The teacher forum hosted the school board candidate forum for Lexington-Richland contenders on Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m.

Throughout the forum, candidates were asked what the most critical issue is, how to keep the schools safe, how to promote equity, term limits, teacher support and respect, contractor’s work, how to ensure grading is fair, recruitment and retaining veteran teachers and academic freedom.

Community members were able to attend to hear the candidates’ views on matters that will impact the safety, growth and future of the school district.

The five candidates up for election are Scott Herring (Lexington County), Catherine Huddle (Lexington County), Ken Loveless (Lexington County), Jason Baynham (Richland County) and Mike Ward (Richland County).

Huddle is currently on the board.

Each candidate had three minutes for their opening statement, one minute to answer questions that were submitted by the community and two minutes for their closing statement.

When asked what the most critical issue was for the schools, Baynham said safety and to protect students, faculty and staff. Ward similarly voiced the issue of safety in schools but furthermore said that school buildings are healthy and have no issues. Both Herring and Huddle expressed recruiting and retaining teachers is a central issue they would focus on if elected. Lastly, Loveless said he would prioritize getting the best teachers and fewer distractions in the classroom.

In the second round, the question posed concerned the safety of the school. All candidates agreed stating that there should be enhancements on cameras, systems that guard doors and devices that detect harm and unknown individuals. Huddle discussed bringing in an independent testing company, guaranteeing that schools are utilizing devices and figuring out points of failure. Herring also said creating relationships between students, teachers and parents will permit schools to recognize safety problems.

The third round allowed candidates to discuss how they will promote equity in all schools' PTO programs. All nominees stated that distributing money across different PTO programs would be the solution. Ward stated that sharing information, offering training and partnering with different businesses will help promote equity and opportunities.

During the fourth round, the concern of term limits arose. Do the candidates believe there should be term limits and, if so, how many terms? Candidates all echoed one another and said that school board members should merely serve two to three terms, which is eight to 12 years.

Showing teachers respect and encouragement was the topic of the fifth round. Each candidate expressed the significance of motivation, welcoming input from teachers and allowing teachers to have time to relax their minds. Baynham believes eliminating unnecessary tasks and combining meetings will show support to educators.

The sixth round contained contractors' work discussion. Candidates all said they would hold contractors accountable and have follow-ups. If there were to be a problem with the building, contractors would receive a consequence.

A student submitted a question discussing how candidates would make grading fair in round seven. All candidates agreed and said all students should work hard and should not receive a free ride. However, this is a matter for the district office and superintendent.

Round eight allowed candidates to express how they would recruit and retain veteran teachers in the schools. Huddle discussed implementing programs that will encourage veteran teachers to stay and motivate other teachers. Ward, Baynham, Loveless and Herring said instructors should receive additional pay if they step up and do tasks, such as becoming a substitute teacher. Herring brought up the idea of bonuses for milestones reached.

In the last round, candidates were asked to discuss academic freedom. Due to a proviso, there are state regulations that limit what students can learn and read. All candidates stated that as a school board, they have to support, follow and enforce it in schools.

Election day is on Tuesday, Nov. 5.