After more than a decade of controversy with trustee Ron Price, voters in District 9 deserve steady Dallas school board leadership from someone who can bridge the gap between board, superintendent and community.

Thankfully, an impressive field of candidates stepped up to fill the vacancy left by Price's departure, and, in a close call, we recommend longtime school community liaison Bernadette Nutall as the best choice.

Consultant Sally Cain, PTA activist Rossi Walter and retired DISD administrator Juanita Wallace each bring notable strengths to the campaign, but Nutall's grass-roots community involvement and passion for children puts her on top for this seat.

We were glad to learn that all candidates seem to understand DISD's major financial and academic challenges. In interviews and answers to The Dallas Morning News' candidate questionnaire, each promised to make academic improvement and financial accountability top priorities.

Cain, 54, was a classroom teacher, an education advisor to the Texas Legislature and a senior official with the U.S. Department of Education. However, she lacked the kind of first-hand knowledge of the district that we believe board members should possess.

Walter, 44, who challenged Price in 2003, is smart and involved in the district but offered few specific solutions. Wallace, 63, failed to impress us as the creative thinker the district needs, evidenced in part by her desire to restore funding to learning centers.

Nutall, 43, said the board should take a more conservative approach to budgeting and favors renegotiating vendor contracts to make sure the district is getting "bang for the buck." A graduate of Sam Houston State whom this newspaper recommended over Price in 2006, Nutall, also said Superintendent Michael Hinojosa must "step up his leadership role, and the board should hold him accountable for his mistakes." We agree.

Nutall, who runs Circle of Support, a summer learning program for kindergarten through eighth-grade students, should be a consensus-builder on the board, not solely a voice of opposition.

We believe she's the best candidate to answer that challenge.