Three of the four candidates for the Bismarck school board participated in the Tribune-sponsored forum held Thursday evening at the Bismarck State College student union.

Incumbent Paul Govig was joined by challengers Lawrence King and Cheryl Long Feather, participating in a 45-minute question-and-answer session moderated by Tribune Editor John Irby. The final candidate, Donavan Klein, had a scheduling conflict and was unable to attend.

Govig is seeking his second term on the board. He and his wife, Julie, have three children, the oldest just having graduated from Century High. He works for the North Dakota Department of Commerce.

King moved with his family to Bismarck in 1992 and has three children in the district. He is a lawyer who is completing a term as president of the State Bar Association.

Long Feather just completed a Ph.D. in communications and has a master's degree in management and business administration. She works at United Tribes Technical College as a research director.

The school district is considering building a new school and is considering three sites and a method to fund the estimated $10 million to $12 million facility. The candidates were asked to comment on the situation.

Govig and King noted there is low-interest loan money available from the state that the school district should take advantage of. Govig added that the school board has been putting away some funds for the eventual construction, but could also go to a vote of the people and bond the project. Both men favored staying away from bonding.

None of the candidates took a stand on where the school should be located and maintained public input was needed.

When asked if too much money was being spent on administration and not enough on teacher salaries, all three candidate offered a resounding no.

Long Feather said teachers do need to be paid more, but said she didn't believe anyone was being overpaid.

King and Govig saw a need for standardized testing and its use as a measuring stick providing accountability. They both offered concerns about over-testing and teaching for the tests rather than for learning.

Long Feather said she doesn't agree with standardized testing and believes other measures need to be found to determine student success.

Each candidate offered what they thought are the two major concerns facing students.

Long Feather said that, globally, North Dakota students are falling behind, and the district has to focus on increasing math, science and technical skills. She also said she believes the district needs to work smarter to find the resources and dollars to provide an appropriate education.

Govig said he believes the two biggest issues are the increased expectations on the students and peer pressure to do things not in their best interest.

King also offered increased demands on the kids to do well academically along with parental involvement. He said the number of parents attending student conferences is going done and will reflect on student achievement.

The forum will be aired on the Bismarck Tribune Web site at www.bismarcktribune.com.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)