A candidate’s forum Monday evening at the Richmond Hill City Center drew a crowd, and that was just the candidates.

In all, 13 of the 14 candidates vying for four seats on the Bryan County Board of Education participated in the forum, which was organized by the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce and moderated by Tom Simon.

During the question and answer session, which lasted roughly 90 minutes and took place before a standing room only crowd, candidates in both the Democratic and Republican parties and independent took turns answering questions and providing their thoughts on public education in Bryan County.

Seats up for a vote in November include the chairmanship as well as District, 1 in Pembroke and Districts 4 and 5 in Richmond Hill. The incumbents in each post is seeking re-election.

Issues discussed by candidates at the forum included curriculum, spending, Superintendent Dr. Paul Brooksher’s salary, transparency, bullying and the role of school board members in education.

The forum was followed by an opportunity for voters to meet and talk to candidates one on one.

Early voting for the May 24 primary began Monday.

Look for a story on the issues raised at the forum in an upcoming paper