AS THE race for the Southern Downs seat heats up, the Warwick Daily News will ask the questions that matter to help you make an informed choice this election day.

Today we look at education, with the question: What will you and your party do for schools in our region?

JOEL RICHTERS (ALP):

We commit to closing no more schools.

LNP have previously axed schools and teachers, cutting 500 teachers across the state during their last term in government, however we're committed to employing an extra 3700 teachers across the state.

This will mean lowering classroom sizes.

A total of 16 schools in our electorate will receive solar panels, and every cent saved will give money back to be invested in the education of children.

Growth will happen in the future with new jobs in the region, and council has predicted numbers to increase over the next number of decades, and we will look at that statistically and put that into the planning process for when new schools should be built or existing schools refurbished.

JAMES LISTER (LNP):

I believe that a great education is the right of every child in Queensland, and is essential to providing the skills and knowledge we need in tomorrow's workforce.

Here in Southern Downs, we have the second highest number of schools of any state electorate, and they are schools of which everyone may be proud.

As the father of a special needs child who attends one, I know how hard the staff work to give every child the very best possible start.

The LNP is committed to improving the state's education system, and we will achieve this through the six approaches of lifting teaching standards; empowering local schools; investing in science, technology, engineering and maths; delivering greater inclusiveness; tackling truancy; and funding for school improvements.

If elected to be our local member of parliament, I will work hard to ensure that our many state schools receive their fair share of resources and opportunities.

This includes supporting new teachers with 1000 new teacher mentors, offering 80 new paid internships in special education and high demand subject areas to better equip our new teachers for the classroom.

ROB MACKENZIE (INDEPENDENT):

My idea is to leverage whichever government comes into power for more resources, including staff and numbers of materials.

Some smaller schools have issues, including handed down items which aren't up to scratch, and I'd like to try and level the playing field so they aren't left behind.

I would also like to see schools with such low numbers of students put into reset as opposed to being closed, as they can't actually re-open.

JOSH COYNE (ONE NATION):

We wish to abolish the safe schools program.

I was quite horrified as to what was being taught to innocent children.

It's up to parents, not the state to teach these elliptic topics.

It is absolutely despicable to be teaching this.

We will lobby for a school chaplaincy program, with more state funding for these programs to help children from broken and abused homes.

We want more resources provided for chaplaincy.

JAY NAUSS (INDEPENDENT):

Reading, writing and arithmetic needs to be a main focus.

Students don't need to entirely rely on technology at such a young age.

We don't need to increase the budget, rather allocate funds better.

ANTONIA VAN GUENS (GREENS):

Unavailable for comment.

Tomorrow we ask the candidates what they believe is the biggest issue faced by residents of the Southern Downs and their plans for solving it, if elected.