About 50 people attended the event, televised live on Municipal Channel 8. The forum will be aired again on Channel 8, although specific times haven't been set. Only two of the four seats in the Nov. 2 elections are contested. Incumbent Bill De La Cruz and newcomer Teresa Steele Sackschewsky are unopposed. While all candidates endorsed the concept of allowing parents to choose what school their children attend, two questioned the proliferation of charter schools in the district.
Charters operate with public money, but are overseen by separate boards of parents and teachers.
When the Peak to Peak K-12 charter school opens, about 1,800 Boulder Valley students will attend charters, Schroeder said. The school board should consider expanding non-charter programs when they become so popular they have waiting lists, she said. The challenge for the school board is to manage that choice effectively. But Jeff Bradley, another District E candidate, accused the district and others of disparaging families that favor charter schools. They're still in the public system, they're still receiving public dollars.