Return Lester to the Long Beach school board

Tuesday's Board of Education election features two candidates vying for the seat currently held by Lynn Gergen, who is running for a second three-year term. Her challenger, Roy Lester, lost his seat on the board last May in an at-large election in which Gina Guma and Darlene Tangney were the winners.

With the loss of both Lester and Frank Alvarado, who retired, the board took a qualitative hit last year. A bankruptcy and foreclosure attorney, Lester brought economic know-how to its proceedings. Finances are always an important issue, but they are crucial now, with the economy remaining in the doldrums and Albany mired in problems.

A number of issues are casting their shadows over the election, including the fate of East School, the amount of time members of the public are allotted to speak at board meetings, paying off a bond that funded districtwide buildings and programs upgrades, and questions of transparency. But what looms largest is how successfully, in the coming years, the district will provide its students with the necessary programs, upgrades and services to educate them in an economy that shows few signs of life, especially as state and federal aid dry up and inflation is expected to rise.

As board president, Gergen has admirable goals, and we applaud her efforts to spearhead the effort to lobby for and bring the renowned International Baccalaureate program and foreign language programs to the district. She also can rightfully lay claim to being part of a board that, over the past six years, has consistently reduced the tax levy increase while maintaining all school programs and services. Two years ago, Gergen and fellow board members approved a $98 million bond for the preservation plan to upgrade buildings that have long been in need of repair and upgrades, at a time when building costs were at all-time lows in the wake of the financial collapse.

But, except for this past year, Lester was there, too, serving for nine years on the board prior to his defeat last May, so he deserves as much credit for these and the board's other accomplishments. Moreover, Lester played a leading role on a fiscally prudent board, and we have no doubt that he can competently step into that role again.

His strength is finances, which Gergen admitted at last week’s candidates’ debate is not her forte. Lester simply shows more depth of understanding in this area and offers good solutions.

Lester acknowledges that he was not the most popular trustee, but he has consistently called for a fiscally conservative approach that the board must stick with. While Gergen is a worthy candidate, the Herald believes Lester's depth and consistency on economic issues gives him an important edge, and we urge voters to return him to the board.