"I'm very committed to Cambridge," she said. "I feel I have the leadership skills to provide stability and continuity in Cambridge's schools."

McGrath said that as an urban school district, Cambridge has students with many needs, including those outside of education. The school district has a responsibility to meet those needs as well, she added.

In addition to meeting those needs, McGrath said her priorities would include "opportunities for teacher renewal," increased parent involvement and reducing the dropout rate, especially among members of minority groups and people whose first language is not English. According to Fantini, Cambridge has a dropout rate of 38 percent.

Bruno, of Ithaca, said he chose to apply for the Cambridge superintendent's job because "the district is a beautiful example of an urban school district that is working." He said his chief asset is his experience with a racially and ethnically diverse community.

"The challenge [of working in the Cambridge schools]," said Bruno, "is to make programs and opportunities available to all youngsters and to help those who are finding that the school system is not meeting their needs."

Bruno has taught high-school English, worked as a high school principal, and served as superintendent of schools in both Wellesley and Ithaca.

Crew could not be reached for comment.

Fantini said the vote would be a difficult one for him. As a lifelong Cambridge resident, he said, "I believe in in-house candidates and coming up through the ranks." But he added that in the next 15 years, the city schools "will be challenged like no other school system has been in the country."

"The question is, how do you reconcile the two?" he said.