Albuquerque Public Schools will host a forum for school board candidates on Monday

Albuquerque Public Schools will host a forum for its upcoming school board election at its headquarters 5 p.m. Monday, where candidates will be asked questions so the district community can formally meet the people who may soon represent them on the board.

There are eight candidates vying for three seats on the seven-member board. Two candidates — both for the hotly-contested District 2 seat — have dropped out in Karen Sanchez-Griego and Eric Toledo.

Sanchez-Griego, notably, is the current superintendent of Cuba Independent School District.

APS believes all eight candidates plan to participate in Monday’s forum. The current candidates are:

The district received about 80 total questions from the public to ask candidates during the forum, board services Executive Director Johanna King said in response to questions. APS will narrow that list down to about a dozen, but hadn’t finalized the list on Friday.

Each candidate, she said, will have a minute to answer each question and to deliver opening statements. At the end of the forum, they’ll get 30 seconds to make closing statements.

The forum will be moderated by Southwest Institute For Transformational Community Schools Executive Director Angelo Gonzales, who King said has moderated board candidate forums in the past.

Seats for three school board districts are up for grabs — Districts 1, 2 and 4. Incumbent school board member Barbara Petersen, of District 4, and board President Yolanda Montoya-Cordova, of District 1, have decided not to run for reelection.

Vice President Peggy Muller-Aragón, of District 2, is the only incumbent who is running again for her seat. Petersen and Muller-Aragón are the longest-tenured members on the board, having both served since 2015.

The election will be held on Nov. 7. Early voting begins Oct. 10.