L.B. school board hopefuls square off

Four candidates running for two seats on the Long Beach Board of Education took part in Monday’s Central Council Parent Teacher Association candidates’ forum at the Long Beach Public Library.

The debate was hosted by the Long Beach Central Council PTA and moderated by the Long Beach League of Women Voters. Candidates answered questions submitted by the audience, ranging from curriculum and budget issues to drug use and the veteran’s tax exemption.

The election for both school board and library trustee, as well as votes on both the school and library budgets, will be held Tuesday, May 20.

Trustee Dr. Dennis Ryan, a six-year member of the board, is the lone incumbent running, while school board President Pat Gallagher chose not to run for re-election.

The candidates were asked what they thought was the most pressing problem facing the district. Challenger Lynn Gergen, a former school board president and a former member of a number of PTAs and district committees, said she would like to see the community and the district work together better. She wants school board meetings streamed online, the district website updated and minutes from committee minutes publicly posted so community members feel more welcome and involved.

Maureen Vrona, the only challenger with a child still in school in the district and a former education attorney, said that the district must work to strike a balance between providing quality programs and maintaining a responsible budget. Vrona, who regularly attends board meetings and has participated in numerous district committees and PTAs, said that although she understands that the majority of the budget is non-negotiable, where there is room to cut, she would insist that those cuts do not affect children, but rather non-classroom items like administration.

Challenger Warren Vegh, a business owner, library board trustee and phys. ed. teacher who is retiring this year after 32 years in the district, said that he was concerned about the growing drug and violence problems in the middle and high schools, and claimed that the district under-reports violent incidents to the state.