Staff Writer

ONEONTA — Oneonta school board candidates gave their thoughts on fiscal policy, state testing and educational and extra-curricular programming during a public forum Thursday.

Incumbents Priscilla Wightman and Robert Winn, and newcomer William B. Walshe faced off during the 7 p.m. Oneonta Area League of Women Voters forum at the State University College at Oneonta.

Andrew Puritz, who is seeking his second three-year term on the board, was at a conference on business and did not attend.

All four candidates are running for three board seats, one of which will fill out a two-year term previously held by Sven Anderson, who resigned last fall and whose position was replaced by Wightman.

The race's top two vote-getters will fill the two three-year terms. The third-place candidate will fill Wightman's two-year seat.

The candidates had different views on how to approach programming cuts, specifically with extra-curricular activities such as the arts, in a time of fiscal crisis.

If the district is forced to downsize, Winn said, it should be extra-curricular activities, not core subjects, that should be sacrificed first.

Walshe agreed, but said the voice of the public should be included when the board considers tough questions.

"The Oneonta community needs to help the board make decisions, like which programs to cut and what to keep," he said.

Wightman suggested there are ways the district can save programs that may be in jeopardy by finding ways to make them self-sustaining.

The candidates also differed on their approach to the district's open-lunch policy, in which students with permits may leave campus during the afternoon.

"Young people are better off staying (in school) until the school day is over," Walshe said.

Winn, who noted the board has wrestled with the policy in the past, said he is personally in favor of phasing it out, while Wightman said she had no problem with the policy as it is.

If they were granted an unlimited budget, the candidates were asked what they would put on their wish list for the district.

More computers, relocating the administrative offices to the high school, and a bigger parking lot were on Walshe's list, while Wightman said she would like to see the creation of a middle school that included Grades 5 through 8.

Winn said he would use any extra money to put toward programs that are already in existence.

The issue of standardized tests drew a strong reaction from Wightman, who said the state-mandated testing needs to be more constructive.

Wightman suggested there is no long-term educational value in giving such a high-pressure test once a year.

Walshe agreed that the tests may present an undue amount of pressure on students, especially those at the elementary school level. But he said the testing is necessary for children who must grow up competing with others on a global level.

The candidates seemed to be in agreement on a number of issues, one of which involved the role of the district in after school programs.

"If the program links educational objectives to after school activities, that is fine," Wightman said, using athletics as an example.

Winn and Walshe agreed that after-school programs should not serve as "baby-sitting" services for parents.

When asked about the district's policy on drug searches, which allows the presence of drug-sniffing dogs on campus, all three candidates agreed the measure is needed to enforce the school's zero-tolerance policy.

The candidates closed the forum by discussing what they can contribute as individuals to the board.

Wightman, who suggested her experience as a certified public accountant and a professor at Hartwick and SUCO can help in the board's overall decision-making process, said challenges ahead will include dealing with faculty turnover, the state fiscal crisis and future administration changes.

Winn cited his strength as a member of the board's buildings and grounds committee, and Walshe said he looks forward to contributing to the education of district students as a board member.

"I'd like to see the success of young people," Walshe said, "and I'd like to be a part of making it happen."

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Jill Fahy can be reached at jfahy@thedailystar.com or (607) 441-7221.