John W. Thompson wasn't in attendance at the Clayton County school board candidates' forum Sunday evening. But Clayton's recently hired corrective superintendent was very much the topic of conversation.

Twenty-six candidates out of a field of 32 seeking election to seven school board seats participated in the forum before about 150 citizens at Clayton State University.

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The candidates' responses could be instrumental in helping voters choose as the July 15 election approaches. And that election could prove critical to a public school system that is slated in September to become the first in nearly 40 years in the United States to lose its accreditation.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools began investigating Clayton schools in November after receiving complaints of unethical behavior by school board members, including micromanaging, misuse of funds, bid tampering, conflict of interest and abuse of power.

On Feb. 15, SACS said the district is "fatally flawed" and gave Clayton nine mandates to meet by Sept. 1 or lose accreditation.

The candidates at Sunday's forum focused on Thompson's $285,000 salary and his flexible contract that excludes him from having to answer to the board.

"That would have to be reconsidered," said District 5 candidate Phyllis Moore, "because that's not the way we're supposed to be operating."

Others also expressed problems with Thompson, who was hired in April to save Clayton's accreditation.

Wanda Smith, a candidate for the District 2 seat, has previously said Thompson is overpaid. The MARTA bus operator Sunday didn't back down from her earlier statements and referred to some of Thompson's actions as "out of order" and "self-serving."

Smith specifically cited Thompson's decision last month to junk previously printed high school diplomas because they didn't have his name on them. That could have cost the school district as much as $80,000, had a printing company not offered to redo the diplomas for free.

"Students can't even take home school books," Smith said. "The main thing is the students graduate and, as long as they have the right seal [on the existing diplomas], that should have been enough."

Smith stressed, however, that, if elected, she could still work with Thompson for the 14 months remaining on his contract.

Lois Baines-Hunter, the only incumbent from District 2, was a no-show despite having pledged to attend. Two others, District 3 candidate Blondie Christian and District 7 candidate Trinia Garrett, arrived late.

Each candidate was asked questions ranging from situational ones to policy issues to those concerning their personal finances. Most spoke in generalities when asked what specific solutions they would bring to the school system if elected. Some did offer solutions, albeit some unlikely ones.

William Hill, a local minister seeking the District 6 seat, suggested teacher-led prayer in schools might be part of the answer. "This country was founded off the religious freedom of a few," Hill said. Never mind that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down teacher-led school prayer years ago.

Candidates Denese Sampson and Trena Morris turned questions about their personal finances into examples of how they would be best suited to steward the school system's $600 million budget.

Morris, a District 5 candidate, cited her mother's illness and the loss of a job to explain her eviction from an apartment in 2006. Sampson, who is vying for a District 7 seat, explained away a past arrest for two bounced checks as an "oversight" on her part.

"That says there were mistakes brought to my attention," Sampson said, "and I fixed it."

The candidates' forum was sponsored by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV, which are both owned by Cox Enterprises.