"Probably the number one reason kids drop out is because they are bored," suggest Alan Ingram, school superintendent candidate.

"It's a problem of getting to a point in your educational career when you just cannot keep up and it becomes more attractive to not go to school than to go to school," says Joseph Redden, another finalist.

That's the take from the two out of state candidates on Springfield Schools' biggest problem---the dropout rate. Currently nearly half of kids that enter Springfield Public Schools don't make it out with a diploma.

"I've seen a numerous amount of students vanish from my classes and that's a problem that we need to deal with," says Steven Villanueva.

That comment comes from a Renaissance School student. Steven Villanueva is the lone student representative on the School Committee and through his years, he knows the drop out rate is no joke.

"It's a big concern," he admits.

A concern that the two candidates dealt with at their schools. Retired Air Force General, Joseph Redden, comes from Cobb County Georgia, right outside Atlanta.

"What we tried to do was eliminate the idea of social promotion," he says.

Redden adopts a two pronged approach to dropouts, by creating remedial classes for under performing students. Then, once the bell rings, his staff would scour the streets, looking for kids who weren't in class.

"50% is a challenge, and the dropout rate that is not unique to Springfield, it's a problem that's across the country in all urban areas," says candidate Alan Ingram.

Ingram comes to Springfield from Oklahoma City. Under his term as Chief Accountability Officer for the school department there, he saw the graduation rate increase from 60 to 70 percent in the last few years.