The handful of mayoral candidates who attended a mayoral forum at Walter Payton College Prep Wednesday night just barely gave public schools a passing grade.

Former School Board President Gery Chico, City Clerk Miguel Del Valle, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun and State Senator James Meeks agreed schools are not working well.

Moderator Andy Shaw of the Better Government Association asked the candidates to grade the Chicago Public Schools. Moseley Braun gave them a D; Chico, a C-minus.

Still, said Meeks, public schools have potential: “Everybody up here, we went to Chicago Public Schools, so that means that there was a day that Chicago Public Schools used to work.”

The candidates agreed that with strong leadership, the schools can again be successful.