Democrats Don O'Day and Elaine Whitney are running as a team against Republicans Jim Marpe and Michael McGovern, but all are assured places on the Board of Education, which has four openings this year.
The first question posed was why the Connecticut Mastery Test scores were lower than three other peer towns.
Marpe, the current vice chairman of the board said, "We are not teaching to the test. We prepare our students for the total requirements of the 21st century." He added that Staples students' SAT scores are in the highest scoring group but that in fact they would look into the situation.
O'Day, current chairman of the board said, "When our kids leave Staples for their careers they are the most prepared kids in their groups."
Discussing the working relationship between the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Elliott Landon, O'Day said, "We are the board of directors, and the superintendent is the CEO. He reports to us. He is the expert. Decisions that drive strategies and the budget are made by the board. Day-to-day decisions are the responsibility of the superintendent. There is no rubber stamp. We are in charge."
Whitney said, "The board's role is establishing priorities and direction. The relationship works best with mutual respect and cooperation so we can work together to tackle challenges.
Marpe added, "I view our role as advice-giving. There is a lot of business experience at this table. I make it a point to understand how other education boards work. Our process is an amalgamation of best practices."
McGovern said, "My experience serving as a director for both public and private companies. The most important job of a CEO is to attract and retain top talent. Our superintendent has done a fine job. He deserves high marks for that."
To a question about ways to enrich education for average students, McGovern said, "We try to provide the best individualized education for each child. The opportunities and richness of our school system provide opportunities for our students regardless of their level."
Whitney said, " We try very hard to make sure that we meet the needs of each child. We try to personalize the experience. We are a people-heavy business. We are fortunate to have the staff we have, not just class size, although that is important, but also our infrastructure including our guidance department, psychologists, assistant principals. Middle school has a structure to make sure the kids don't fall through the cracks."
Marpe said, "I've come to understand how we deal with the average student. We know children learn at different levels. Class size is important. It has been such a struggle not to let our class sizes grow so teachers can focus on the individual. We also have to get the best teachers. Our extracurricular programs are also vital to engage our students, help them learn leadership skills, and learn how to grow to be a part of a greater society."
O'Day said, "We reach out to all the students. It is a tenet of what we do. You do that by having the best teachers. We also have a carefully thought-out program of moving from school to school. One program I am happy with is The Bridge Program - that's how you take care of everybody. We also have athletics, the arts, and extracurricular activities for all the kids. Kids are interested in clubs beyond academics."
When asked about what candidates would consider if they had to make further budget cuts Whitney said, "These are very serious issues. My highest priorities are class sizes and maintaining our facilities."
Marpe said, "We have to be very careful that we don't turn a great school system into just a good one. We can cost-cut our way to a bad place. We have to look at cuts on a programmatic basis, not point by point. He added that consolidation of services calls for leadership on both the town and education sides.
In his closing statement, O'Day said, "There are no perfect answers. We work in a collaborative manner without regard to politics or party."