There are nine spots on the Richmond School Board. Yet 18 people, not including the write-in candidates, are seeking those seats.

On Tuesday night, all but two gathered to answer questions at a forum held by the Richmond Crusade for Voters. At least 100 people packed into the Military Retiree's Club off of Chamberlayne Avenue to hear candidates answer three questions.

No. 1 -- Have you ever worked in Richmond Public Schools; are you familiar with the issues; and are you in this for personal gain?

No. 2 -- What's the biggest challenge facing Richmond Public Schools?

No. 3 -- What's your position on charter schools?

Candidates were also given time to give an opening and closing statement, but unlike Crusade forums in previous years, write-in candidates were not allowed to speak, which upset several of them.

"What harm would there be?" asked Carol A.O. Wolf, current 3rd District representative on the School Board who is considering a write-in campaign herself.

"The Crusade is supposed to be about justice and democracy. If candidates couldn't run as write-ins, I'd understand. But this goes against everything this country is built on. Everybody has a right to be heard."

Wolf, a three-term incumbent who failed to qualify for the ballot this year after losing a petition full of names, said she will decide Monday if she will mount a write-in campaign. She pointed out that Norma Murdoch-Kitt, who will be on the 3rd District ballot this year, was allowed to speak as a write-in candidate in 2006.

Crusade president Antoine Green said the organization's research committee voted to change the policy and that he was "not familiar with the policy in 2006."

Despite not allowing the write-in candidates to speak, Green said there were a lot of good candidates running.

"It's an important election year," he said. "It's important for people to become as informed as possible to make the best decision possible on Election Day."

Several mayoral candidates attended the forum as did nearly all members of Richmond City Council and state Senator Henry Marsh, D-Richmond.

The incumbents mostly touted their work on the board while the hopefuls spoke of accountability, change, building new schools and moving the system forward. There were occasional jabs at the board's past decisions and references to the city audit that showed fraud and waste in the school system.

Current School Board members George Braxton (4th), Keith West (7th) and Joann Mimms (8th) are not running for re-election. Four candidates are qualified to run in the fourth district while three are running in the seventh and two are running in the eighth.

"I'm the product of a public and a private education," said Jonathan Mallard, a candidate for the 4th District. "A long time ago, my grandmother told me it was my responsibility to get along with my community, not the other way around. There's no better place to teach that than schools."

Dawn Page, an 8th District candidate, whose three sons attend Richmond Public Schools, said it was time to put the children first and prepare them for a global society.

"How can we ask students to be accountable when their leaders are not?" she asked.

Though few of the candidates have worked in the school system, most had or have children in the system and have volunteered.

"I was in that classroom every day, talking to my sons and speaking to the principals and teachers despite having a full-time job," said 4th District candidate Adria Graham Scott, who also has three sons.

"I know I have the skills to help those who can't be there for their kids like I'm there for mine," Scott said.

Incumbent Betsy Carr said she was also a product on the city school system and volunteered when her children were in school.

"I'm committed to it because it holds the future of our community," she said.

Charles Willis, an 8th District candidate, worked in the school system for 24 years after starting as a janitor, and is a member of numerous parent-teacher associations.

The biggest problem facing the system, Willis said, is getting people to understand that they love their schools.

"We need to show an example that we plan to stick to the ABC's -- accountability, building new schools and change," he said. "We need to let people know that (they're) in charge. Put me in the seat and I'll take the heat."

Incumbent Chandra Smith (6th) said the biggest problem that she's been working on has been to give principals a 10 percent pay raise as well as correct teacher salary inequalities.

Bert Berlin, a 4th District candidate, questioned why 500 children leave the system each year, often to attend private or county schools.

"A whole lot of parents have no confidence that their kids are getting a good education here," he said. "The city is 60 percent African-American while the school population is 88 percent African-American. Are white people not having babies? We need to bring those parents in and make the schools work."

John T. Lloyd, also a 4th District candidate, said the problem is that people expect the school system to be parent, teacher, disciplinarian and everything else.

"The teacher is there to teach," he said. "Parents aren't participating in the education of their kids."

Nearly all of the candidates said they were not supportive of charter schools because they used public money for private uses. However, most said they supported the Patrick Henry Charter Initiative and would study each proposal on a case-by-case basis.

Incumbent Lisa Dawson (2nd) said she's learned a lot about them during her time on the board and that she was open to any solution that improved the lives of children.

Her opponent, Kim Gray, said she has not been a supporter of charter schools.

"I support Richmond Public Schools," she said. "However, I understand how parents feel so I'd examine them on a one-by-one basis on their merits and make a decision. I think it would be a moot issue if we were doing what we are supposed to be doing."

Otis Mallory, who's challenging Carr in the 5th District, asked that if the concepts are good enough to consider, why not try them citywide rather than in a single district.

The Richmond Crusade for Voters will hold a City Council candidates forum, which will include 19 candidates, on Aug. 19.