Three candidates outline priorities on budget, start times, STEM and student supports at Brighton Central School District forum

A community forum hosted by the Brighton PTSA on May 20 brought three candidates for two Brighton Central School District Board of Education seats before residents to outline priorities on the school budget, bus and bell scheduling, STEM programming and academic and social-emotional supports for students.

The candidate night, moderated by Amy Thomas, executive director of the Monroe County School Boards Association, gave each candidate opening and closing remarks and a timed question-and-answer session. Monica Olange, president of the Brighton PTSA, and the district’s technology staff streamed the event to the community.

The event matters because the locally elected board holds the district’s fiscal authority and policy-making role. Candidates repeatedly tied program priorities to the board’s role in approving budgets and securing funding, and they urged voters to participate in the May 20 budget vote and school board election.

Clayton Jones, a Brighton resident for about 15 years and a professional in higher education and government relations, said his decision to run was personal: “This is about service. This is about a commitment, to giving back,” he said, citing his children’s experiences in the district. Jones said he supports the current budget as presented but urged careful review of reserve use and long-term sustainability. He said he would first consult school leaders and front-line staff to determine whether gaps in supports are due to funding, staffing or workload before proposing changes.

Incumbent Karen Hatch, who described herself as a three-term board member plus one year as an interim member and a former special educator, framed her work around the board’s fiscal responsibilities. “So I do support our budget. I help write it,” Hatch said, and she emphasized her role as legislative liaison in tracking how state funding formulas and mandates — including foundation aid and the state tax cap — shape local budget decisions. She pointed to statewide guidance such as the Board of Regents’ Blue Ribbon Commission on graduate requirements as context for curriculum and graduation-standard changes and urged continued investment in teacher professional development to implement evolving learning standards.

Candidate Vinod Bajaj, a longtime volunteer in local institutions who said he recently retired, said he wants to give back and would work with other board members to address tax concerns. “I may not be able to reduce the taxes, but I’m gonna, you know, assist or work with the, you know, the separate councilor or board members to work on those things,” he said, describing his readiness to serve and his focus on policy updates and school supports.

On school start times, the candidates diverged on approach though not on the goal of student well-being. Hatch said she aspires to a districtwide 8:30 a.m. start but warned transportation capacity and funding are constraints: adopting a single later start “is about the money” and would require more buses or trade-offs in programs. Jones said he would seek more information from district experts and families before taking a position; Bajaj emphasized preparing students for the transition from middle to high school and communication with families.

All three candidates spoke in favor of strong STEM opportunities. Hatch described classroom-level STEM projects (she cited an elementary class project about eagles) and encouraged continued curricular depth at upper grades. Jones argued for broader outreach to students underrepresented in STEM fields — “we need to be talking to our students of color. We need to be talking to our young women,” he said — and noted his own experience benefiting from targeted graduate fellowships. Bajaj urged consistent progression through language and content offerings so students are “very well trained” for postgraduation paths.

On meeting students’ academic and social-emotional needs, Hatch emphasized the board’s fiscal leverage: ensuring programs are funded so teachers can deliver them. Jones said he would start by “talk[ing] to the leadership at the schools and at the buildings, to take the temperature” from counselors and teachers before advocating budget changes. Bajaj said he would rely on experienced board members and staff guidance as he learns the policy landscape.

The forum also included procedural reminders: three candidates—Clayton Jones, Karen Hatch and Vinod Bajaj—are competing for two board seats; candidates were allotted three minutes for opening remarks and two minutes for closing statements; and the budget vote and school board election runs Tuesday, May 20, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Central Administration Building gymnasium, Door 4, 2035 Monroe Avenue.

Voters in Brighton will decide whether incumbent priorities on state advocacy and budgeting remain in place or whether challengers’ emphases on outreach and policy review should shape the next board. The PTSA and district encouraged residents to attend and to vote on May 20.