The Fort Bend Employee Federation’s task of determining which school board candidates to support probably was simplified over the fact that two of them, including current Board President Sonal Bhuchar, failed to show up at a candidates’ forum Thursday night.

Of those who did, two in particular were fiery at times in their criticism of the current Fort Bend Independent School District Board of Trustees, and the district administration.

The federation, an arm of the American Federation of Teachers, says it represents close to 2,000 Fort Bend Independent School District teachers and employees. The organization traditionally holds a forum for school board candidates, and invited the five vying this year for two board seats.

Marilyn Glover and Bruce Albright, running for board Position 6 vacated by long-time trustee Steve Smelley, accepted the federation’s invitation, as did Carlos Cain, running for Position 2, held by Bhuchar. Rodrigo Carreon, running for Position 6, also did not show. The district divides board positions between the east side and the west side. Candidates for Position 6, for instance, must live on the east side and for Position 2 on the west. However, those positions are elected at-large, meaning any district resident can cast a vote for all positions during the May 9 election.

Cain, Albright and Glover played to an audience of about 70, including a large contingent of teachers. They had already answered nine questions in writing, posed by the federation, and those questionaires were provided to the audience. Moderator and federation President Karrie Washenfelder asked some of those questions again during the forum, and added others from the audience.

Some questions evoked responses that differentiated the candidates. Among them was one in which the federation likened the district’s fund balance account as a “savings account” of about $90 million. Candidates were asked under what conditions they might be willing to “delve into” that account.

“That fund balance belongs to the taxpayers,” Cain said, adding that if the money were used to pay down district debt, savings from doing so “could be given for salaries.” Cain also said he believes the district is “hoarding” money in the fund balance to use to pay for a proposed Global Science & Technology Center.

“You may not know this; I am the person that actually discovered this “Slush” fund while facing off with FBISD during the 2007 Bond Referendum,” Cain said in his written answer to the same federation question. “This ‘Fund Balance’ is actually money from the 2003 Bond Referendum that was never used… The ‘Fund Balance’ was essentially stolen from the taxpayers…”

“Practically every public entity has a fund balance,” Glover said in response to the same question during the forum. “These fund balances are supposed to be used for emergencies.” She added that the size of a fund balance relative to an entity’s total budget can be a determining factor in that entity’s bond rating.

“While many of the examples above involve many worthy issues, we have to always think long-term,” Glover said in her written response to the same question.

“Having a fund balance - that’s just good business,” Albright said. But “when we’ve got a fund balance of $90 million, with another $17 million on the way” from the federal government, some of the total should be diverted to teacher salaries, gifted and talented and other programs.

A member of the audience asked the candidates how they would work to improve employees’ health-care plan, calling provider United Health Care and the district administration “unresponsive to the needs” of employees.

“The human resources department should be on the hot seat if they are in charge of the benefits,” Glover said. “Someone does need to meet with human resources and find out what criteria are used in that plan…”

“With all due respect, we need to know…what the school board will do to direct the administration” in improving coverage, Washenfelder said.

“If you have a high number of complaints, that says it all,” Glover replied.

“I can’t find a bus driver that can afford to buy the insurance they have now,” Albright said, adding that what’s being offered is inadequate. “I think it’s time to stop and look at the people on the front lines” and make sure they have decent coverage.

“You put the administration under the same health care plan that you’re under and see if something doesn’t change,” Cain said.

Washenfelder said after the session that the federation will decide which candidates to endorse by next week.