Karen Wick-Gagnet,

56, is co-owner of Coco’s Bistro, as well as a past PTA president and past leader of the Seedling Foundation at Stivers, from which her children graduated.

Wick-Gagnet, another of the slate candidates, cited family engagement, increased services in schools and better partnerships with the business community as ways to improve academics in Dayton.

She said the school board needs stronger leaders and “can’t be afraid to take a stand on what’s right.” She listed the board’s adoption of a 1.0 minimum GPA for athletic eligibility (if tutoring requirements are met) as an example of reacting to a problem rather than doing preventative work.

While most candidates said academic achievement was a larger concern than safety, Wick-Gagnet said safety is of “the utmost importance,” calling for staff training and “continual reviews.”

Of the eight candidates, she was the most critical of Corr, calling the teachers’ vote of no confidence “a big red flag,” and adding that the new board would have to immediately analyze whether the situation was “manageable” going forward.

“I wanted my kids to go to public school because I wanted them to be part of what represents the whole, not a select few,” she said. “We can only be effective to make the world a better place if we have an understanding of what the whole represents.”