ATLANTA - Parents, teachers and community leaders gathered Tuesday night at The Ali at Lakewood Center in southeast Atlanta to hear from candidates running for the Atlanta Board of Education.

Thirteen candidates are competing for four open seats in Districts 2, 4 and 6, as well as the citywide District 8 seat. Only eight took part in the forum, where much of the discussion centered on the school system’s nearly $1.85 billion budget and the possibility of future school closures.

What they're saying:

District 8 candidate Royce Mann said the district must stay responsible with how it uses its resources. "We need to ensure that we’re being responsible with the resources that we have," Mann said. "We have a budget of about 1.85 billion right now."

District 2 candidate Stephen Owens agreed

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