NORTHAMPTON — Communication, budgeting, inclusion, bullying and combating bias were among the topics addressed Thursday evening as the School Committee interviewed the second pair of finalists for the superintendent’s job.

Jonathan Bruno, director of learning and teaching at Berkshire Hills Regional School District in Stockbridge, and Marisa Mendonsa, deputy superintendent of Pittsfield Public Schools, each answered the same set of questions in 90-minute sessions with the board.

“I believe if you tackle racism, you tackle all the other -isms,” Mendonsa said in response to a question on her approach to combating bias in schools.

A former social studies and history teacher who has worked nine years as a principal at Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Buckland, Amherst Regional Middle School and in Springfield, Mendonsa said she led an eighth-grade team in Springfield that explored Native Americans and developed a presentation that challenged the use of Native American mascots in high schools. The team took the presentation to Turners Falls High School, and she showed it later at Mohawk Trail, and in both cases the mascots were subsequently replaced, she said.

In response to a question on how he would address learning loss stemming from the pandemic and mental health needs, Bruno, a longtime special education teacher in Boston and Connecticut, said students lose learning every summer through no fault of their own. Schools need to prepare students to learn, he said.

“You have to meet students’ social-emotional and mental health needs or they’re not going to be ready to learn,” Bruno said.

Bruno said he viewed family engagement as key in combating bias in schools, while Mendonsa cited the value of representation — she wears a rainbow pin — in supporting children’s mental health, and said interventions should not be made at the expense of other enrichment activities.

Both candidates have close ties to Northampton. Bruno, a resident of Sheffield, was born and raised in Northampton and spent 11 years in the public schools; Mendonsa, a Pittsfield native, has lived in Northampton for 11 years.

Questioned on his approach to bullying, Bruno proposed establishing a restorative justice practice and providing training for teachers. Mendonsa suggested an equity audit and highlighted the importance of shared language and a clear process around reporting. Both candidates said they have experience with restorative justice and share Northampton’s commitment to the practice.

Asked about their experience with the inclusion of special education students in regular classes, Mendonsa said some flexibility is needed because inclusion doesn’t meet the needs of every student.

“The majority of students on (individualized education programs) can be as successful as their peers,” she said.

Bruno said he works closely with the special education director, and said the value of that work translates to other areas.

“Special education is just good practice,” he said.

Addressing the topic of equity in budgeting, Bruno said he favored starting discussions as early as August and gauging public sentiment through community meetings.

“The budget expresses what you care about,” he said “Everything should be seen through the equity lens.”

Mendonsa offered a similar perspective, saying she has worked in Pittsfield with a group researching an approach that bases budgeting around students’ needs.

“Whatever you identify as priorities should live within the budget,” she said.

She sounded the same theme on the topic of collective bargaining.

“Students always come first in negotiations,” she said.

Bruno said the superintendent’s No. 1 job is building teams, and cited a summer retreat and a mentoring program he has run.

“It’s really easy to help people improve in schools,” he said. “They get to set goals, and you get to help them achieve them.”

The School Committee will make a hiring decision in the coming days. The other two candidates, who were interviewed Monday, are Portia Bonner, who most recently was interim superintendent of the Bozrah Public School District in Bozrah, Connecticut, and Tara Tiller, chief operations and financial officer of the Cheatham County School District in Tennessee.

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