We need ’em.

The Pinellas County Council of PTAs and five co-sponsors, including the St. Petersburg Times, are planning a major televised forum Aug. 21 featuring the 13 candidates for Pinellas School Board. The plan is for the public to submit questions for the candidates right here, under this blog entry. That’s so participants will be able to see what their fellow citizens are asking.

The deadline for questions will be Aug. 10, after which a committee made up of sponsor representatives will choose the best ones. The debate will be held at Osceola High School and will be televised live on the school district’s channel, WPDS-TVl4.

The other co-sponsors are the Pinellas Education Foundation, Bright House Networks, the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and WorkNet Pinellas. The forum will consist of three moderated mini debates, one for each seat. The District 1 and District 2 board members represent the entire county. The District 4 board member represents Clearwater, Largo and the mid-county beaches.

This is an important election. Three of the board’s seven seats are up for grabs and the Pinellas school system is at a critical crossroads. So we encourage you to participate.

- Tom Tobin, education writer