Can you have a meaningful debate on complex educational issues in two-minute bits?
You can try.
And that’s exactly what 11 candidates for the Shelton Board of Education did Wednesday night, at the Shelton PTA Council “Meet the Candidates” event.
There are 15 people running for the board of education, after the city’s third party Citizens United shifted some of its candidates to the Board of Aldermen ballot at their caucus.
(Four candidates were unable to attend the “Meet the Candidates” event.)
Only nine will get elected.
And Wednesdsay, in front of a large crowd at the Shelton Intermediate School auditorium, candidates tried to explain why they should be included in that nine.
The Questions
PTA Council members had gathered questions in advance from parents throughout the district. Board of Education candidates picked questions at random by pulling out a numbered index card from a black cloth bag.
Some questions included:
- How would you increase the arts program?
- How will you influence the board to fully implement full-day kindergarten?
- Do you believe foreign language should be offered in the elementary schools?
- How would you address inequalities at the elementary schools?
- What’s your take on building maintenance?
- What will you do to guard the schools against the H1N1 virus?
Each candidate was asked two questions and got two minutes to answer each one.
Parents in the crowd also had a chance to ask questions afterward, and candidates were able to mingle with citizens after the program.
The Answers
Some were quick.
“If it works, don’t fix it,” said Republican candidate John “Jay” Francino Quinn about the arts programs at the schools, after saying the programs need “maybe only a fine tuning.”
Some included caveats to other questions.
“There are no air problems at the schools,” said incumbent Timothy Walsh, responding to a previous answer about school maintenance before answering his question about redistricting schools.
Some were cut off mid-sentence after time ran out.
Others could only graze complicated topics.
“It’s not a perfect program. The concept is good,” incumbent Republican Candidate Bernard Simons said when asked about his feelings on the No Child Left Behind act. “It needs to be used properly so it really is a benefit to the students and not just political rhetoric.”
Mayoral Input
The three mayoral candidates were also invited to each give a five-minute speech about their views on education in the city. Democrat Chris Jones and Citizens United candidate Mark Widomski spoke, but incumbent Mayor Mark Lauretti did not attend.
Jones talked about the need to give the Board of Education back money it doesn’t spend at the end of the fiscal year. He proposed creating a trust fund for that purpose.
“Knowing any funds the Board of Education saves will eventually go back into education will encourage the board to find cost savings,” Jones said.
Widomski said he was concerned about the portion of the budget that goes toward administrators’ salaries, rather than to instructional supplies for students.
“Two schools failed to meet AYP (a measure of achievement under the No Child Left Behind act) this year,” Widomski said. “Would these two schools have done better if they were better budgeted?”
Lauretti, before the event, said he was unable to attend because he had other meetings to go to Wednesday.
“What do you say in three minutes?” Lauretti asked rhetorically. “I could spend two hours talking about education.”
The Importance
With no candidate debates scheduled as of Wednedsay night (although rumors were circulating at the event that a mayoral debate is being organized), the “Meet the Candidates” event might be the only place where citizens get to meet face-to-face with the candidates in one setting.
“I feel there are not enough of these forums,” said candidate Michael Pawcota, reminiscing upon the days when a handful of debates would be held before the election.
And the Board of Education ballot is uncharacteristically full this election year.
While parties can chose nine people to run for the Board of Education, they often chose four or five, meaning almost all are guaranteed a spot on the board.
But this year, three people petitioned to be added to the ballot and two members of a third political party, Citizens United, are also running for seats.
“You’ll finally have a real choice for the Board of Education,” Democratic Candidate Kate Kutash said in her introduction.
