In the Fremont district, school trustees make tough decisions affecting everything from facilities to the number of teachers -- and even what they're teaching.

The six candidates running for three board seats could all serve ably, but they differ on ways to work with limited funding and have mixed understanding of the district's mounting debt for retiree health care. They also split on the board's decision to reject novelist Dorothy Allison's "Bastard Out of Carolina" for the AP English supplemental reading list.

One candidate stood out: Investment analyst Reshma Karipineni, who has an MBA from Stanford, understands the district's fiscal complexities and appreciates that trustees cannot expect voters to simultaneously approve more bond money for construction and more parcel taxes for operations. She also thoughtfully disagrees with the board's book decision.

We also back business owner Desrie Campbell, president of the Fremont Education Foundation, and Lily Mei, the only incumbent seeking re-election. However, we were disappointed that Mei offered no substantive argument for her vote to reject the book.