With much of the healing already under way, the calls for civility -- that many of the challengers have made the centerpieces of their campaign -- seem less inspired.

Respect and communication.

That's what the race for three seats on the Temecula Valley Unified School District boils down to. Nearly all the challengers -- nine of them -- say the current school board doesn't show enough respect to teachers or communicate well enough with parents.

School board members, including three incumbents trying to keep their seats, acknowledge the last few years have been strained, with contentious union negotiations, protests and sickouts dominating the board meetings and headlines. They accept some responsibility for allowing conditions to reach that point, but lay much of the blame at the feet of former Superintendent Dave Allmen, whose people skills, to put it diplomatically, left something to be desired.

To their credit, the board recognized as much, and ended his tenure earlier this year. But they also should have done so sooner. By the time they recognized the problem and dealt with it, relations with teachers and many parents had soured to the point that it could take years to rebuild trust and a solid working relationship.

But the board has made some good strides in repairing the frayed relations, giving teachers a sizable salary increase and hiring a new superintendent who has defused many of the tensions with her personable style and willingness to listen.

So, with much of the healing already under way -- board meetings have been relative oases of calm the last few months -- the calls for civility, that many of the challengers have made the centerpieces of their campaign, seem less inspired. That's not to say, though, that the board wouldn't benefit from some new blood, either. With that in mind, The Californian believes the best choices in the large field are returning incumbents Bob Brown and Rick Shafer to the board, and electing longtime PTA leader Susan Elliott.

Brown became something of a lightning rod for criticism during his year as board chairman two years ago, but much of that was politically inspired by an angry teachers union leadership. He is knowledgeable, experienced in dealing with the state's labyrinthine bureaucracy and brings a businessman's understanding of finances to the table. His community service credentials are unassailable.

The board made a good choice last year in reappointing Shafer to fill the vacancy created when Maryann Edwards was appointed to the City Council. An 18-year resident, Shafer served on the board from 1993 to 2001, and is a veteran of the turmoil that engulfed the district in 1999 and brought Allmen to the top spot, as well as the union impasse a year later. He brings a thoughtful, even temperament and, like Brown, a solid understanding of how public education functions.

Many of the same character traits can be ascribed to Elliott, and while she has never served on a school board, she has earned her stripes as a local and regional PTA leader in the seven years since she and her family moved to Temecula. She has won high praise overseeing two dozen local PTA chapters, demonstrating her leadership skills, and her connection to parents through that organization will go a long way toward reopening those lines of communication.

All of the candidates recognize how good Temecula schools are, and are dedicated to making them better -- going from "good to great," in the words of new Superintendent Carol Leighty. The Californian believes Brown, Shafer and Elliott are the candidates with the best chance of making that happen.