MADISON, Wis. -- The two candidates vying for a seat on the Madison Metropolitan School District's Board of Education this spring faced off at a candidates forum on Sunday.

With the school board potentially staring down a $30 million deficit next budget cycle, fiscal concerns are upper most in many people's minds with a spring election only weeks away.

Three of the board seats are currently up for grabs, but only one seat -- seat no. 4 -- is contested. The two candidates, Tom Farley and James Howard, spoke for two hours to answer questions at Wright Middle School at a forum sponsored by Progressive Dane. The group has yet to endorse a candidate.

Fixing the broken school system budget is the biggest task two candidates for school board are asking to take on, WISC-TV reported.

"The biggest issue is the cuts in funding the state handed the Madison school board," said Barbara Smith, who attended the forum.

Both candidates said that the fiscal challenges go beyond simple answers.

"It's not just about balancing a checkbook," Farley said.

"(We need to) make sure our public education system is financed to a level where we don't have to sacrifice learning," Howard said.

The candidates said their committed to finding solutions and searching for funding, but they're not interested in further slicing an already bleeding budget. The two said there are at least some ways to reduce cuts or at least make up for the ones they may have to make.

"If you're going to cut an afterschool program's funding, you find a community partner that makes up for that funding so the program continues," Farley said.

"I think the family involvement and the community involvement. I don't think that's a financial piece, I think that's pretty much a piece where we have to make a commitment as a community, and make a commitment as communities to work on the issues that we have," Howard said.

Both candidates admit they don't have all the answers, but many of those who attended the forum said that they're glad they got some they wanted to hear.

"It gave me a lot to think over," Smith said.

The candidates touched on nearly a dozen issues, but when it did come to the budget, there were few specific suggestions on how to fill the gap, WISC-TV reported

The spring election is set for April 6.