GUILDERLAND — Five candidates are vying for three Guilderland School Board seats in the May 20 election.

Two of the incumbents — Catherine Barber and John Dornbush — and a retiring teaching assistant making her first run — Judy Slack — are running as a slate, supported by the teachers’ union with 750 members.

Newcomer Christine Kenefick, a lawyer and a mother, is running as an independent.

And incumbent Peter Golden is endorsed by Guilderland Parents Advocate, which its founder describes as a watchdog group with a few hundred members.

All five candidates support the $84 million budget on which voters will decide at the same time.

The three-year posts are unpaid and the three highest vote-getters will serve on the nine-member board.

The Enterprise asked the candidates to comment on six topics:

— What is the role of a school board member? Candidates were asked whom they would serve. Particularly if there is a crunch — for example, because of economic tough times or because of a controversy over personnel issues — would their primary allegiance be to the students, the taxpayers, the parents, the teachers, or the administrators?

— Supervisors: This school year, the posts for English and social-studies supervisors at the high school were combined into one with the former English supervisor now overseeing 44 faculty members. While the teachers’ union president has said he sees the combining of supervisory posts as part of an ongoing trend, some members of the social studies department have objected. Also, during the budget process this year, the superintendent recommended a supervisor for 11 guidance counselors, which the board cut to a half-time post.

Should the supervisory system be revamped and how so? Is combining posts a good idea? Or is more supervision needed?

— Block scheduling:  Long periods at the high school allow for in-depth lessons and hands-on learning but the block schedule also limits course choices. The issue came to light this year as the board approved budgeting for Project Lead the Way, which will eventually add a four-year sequence of elective engineering courses at the high school. Board members expressed concerns that the block schedule will prevent many students from taking the engineering courses as they already have to choose between such electives as art and music.

Should the high school schedule be changed and how?

— Foreign language study: Everyone on the board seems to agree that the introduction of Spanish in elementary schools — teaching kindergartners, first- and second-graders this year — was a good idea, and the plan is to continue with third grade next year and fourth the year after. Should other languages be introduced as well? Which ones and why or why not?

— Accountability: As the state wrestles with whether tenure should be based in part on student test scores, at least one member of the school board is pushing Guilderland to publicize more prominently the way its test scores stack up with similar schools.  How should scores from required tests be used?

— Public forum: School-board members were divided on whether to allow candidates to leaflet this year. The long-standing practice was halted last year to avoid the appearance of permitting partisan activities on school grounds. The board’s policy committee studied the matter and came up with a proposal that would have forbidden the practice since it would, according to law, open school grounds to campaigning on other issues. Ultimately the board decided on a trial period to be re-evaluated after the election. Are you leafleting and do you think it should be allowed?