Emmett school board candidates outline priorities on facilities, special education and teacher recruitment

At a candidate forum in Emmett, four candidates for the Emmett School District school board — Mona Barnes, Rick Johnston, Clay Smith and incumbent Terry Jones — outlined priorities that included facility upkeep, special-education funding, teacher recruitment and the district's four-day school week.

The forum focused on local operational and fiscal concerns rather than new policy proposals. Several candidates singled out building maintenance and special education as immediate budget pressures: "We have 381 students on special ed with 35 in the pipeline," said Terry Jones, and he added that special education "amounts to about 10% of our budget or about $2,000,000 annually." Rick Johnston, citing state test-score data he reviewed, said his goal would be to…