Voters can hear from Boise School Board candidates at this BABE VOTE public forum

Boise School District voters can hear directly from board of trustees candidates at a public forum organized by local youth.

The candidate forum, which is hosted by the youth-led, nonprofit BABE VOTE organization, will feature candidates from the district’s only contested race this election.

The event will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Boise High School auditorium, 1010 W. Washington St.

“Andy Hawes and Kirt Naylor, who are running for the same seat in the only contested race in this election, will participate,” a BABE VOTE press release said. “The other two candidates, Dr. Alejandro Necochea and Krista Hasler, are running unopposed in their respective races. Both have been invited, and Dr. Necochea will participate.”

Kevin Richert, longtime education and state politics reporter at Idaho Education News, will moderate the discussion.

“Since students are the primary stakeholders in our education, we wanted to provide our classmates and the community the opportunity to hear from people who may be making decisions that affect us,” said Mona Schwartz, a BABE VOTE board member and junior at Boise High, in the press release. “We are excited to hear from all the candidates.”

Due to the school district’s original charter, trustee elections in Boise take place outside of the state’s other election cycles. The election will take place Tuesday, Sept. 1, and voters can find polling information online. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.