people and collectively presented a brief summary of their ideas on what they would like to bring to the district and why the people should give them the senior post. Not only did the event allow for candidates to share these ideas further, but also for community members to get involved and make effective decisions in regard to the future of the schools.

With the election set for November 5th the forum has undoubtedly provided the voters in Lexington-Richland School District Five with something to think about. The ideas and approaches in this process look very different as the problems of the modern education systems are rather diverse and multifaceted, and the role of the leader interested in the improvement of the situation is rather significant.

Over the next several weeks, members of the community are going to discuss the information received at the forum and probable direction of the district’s development. When it comes to the critical problems that affect learning institutions, for example, safety measures, teacher endorsement, and equity in learning institutions, their stand will help voters in the Lexington-Richland School District Five to decide their future directions.