Will Smith, Dion Sampson, Gabriela Pickett and Joe Lacey answered questions from the audience.
Lacey, who previously served on the school board for 12 years, said he would want to improve students’ performance by lowering class sizes, if elected.
Pickett, who said she is a researcher and has studied best practices in schools, said the research is clear when it comes to class size.
“If we have more than 20 kids per teacher, it is difficult to get those relationships and bonds we need to improve academic achievement,” Pickett said.
If elected, Pickett said she wants to attract and hire more teachers to reduce class size.
Smith said he thinks Dayton Public Schools need a culture change and if elected he would start that change by engaging the community and working toward equity across the district.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
VOTERS GUIDE: Find out what's on your ballot this November
“There shouldn’t be a time where a parent has to think, if my child can’t get into this elementary or this middle school, I’m going to leave the district, and unfortunately that’s the reality that a lot of people face right now,” Smith said.
Sampson also said if elected he would focus on the equitable distribution of resources throughout the district. First, however, he would try to understand what the current board members are doing, referencing business and self-help book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”
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Candidates were asked about the district's recent hiring of Gary Dickstein, interim Wright State University vice provost and husband of Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein. Each candidate called for transparency in the hiring process.
Pickett said the reason Dickstein’s hire is even being discussed is because of a lack of transparency.
Sampson said the school district needs to be open about individuals it is trying to bring on. He also said that the board should look at “nepotism in the district as a whole.”
“I don’t know who should have gotten a position, but I do know that everything has to be transparent and we do have to hold people accountable for the decisions they make,” Smith said.
Lacey said the district hiring Dickstein wasn’t a great look.
“I do have to admit, it gives the appearance that the district is looking out more for developers than they’re looking out for students,” Lacey said.
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Candidates also discussed their views on raising money for things like teachers’ salaries and additional programs.
Dayton Public Schools currently sits on a $100 million surplus, Lacey said.
“I don’t think we need to raise more money,” Lacey said. “The Dayton taxpayers don’t want us to just build a surplus. That’s not being fiscally responsible.”
Sampson said the district needs to focus on what it can do with the money it has now.
“Before we talk about raising funds, we should make sure we are being good stewards of the money we already have,” he said.
Smith said the school district needs to increase community trust in Dayton Public Schools to spend funds the right way.
Pickett echoed that sentiment, saying that Dayton Public Schools needs to have "buy-in" from the community. Pickett said the district is in the perfect position to do that because its report card rating from the state went from an "F" to a "D" this year.
To read more about each school board candidate, check out the Dayton Daily News Voter Guide.
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