Fairport school board candidates emphasize equity, consolidation and literacy at forum

At a public candidate forum for the Fairport Central School District, three candidates and a longtime board member outlined their reasons for running and the district priorities they would press if elected.

Lisa Christensen, who identified herself as an early childhood speech-language pathologist and a three-year school board member, said her long record of volunteer service motivates her work. “I truly feel it takes a village,” she said, describing roles with PTA, Odyssey of the Mind and church youth programs and stressing that volunteering informed her priorities for students and families.

Erica Bellis Pacer, a six-year member of the board who has served as vice president and three years as president, said she is running for re-election “because I want to continue supporting our students, staff, and families during an important time of change in our community,” citing the consolidation of Manurva into the high school and adjustments to school start times as issues she will stay engaged on.

Candidate Peter Forsin, a longtime resident with five Fairport High School graduates in his family, framed his candidacy around preserving the quality of the schools that attracted the family to the community. “We could not be more proud at how they’ve launched,” he said, adding that school quality helps retain and attract residents.

A longtime board member who spoke about policy and district work (name not given in the forum) emphasized the district’s commitment to equity in academic opportunity. The member described prior practices that left students effectively placed on academic tracks after fifth grade and said the district now keeps the same timing for placement while adding multiple on-ramps and district-provided resources so late bloomers can access accelerated math and science without relying on private tutoring. “There are multiple on-ramps for students to be able to get there,” the board member said.

That same speaker credited advocacy through the Monroe County Legislative Committee for securing targeted funding for teacher training in the science of reading and described the board’s role in establishing a consistent, districtwide reading program at the elementary level. “We are seeing, you know, the success with the data when we look at it and how our students are learning to read,” the speaker said, while acknowledging the change has been challenging for staff.

Speakers also discussed enrichment access and facilities. The board member said the district expanded Spark enrichment across elementary schools so enrichment is not concentrated at a single site or reserved only for students labeled “gifted.” They also described the ongoing Manurva consolidation as a long-running project that required careful planning for moves and space, and they framed recent work on three-, five- and 10-year facilities plans as intended to preserve buildings and maintain staffing stability. The speaker stressed that advocacy for personnel—from bus drivers and food-service workers to teachers and paraprofessionals—must be balanced with sound fiscal planning so the district can retain quality staff.

The forum featured background and policy priorities rather than formal debates or votes. Specific next steps and dates for elections were not specified during the remarks.