Two candidates, one of them an incumbent, are running as a slate to oust another incumbent from the Mt. Diablo school board in November.
Longtime board member Gary Eberhart, who has called for Superintendent Gary McHenry's resignation, is running for re-election with newcomer Sherry Whitmarsh, a project management trainer for Chevron and mother of two. They say they want more accountability in the district.
The pair are working to defeat two-term trustee April Treece and challenger Jeff Adams, an attorney and father of six.
All four candidates vying for two open seats faced off Friday in a forum to be televised on CCTV. They sparred over McHenry's performance, impending budget cuts, a recent unsuccessful bid by Walnut Creek residents to leave the district and employee contract negotiations.
"I believe that Superintendent McHenry is not being held accountable by the board," said Whitmarsh, adding that expired employee contracts need to be resolved quickly.
Treece defended McHenry, saying he has responded proactively to challenges.
"We have held the superintendent accountable for areas where he has been weak," Treece said. "He is really doing a good job of getting the teachers and district leaders focused on the students."
Eberhart criticized McHenry for failing to bring legal contracts to the board annually for approval and for a recent Internal Revenue Services bill for $833,000 in allegedly unpaid payroll taxes and Advertisementpenalties.
"It's simply incompetent," Eberhart said. "If he can't step up, he needs to be replaced."
Adams said blame for recent district debacles should be shared.
"Both the board and Mr. McHenry need to be held accountable for what has occurred," said Adams, who is not aligned with any other candidate.
To guide budget-cutting decisions, Adams said cuts should not affect classrooms, but could possibly be made in administration. He proposed creative contract negotiations including maximum and minimum proposals, based on the budget climate.
Eberhart and Whitmarsh said the district should evaluate programs and create a strategic plan, developing priorities that include teacher compensation and fundraising opportunities.
Treece criticized Eberhart for voting against many of what she called the tough budget cuts the board has implemented during the past eight years and said it was important to bring in new revenue.
Regarding Walnut Creek secession campaign, Treece said parents should work with local schools, rather than opting out. The other three candidates said the district and board did not respond adequately to parents' complaints and concerns raised by Walnut Creek residents still need to be addressed.
All candidates agreed that health benefits should be offered to teachers in negotiations.
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