As the first student-sponsored, student-run debate for San Francisco School Board candidates, Lowell High School students broke new ground yesterday in the local political arena. Youth may not go to the polls in large numbers, but that doesn't mean they aren't paying attention to community issues and policy makers. This well-executed event proved that.

Other debate organizers should take note of the Lowell High School students' innovative hand-raising segment of the forum. Talk about cutting to the chase. Student moderators listed ballot measures, and candidates raised their hands to indicate their "for" or "against" positions.

A hand cannot give a wishy-washy answer, change the subject or distract audiences with bob-and-weave rhetoric. The only escape from raising one's hand is not raising one's hand, and it was painfully obvious which candidates thought we wouldn't notice when they raised their hands halfway (Jane Kim), not at all (Jim Ferrigno) or for both sides of the argument (Heather Hiles). Sneaky, sneaky. To be fair, these tactics were probably not strategic moves on the part of the candidates. Most likely, candidates were caught off guard at actually having to unequivocally state their positions on controversial issues.

During the hand-raising round, the most divisive issues involved support for Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and school nutrition. All of the candidates except Starchild (we'll get to him later, don't you worry) and Ferrigno raised hands in support of Ackerman. Only "Coach" Larry Kane and Starchild raised hands in favor of losing the nutrition ban on fast food lunch offerings, an issue the student body weighed in on with loud woops and screams.

Both Ackerman's performance and nutrition were top issues throughout the debate. Other top issues included ROTC, police in schools, foreign language requirements, standardized testing and the disparity in quality among The City's public schools. That each of the seven candidates (Jane Kim, Norman Yee, Larry Kane, Starchild, Heather Hiles, Eric Mar and Jim Ferrigno) directed their answers to students was refreshing, but the 45-second time limit on answers made it difficult for candidates to say much of substance. To their credit, candidates realized that their audience members, with the exception of teachers and a handful of parents, probably had more interest in who was sitting in the row behind them than who was saying what on stage. They kept their responses short and were generally laid-back and amicable in their answers.

Being all of 28, Jane Kim was able to reach out to students with her youthful appearance and four years of experience working with high school students at the Chinatown Community Development Center. Kim allowed that police officers could help patrol neighborhoods surrounding schools, but said placing officers inside school walls was going too far.

"If teachers and staff can't handle kids with behavior problems, then they shouldn't be teaching in the schools," she said.

Kim also asserted her support for ROTC, but urged students to seek out alternatives that do not discriminate against LGBT youth.

Norman Yee invoked his daughter's experience at Lowell High School to connect with the audience. His frequent mention of his experience as a high school parent, as well as his soft-spoken tone and gentle demeanor, bolstered his reputation as the sober-minded, calm candidate for the board. Although students clearly preferred lifting the ban on fast-food lunch items so they could once again sell junky food for fundraising purposes, Yee faced them like a patient father might a 14-year-old asking to borrow the family car keys.

"I suggest you all get a copy of Fast Food Nation," Yee said with a smile. "We need to have a healthy diet and have kids that go against fast food chains."

Yee also criticized the diversity index and called for more designated slots for neighborhood kids in The City's public schools.

Sitting next to Yee, "Coach" Larry Kane agreed that diversity was a problem, but that families should have the final say in where their children attend school.

"Diversity is the primary issue we've got in schools, but I also believe strongly in parent choice. Parents and children know what's best for them, not the school board," the downtown lawyer said.

Kane's other prominent issue was after-school programs. As a volunteer wrestling coach for Galileo High School, Kane said he understood the need for more programs. All of the students in his after school program performed well in school and went on to college, Kane said.

And then there was Starchild. Presumably because he stands zero chance of winning, Starchild doesn't get much press. But he's just too funny to dismiss completely. The self-identified escort, exotic dancer and libertarian is running on a plan to put schools in the hands of teachers, not high-paid administrators. While the sentiment that teachers should get higher pay and more freedom to do and say what they please is a good one, Starchild glosses over the fact that teachers, uh, well, they teach and fails to recognize the irony in turning administrative duties over to teachers, which would make them, in essence, administrators. And then we'd all be back at square one.

But deconstructing Starchild's platform is a rather pointless exercise. Instead, it's much more interesting to talk about his hair. It looks like he put more time into it than he did his campaign platform. His hairline is receding so much that it's going to touch his neck soon. Despite that, he sports shoulder-length surfer blonde locks that look recently permed. If Starchild makes a contribution to students' lives, it will probably be in dissuading them from visiting all-nude male dance revues. Can you say, "nightmares for the rest of eternity?"

But back to the political. Next in the line-up was Heather Hiles. The Newsom-appointed candidate made a strong case for her dedication to diversifying schools. She also advocated creating easier review and dismissal procedures for under-performing teachers.

"Teachers need to be held accountable for the outcomes of their students. We have to make more incentives.. But we're going to have to remove teachers who aren't willing to work hard," Hiles said.

Instead of sifting out the bad-apple teachers, Eric Mar called for "trimming the fat" off the school district's heavily funded "fat cat" consultants, public relations staff and legal counsel.

Mar also took a realist's approach to the huge undertaking of making city schools more equal. The San Francisco State professor and father of a pre-school aged daughter, Mar acknowledged that "it is going to take a long time to pull up resources for every school in the city." But he seemed un-phased by the long term dedication such an effort requires.

Sitting at the end of the row, Ferrigno expressed his dissatisfaction with standardized tests and his support for pay increases for school board officials. The radio talk-show host and activist said standardized tests were implicitly racist and did not create a fair playing field for students. As for wages, Ferrigno said paying elected school board officials more would only lead to better candidates and, ultimately, a more dedicated board.

"I think that there's a misnomer that paying elected officials more means that they're greedy," he said. Ferrigno would like to see salaries raised from $6,000 annually to $20,000.

While no candidate clearly dominated the debate or won the approval sweeping approval from the audience, the collaboration between Lowell High School students and seven local politicians was a satisfying enough result in and of itself.

You can reach Lorraine Sanders at lorraine@lorrainesanders.com.