Candidates for the Patchogue-Medford Board of Education discussed their positions on the issues Thursday night at a forum at Saxton Middle School organized by the Patchogue-Medford PTA Council.

Six candidates are competing for three seats on the board. Each is running for a three-year term.

Incumbents Jennifer Krieger, board president Marc Negrin, and Bernadette Smith are running for re-election. Bryan Frascogna, Lauren Kuban, and Howard Valan are seeking a first term.

Keeping parents better informed, dealing with disruptive students, and what to do with the iReady program for English language arts and math in the district’s elementary schools were among the topics covered in Thursday’s forum.

Frascogna, a senior at Pat-Med and current ex-officio member of the board of education, said that he would bring a student’s perspective, if elected.

“I’m a student,” said Frascogna, a two-sport varsity athlete, who plans to attend St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue. “I’m in the building every day.”

Kuban, a parent and elementary school teacher, said the district is in need of “a culture shift.”

It needs to make its elementary school curriculum more challenging and focus more on critical thinking, problem solving, and STEM education rather than on the iReady program, which she called “a disaster for parents and kids in this community.”

She said the district also needs to do a better job of communicating with parents.

“There are many parents who don’t feel heard and that their concerns are valued,” she said.

Valan, a retiree who held a number of positions in a 38-year career in public transit, including serving as director of the maintenance training school for New York City’s bus department, said he’d like to see the district add more vocational programs for students not going on to college.

He also said the district should have done a better job of explaining the benefits of replacing HVAC ventilators on a districtwide basis, rather than them replacing piecemeal on an emergency basis, which would be more expensive.

Replacing the ventilators districtwide is part of a proposed $85.3 million bond issue that voters will consider on May 21.

State aid will account for about 73 percent of the cost of the bond, which also includes money for adding a new turf athletic field and new lighting and sound systems for the music departments at the high school and middle schools.

Incumbents seeking another term on the board argued for staying the course, stating the district is doing well and the current board functions smoothly.

The board has a “collaborative relationship” with superintendent of schools Donna Jones, Krieger said.

Negrin, who was elected to the board seven years ago, said school safety is a priority. He noted that the district is installing 600 self-locking door locks that can only be opened from the outside with a key.

Krieger and Smith said they’d like to see more mental health support for students.

The election is Tuesday, May 21 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voters will also vote on the bond issue and the proposed budget.