Special to Iredell Free News

The Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce and Our Schools First will host a forum for candidates for the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education on Wednesday, October 19.

This November 8 election includes elections for representatives for Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 on the I-SS Board.

The Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce and Our Schools First invite residents to come learn about the qualifications of these candidates and their priorities. The event is open to the public.

The program’s format will include an opportunity for the candidates to introduce themselves and then answer three or four questions.

The forum will be held Wednesday, October 19, at the Iredell County Government Center, located at 202 Center Street in Statesville. There will be a meet and greet from 6:30 to 7 p.m. The forum will begin at 7 p.m.

“The candidate forum is an opportunity for voters to learn more about who is running for the School Board and make an informed choice when they go to the polls,” said Beth Packman, president of Our Schools First. “We look forward to hearing from all of the candidates to provide the community the opportunity to do just that.”

“From a business perspective, public education is the number one workforce development program in our country. The United States would not be the successful, innovative country that we are without developing the skills and talents necessary to drive our economy,” add Chamber President Shannon Viera.

Both Packman and Viera encourage citizens who cannot attend Wednesday’s forum to research local school board candidates to discern whether those candidates will be true advocates for children and promote healthy, fully-funded public schools that respect educators and treat them as professionals.