Nine candidates are fighting for three seats on Medford鈥檚 School Board.
As has reported, board meetings have become contentious over the past year, including a series of complaints filed between board members and staff. Superintendent Bret Champion also recently resigned, so the district needs to search for a permanent replacement.
For position 1, candidates include , and Curt Ankerberg, who declined to participate in Wednesday's forum. He has previously run for a variety of positions, including city councilor.
For position 2, the candidates are Logan Leverette Vaughan, and , who is married to Breedlove.
For position 3, candidates are , and incumbent board chair , who was out of town and unable to participate in the forum.
McHenry said her experience in marketing and communications would be an asset to the board.
"I think everybody wants more communication," she said. "The community wants to better understand what's going on with the school board."
Johnsen echoed a similar sentiment.
"Fundamentally, there's been a breakdown of trust and mutual respect among some of the board members and members of the administration," he said. "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Breedlove said she would like to see a new approach to the curriculum.
"I could bring to the Medford School Board some, not only accountability, but I think some new, fresh ideas about homesteading and things that get us kids and our kids back into the outdoor curriculums that I think really help us grow them as human beings," she said.
Vaughan, who has previously run unsuccessfully for county commissioner and mayor, said, "We need to get common sense back in the school, in the classroom. Back to the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, and leave the rest of the nonsense at home."
Questions, delivered by a moderator, included whether religious ideas should be the basis of instruction in public schools and whether the district should ensure LGBTQ staff and students are welcomed and fully included.
"I do recall being a child in the Medford school district from K-12, and this was never a subject," Saunders answered the latter question. "We didn't talk about sexuality, and I don't know why we're talking about it now. These are children. What people do in their own home and in their own bedroom is their business, and I don't know why we're talking about it in schools."
She has previously against a school board member and from a school board meeting.
"I have myself been accused of being the cause of a lot of issues at the school board, but I think the biggest issue is that the current board doesn't listen to any of the complaints that are coming forward," she said at the forum.
Candidates also strove to highlight how their individual backgrounds would strengthen the board.
"The local school board is the first and last line of defense to make sure that every child has access to a fair and appropriate public education," Zbikowski said. "I bring a unique background as a foster parent who helped to raise kids who had lots of different challenges with the school system, to be able to advocate for those kids."
Donnally said his top priorities if elected would be finding a new superintendent, improving school nutrition and "giving access back to the parents, letting them be involved without feeling like they're going into a prison, and they have to go through some sort of Fort Knox."
The event was sponsored by , a movement formed in 2017 to oppose Trump鈥檚 first administration, promote civic engagement and hold elected leaders accountable.
District residents will vote for school board candidates in the May 20 special election.
