The School Committee race is a poor cousin to the more glamorous and costly City Council election. But to students and parents in Cambridge public schools, the election is an important one.

The 11 candidates for six positions on the School Committee are running on platforms ranging from education reform to equity and safety in schools.

Christine Arruda supports curriculum, core values and safety. The 41-year-old mother of four children enrolled in the Cambridge school system says, "I can make a difference."

Arruda has volunteered extensively in the school system, the followthrough program, and the Head Start program. She believes "all children can achieve high standards of achievement with encouragement and good teachers and parents."

She is running "independently" and is not looking for endorsements.

A six-year veteran of the School Committee, Henrietta Davis is running for re-election. "We have a lot of potential in the Cambridge schools and I'm committed to continuing to work towards excellence in the schools," Davis says.

Davis is concerned about the state's increasing involvement in education, and she says she wants "to make sure that the voice of the parents and the community continue to be heard in the governance of education."

Science education is another important issue for Davis. "I'm concerned especially that our science education continues to head towards the 21st century instead of lagging behind, especially at the elementary level," she says.

The 48-year-old preschool administrator has been endorsed by the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) and the Lavender Alliance.

A graduate of the Cambridge school system and a former substitute teacher, Salvatore E. Framondi is running because "I am experienced not only behind the desk as a teacher, but also in front of the desk as a student."

Framondi, 24, believes the main issue is equity. "We have a school system that allocates different resources to different schools, and certain schools get higher quality teachers and better resources," he says.

He wants to institute a core curriculum to promote uniformity of instruction while still granting instructors freedom in teaching.

Framondi supports hiring more security personnel to improve safety in the schools. "There is a problem with the proliferation of weapons on school grounds," he says.

Framondi has been endorsed by the Alliance for Change, the National Association of Government Workers, the International Brotherhood of Police and Correctional Officers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2222.

Joseph G. Grassi, 26, is frustrated with the public school system because children "are not getting the best education that they should be receiving."