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If he's chosen to run Tucson's largest school district, retired businessman Rick Myers would refocus his administration on the core purpose of public education: teaching students.

The proposal from the former IBM vice president came Monday night as roughly 60 parents, teachers and district employees questioned Myers about his background and plans for the district.

Myers was short on specifics for helping the Tucson Unified School District overcome a series of looming issues, including a projected budget deficit of at least $15 million for the next school year, but he said his main focus wouldn't be the bottom line.

His answers appeared to please some parents, who expected Myers — the only one of four finalists for TUSD superintendent without an education background — to look to cut costs any way he could to keep the district afloat.

While Myers said the district has to take a series of hard actions to balance the budget, including the possibility of closing schools, TUSD must make sure the cuts are made as part of a larger strategy of helping students achieve.

Rather than looking at saving money by cutting programs, Myers wants to find ways to increase funding, such as luring students from charter schools to TUSD.

"You have to ask yourself, 'Is it the aura of charter schools, or are they better?' " he said. "I don't believe they're better."

A majority of the questions by those who attended the forum focused on how Myers would establish credibility with teachers and administrators while lacking a background in education.

Myers, who holds a bachelor's degree in engineering, said he would listen carefully to teachers and school principals, and incorporate their views into district policy, because they are the experts.

But by not having an background in education administration, Myers said he isn't entrenched in policy and could create a more efficient district.

"We need fiscal discipline, but our core mission has to be helping the students," he said. "The attitude isn't that we're simply balancing the budget."

J.D. Herron, whose three children attend an elementary school slated for closure, said he liked Myers' proposal to use facts and research to make decisions, something he finds lacking in the current TUSD administration.

Myers' personality impressed Betsy Krause, who came to the forum skeptical of the candidate's credentials.

Krause, who has two children in TUSD, said she is still a little nervous about Myers' business background but liked what he had to say.

"He brings a fresh perspective to a district that clearly has some morale problems," she said. "He sounds like someone who isn't going to reduce everything to the bottom line."

The board is scheduled to appoint the new superintendent next month. The position has been advertised as having a salary of $185,000 to $230,000, with a benefits package of up to $50,000.

Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer has said he will retire from TUSD at the end of June.

We've invited the superintendent finalists to hold live chats with our Web site users. Talk to Patti Lopez at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Elizabeth Celania-Fagen at 6:30 p.m. Thursday; Delfino Alemán at 7 p.m. March 5, and Rick Myers at 6:30 p.m. March 6. The times are still being finalized. Go to azstarnet.com/education to find links to the chats and to pose questions.