New London — Conversion of the school district into an all-magnet school system is at the top of the priority list for most of the 11 candidates seeking a spot of the seven-member Board of Education. 

Six of the school board members are seeking re-election against five challengers.

Incumbent Democrat Rob Funk, chairman of the audit and finance committee, said his area of expertise is finance, and the New London Board of Education needs a member that understands finance.

“Along with the administration we’re now developing and reconfiguring the budget process to make it more readable,” he said at a recent candidate forum.

Better readability, he said, leads to an increase in transparency and builds trust in the community.

He said the board needs to make strategic decisions based on a cost-benefit analysis to ensure the school district is getting the most benefit for its dollars.

Incumbent Green Party candidate Mirna Martinez said at a recent candidate forum, “I’m looking to see an engaging young-person-centered, developmentally appropriate, equitable school system.”

“We’re on our way with new leadership and with the work that we’ve done,” she said.

Martinez has advocated for smaller class sizes and introduced and seen through passage of the Equity and Diversity Policy.

“With anything that comes before us on the board, I am diligent and conscientious and bring common sense to the issue,” she said.

Democratic candidate Jason Catala spent 10 years on the school board starting in 1997 and also served for two years on the City Council.

He said at a recent candidate forum that the board needs a strong policy committee since “the main goal at the Board of Education is to implement policy, make policy and see that the superintendent carries out those policies.”

“A board member in my opinion is a very important elected position in the City. Board members make huge decisions. These decision effect teachers, students, administrators and the community,” he said in the Day voter guide.

Incumbent Democrat Scott Garbini, who runs Garbini Education and Career Consulting LLC, is seeking his second term on the board.

“I am passionate, I am a voice for those who don't have one, I want every child to feel success in school and enjoy learning and know that their voice matters,” he said in the Day voter guide. “So I guess what makes me the best candidate is my ability to listen, to hear what my constituents are saying and vote to make changes that will address those concerns.”

Republican candidate Jefferson Harris, a longtime educator and an educational technologist at Pfizer, said his interest is twofold.

“One is to make sure the inherent character of New London gets carried through in all its efforts, including the school system, and also to strip away the side issues but get an understanding that the interaction between the students and teachers is what is critical,” he said at a recent candidate forum. “The magic that happens when learning happens is the most important thing we can do.”

Democratic candidate Zachary Leavy said at a recent candidate forum he is running because the magnet school conversation plan is at a transformative point .

“Not only for the students and education but also for our city. Our city is defined by how we view education and how we prioritize our children,” he said. “I believe with this magnet school plan, as we develop it and implement it, and see the benefits of it, not only for New London students but bringing in the diversity from surrounding districts, we will be able to provide a quality education that increases educational opportunities for every single student.”

Incumbent Democrat Sylvia Potter is seeking her third term on the board.

“I look forward to continuing to support our teachers our students, our families and of course our board,” she said at a recent candidate forum.

Potter said she was proud to be a part of the creation of a restorative justice policy and continues to work to reduce class sizes and find the funds necessary to continue the magnet school conversion program.

Incumbent Democrat the Rev. Aracelis Vazquez-Haye said another term on the board is in part a personal issue for her, having a new 6-month-old child.

“I want my child to live in a city that understands the importance that the city’s vision truly starts with its educational system. I want to be a part of that,” she said at a recent candidate forum. “ I want to live in a city where there’s a lot of pride in learning and growing and cultivating.”

She said she is committed to supporting the magnet school pathways and continued partnerships with local community organizations and backs a universal pre-K proposal.

Incumbent Democrat Margaret Mary “Peg” Curtin, president of the Board of Education and a former city councilor, said she is excited to be a part of a school board that will help complete the school district’s magnet school pathways plan.

“I think one of the pressing issues is the agreement with the Garde Arts Center for a performing arts pathway. We will have a high school downtown. That’s unique," she said in a phone interview Saturday.

With the influx of out-of-district students and projections showing the student population growing to more than 4,000 students, Curtin said another pressing issue is solving space needs concerns.

Republican candidate Joseph Geraci said there are differences in the methods used to accomplish goals in education.

“I think it would be healthy for New London that on the Board of Education of New London we had a diversity of opinions and where we’re coming from. It’s healthy,” he said at a recent candidate forum.

“I can bring 35 years of educational experience to the table both as a central officer administrator and acting principal at the elementary , middle and high school levels. It’s with these credentials that I hope would make a difference not only for the Board of Education and the students of New London but for New London as a whole.”

Green Party candidate Jason Morris is a core member of the New London Parent Advocates and part of a community working group that presented eight months of research to the school board regarding a new discipline policy that is to be implemented as a pilot program.

“The seven candidates New London votes in to be their next Board of Education will need to address the readability and transparency of a budget that has drifted significantly, what genuine academic improvements they are making because new/improved buildings do not improve student performance, and they will need to address the lack of community participation at almost every step," Morris said in the voter guide.

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay