Groton — Candidates for the Board of Education say the upcoming race is about moving the district forward and using resources in the best possible way to provide education and opportunities for students. 

Seven seats are up for election. Five seats are four-year terms. Two races are for the remaining two years of a four-year term that became available when a board member resigned.

The Groton Democratic Town Committee endorsed school board Chairwoman Kim Watson and Vice Chairwoman Rita Volkmann for re-election and candidates Lee White, recently appointed to the board, and Rosemary J. Robertson.

The Groton Republican Town Committee endorsed board members Jay Weitlauf and Katrina Fitzgerald and candidates Gretchen Newsome and Gary Baker.

Scott W. Aument is running on the ticket for the political party Groton Advocates for Tax Efficiency, or GATE.

Newsome, a Republican and a teacher, said the schools need to achieve high-quality education at an affordable cost. She doesn’t support closing schools, she said.

“They keep adding programs without looking at what we’ve done in the past,” she said. “I’d like to make sure that the programs that we have are solid and work. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

Baker, director of convention sales and services at Mohegan Sun, said there needs to be more appreciation of the value of education to the community as a whole.

"In order to attract professional people, in order to attract people who want to come to Groton, the schools have to be at the top level. The services have to be at the top level," he said. "When people are looking at towns to move into, what are they looking at? They're looking at the schools."

Watson, a Democrat and clinical social worker, said the board faces multiple challenges.

If voters approve a proposed school construction referendum, “the board, partnering with the district, needs to help produce the best educational product,” Watson said.

Weitlauf, a Republican and hotel manager, said his goal is to support teachers and administrators in an affordable way.

“We are dealing with flat reimbursement from the state and increasing unfunded mandates, and so we need to make sure that every dollar we spend is for the good of the students,” he said.

Weitlauf filled the vacancy left by Kirsten Hoyt, who resigned in March. Her term has two years remaining.

Aument, who works at Millstone Power Station, said he wants to provide the best education the town can afford and make the advanced placement program a top one in the area.

"I will prioritize what we want versus what we need to make the tough decisions for Groton," he wrote in The Day voters' guide.

White, a Democrat and a food writer, said the board must ensure that resources are available to schools and students.

“We need to make sure that they’re getting the education that they need whether they’re going to college or not going to college,” she said.

White filled the vacancy left by Joey Schick, who resigned in June. His term has two years remaining.

Fitzgerald, a Republican and longtime volunteer in the public schools, filled the term left when member Shelley Gardner resigned in May 2014. The term is up for election this year.

“While my main concern as a board member must be the students, I am cognizant of the fact that the board must have a reasonable, respectful, affordable budget and will continue working toward that goal if I am elected,” Fitzgerald wrote in The Day voters’ guide.

Robertson, a Democrat, a retired teacher and a nurse at Yale-New Haven Hospital, said Groton needs to build a new middle school and to update its other schools, yet to be wise in using the money it has.

“We need a new school, we need a school that’s going to have everything that the students are going to need, that all of the students are going to need,” she said.

Volkmann said she believes the major issue is closing the achievement gap.

"We have high-performing students, and then we have students that I feel we are not reaching, and we need to do more for those students who are struggling," she said.

Volkmann said she hopes the state will give Groton 80 percent reimbursement for proposed school construction.

d.straszheim@theday.com

Twitter: @DStraszheim