Eau Claire School Board candidates speak with residents at UW-Eau Claire

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - All five candidates vying for the three open seats on the Eau Claire School Board spoke with residents at Centennial Hall.

Tuesday night, UW-Eau Claire’s Student Senate hosted a school board candidate forum. Among the biggest concerns was the school budget.

WEAU photojournalist Duane Wolter was there and brings us more on the candidates top funding priorities.

All of the candidates answered the same question: What are your top priorities for allocating limited funds that the district has?

“The biggest priority at a public school system is teaching, so to keep those resources focused on that teaching, it’s a very important thing,” said Philip Lyons.

“I also think we need to focus on doing everything we can to control class sizes, because there’s so many studies out there that have shown how proper class sizes are really critical for teaching, and when you get to be too big, too many students in a room, things just don’t go that well from an education standpoint,” said John Maskal.

“We have a balanced budget this year, but without some strategic action, future budgets are going to face pressure, so effectively managing, we have actually declining enrollment and underutilized facilities, it’s essential to ensure equitable access to space, and high impact programing for each student in the district,” said Lori Bica.

“Investment in our teachers, make sure they have the resources that they need, that they feel invested in and welcomed, and that we build a culture with our teachers to really work with students,” said Pa Thao.

“Teachers pay and benefits, being a teacher myself, that one’s close to my heart, if it was up to me, every teacher would be a millionaire, unfortunately that’s not the reality we live in. Teachers are what make schools happen, they are the ones doing the thing, so we have to make sure that they are not just compensated appropriately, but that they are supported emotionally and mentally as well,” said Jarrett Dement.