By Theola Labbé
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Four candidates running to represent Wards 5 and 6 on the D.C. Board of Education agreed last night that schoolchildren have been ill-served by city public schools, but they outlined varying approaches to fixing the problems.

Speaking at a community forum at McKinley Technology High School, one of the school system's most modern facilities, the candidates for the District 3 seat called for greater accountability for school construction projects and charter schools and a steep reduction in special education costs.

About 75 citizens attended the forum, which was co-sponsored by the Ward 5 and Ward 6 Democrats and was the latest public discussion designed to stir interest in the Nov. 7 school board election. The winner of the District 3 seat will replace board member Tommy Wells, who is running for a seat on the D.C. Council.

"I believe we, as residents, have failed to meet our obligations to students," said Lisa Raymond, a mother of twins who cited her budget and finance experience as a charter school administrator. Raymond left her position as chief operating officer at Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy last month and said she would serve on the school board full time if she wins.

Stéphane Baldi told the crowd that he had traveled the country as a research scientist with the American Institutes for Research and had seen how other big cities have reformed their school systems.

"What I bring to the school board is expertise with solutions that can work for our city," he said.

The District is overwhelmingly Democratic, so the nonpartisan school board races have emerged as the contests to watch going into November. Five of the board's nine seats are open, including the presidency. Two of the members will be named by the next mayor, replacing appointed members whose terms expire in December.

Democratic nominee Adrian M. Fenty has discussed a mayoral takeover of the schools, saying he could act more quickly to renovate aging buildings and improve low test scores and poor graduation rates. Most of the city's 146 schools did not meet national standards on recent standardized tests. The majority of the city's charter schools, despite rapid growth over the past 10 years as parents sought an alternative to traditional public schools, also have posted low test scores.

Fenty has indicated that he would strip the school board of its powers by turning it into an advisory panel.

District 3 candidate Robert Vinson Brannum, a substitute teacher and advisory neighborhood commissioner, differed from his colleagues by saying he supports the school system's $3 billion plan to modernize its facilities over 15 years.

Superintendent Clifford B. Janey "has a plan in place, and we ought to give it a chance to move forward," Brannum said.

Marc Borbely, a former French teacher at Eastern High School who worked on getting the construction package passed, said the projects should be managed by the school system, not an independent construction authority. Raymond and Baldi supported the idea of an independent authority.

"One thing that [city schools don't] need right now is instability," Borbely said. "If you take [power over construction] away from them, who are you going to give it to?"

Candidate Mary Baird-Currie did not attend the forum.