PROVIDENCE — The candidates for the Providence School Board were in agreement on the big issues, from school uniforms to finding a fresh way to pay for public education.

Nine of the 10 candidates fielded questions from the public and the School Board Nominating Commission during last night’s forum, which was moderated by the League of Women Voters and held at the School Department. The nominating commission will recommend nine finalists to Mayor David N. Cicilline, who will select three candidates and refer them to the City Council for consideration. The new board members will be sworn in in January.

Three seats are open on the School Board, those of Robert Wise, Grace Gonzalez and Maila Touray.

The applicants said they favored school uniforms, supported a fair and predictable state funding formula to pay for public schools and said that the next teachers’ contract should put student achievement at the forefront.

Several candidates were asked what their top priority would be during the next round of teacher negotiations.

Touray said that all too often, “we don’t think about the students” when the two sides sit down to begin contract negotiations. He said Providence relies on a 19th-century model for negotiations that doesn’t always serve the best interests of the students.

Leslie R.F. Papp II, a trainer for the Institute for the Study & Practice of Non-Violence, was asked what he would do to make sure that students felt empowered. Students, he said, need to sit on school improvement teams as well as the School Board. “We empower our youth by bringing them to the table.”

Margot Nishimura, an adjunct professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, was asked what one thing she would change in the Providence schools.

“I would scrap the seniority rule,” she said. “And I would assure that any teacher who was awarded Teacher of the Year would never have to worry about job security.” Under the current contract, a teacher with more seniority can bump or displace someone with fewer years in the system.

When asked the same question, Carolyn L. Thomas-Davis said she would change the way schools physically look and feel: “I would make these buildings a place that students can’t wait to run into,” she said. “I would create an environment where children have the tools to learn, where they have the best books and the latest computers.”

Grace Gonzalez was asked what she would do to bring parents into the schools. Offer GED classes and classes in English as a Second Language, she said. Provide more translators, create school newsletters and establish a district call center where parents can get answers to their questions.

Susan Wilcox Greenfield was asked what skills she would bring to the School Board. As the program coordinator for Volunteers in Public Schools, Greenfield said she has established tutoring programs for struggling students. She said she was also active in a group called Save Our Schools, which tried to restore funding for art and music programs two years ago.

“The city’s schools are a huge part of my life,” she said. “I’m in the trenches all the time.”

Elizabeth Canning cited her experience as an assistant public defender, a job where she works with juvenile offenders every day. She said that educators have to recognize the overwhelming issues that children bring to school, and she said that teachers have to reach out to parents where they live.

Robert Wise was asked to what standards he would hold himself accountable.

“The only standard is student achievement,” he said. “Have student scores improved? That’s the only way to judge.”

When asked the same question, Lisa Goodlin, a paralegal aide for Rhode Island Child Support, said she would be accessible to teachers, parents and the taxpayers. “I have a big heart,” she said. “I believe that one adult can make a difference in the way children live.”

One candidate, Guillermina Sanchez, was not able to attend last night’s forum.