But Turkel said that the school choice system is "one of the finest things" in Cambridge's schools. She urged the school department to use school choice to help keep enrollment from falling.
"We have to be competitive with charter, parochial and private schools, and I think choice is a big part of that," she said.
Perennial academic problems at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS), the city's only public high school, also sparked comments.
"[There] are a tremendous amount of children failing three classes out of the seven classes they are taking [at the high school]," Turkel said.
"We have to get off the verge of restructuring [CRLS] and restructure," she said.
One question asked the candidates if they thought Cambridge's universities were giving enough resources to the school system.
"I will be a leading advocate for forming a subcommittee...to go out and force these places to give resources and opportunities to our children and our parents," Harshbarger said. "If we ask, they will follow," he added.
The forum will be shown on MediaOne and Cambridge Community Television (CCTV) before the election, said Frank A. Pedro, chair of the Democratic City Committee.
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