At a candidate forum organized by community groups and held in Malden, several candidates for Malden School Committee said the district’s most pressing challenge is insufficient funding and urged state and local action to increase school revenues.

Candidates and incumbents said funding shortfalls affect classroom programs, staffing, school renovations and student supports. "You're gonna hear, time and time again... it's gonna be money," said Keith Bernard, the Ward 7 incumbent, summing up a recurring theme at the forum.

Why it matters: Candidates linked funding shortfalls to widening inequities among schools, declining standardized scores, and gaps in student supports such as counseling. Several speakers urged advocacy on the state level — including adjustments to the Chapter 70 funding formula and restoration of charter-reimbursement payments that were reduced in the recent state budget.

What candidates proposed and emphasized: Several candidates urged local activism and state-level lobbying. Peter Piazza said the state’s charter-reimbursement cut removes expected revenue, noting that "public schools get reimbursed when they lose students to charter schools and a portion of that was vetoed in the most recent state budget." Kimberly Gillette said, "I think the money is there, and it's how we share it," calling for transparency and local accountability.

Speakers also raised local options. Bernard and others invoked a possible Prop 29 override as a tool to raise local revenue for schools and urged residents to press state legislators for assistance. Several candidates mentioned engaging Malden's state delegation and participating in hearings about the Chapter 70 funding formula.

Context and constraints: Candidates repeatedly framed funding as a prerequisite for other priorities raised at the forum — hiring more counselors, expanding language programs and renovating facilities. Several speakers noted that some neighboring districts of similar size receive substantially more state aid under current formulas, a point candidates said should be raised with the state.

Taken together, forum participants presented funding reform and local revenue measures as the foundational steps needed to address academic performance and student supports across Malden Public Schools.

The forum was hosted by community groups including the Asian Community Development Corporation and the Chinese Progressive Association and moderated by Lehi Wing.