VIDEOS: District 86 Candidates Answer Questions At Oak Brook Forum

The District 86 forum in Oak Brook Wednesday seemed slightly less formal than the previous forums that have taken place so far for the April election.

Although there was a moderator and table for the candidates as with the other forums, the relatively small auditorium at Faith Fellowship Church in Oak Brook where the forum was held, was conducive to allowing the audience to interact with the candidates and with one another.

After a brief introduction from each of the five candidates that were present, the floor was opened up to audience questions. The questions were not pre-submitted or on index cards, people spoke freely as they saw fit. At a couple of points during the forum, audience members spoke up when they thought a candidate had gone too long answering a question or thought another audience member's question was inappropriate.

In the interest of time, each candidate did not answer every question.

Click on the questions below to watch video of candidate responses. Seated from left to right are District 86 candidates Claudia Manley, Bruce Davidson, Jennifer Planson, Vinaya Sharma and Michael Kuhn. Richard Skoda was out of the country and could not attend the forum.

Three of the candidates, Claudia Manley, Bruce Davidson and Richard Skoda are running as a team called "the final three," because their names are the final three names on the ballot for District 86.

1) What can we  do to lower some of our costs and get more for our buck in terms of education?

2) Do you believe in consensus building, and can you give an example of where you personally have taken part in building consensus?

3) What do you think is the biggest priority for the school board over the next few years?

4) Being a school board member is a pretty thankless job. What is your personal motivation for running for the school board?

5) What do you plan on doing to invest in the future of our students (which includes facilities planning?)