The other big news of the summer came when a new principal was hired at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS), the city's only public high school. Paula Evans was chosen in June after a yearlong search to become only the second full-time principal in CRLS's 22-year history.

Evaluating the School Department's system-wide goals and getting the new Family Resource Center at CRLS in operation have been some of the Committee's other major issues this summer, Segat said.

Segat said she expects the Committee to focus on after-school activities for kids, better training teachers, and starting foreign language instruction in kindergarten.

These issues, along with the aftermath of the school searches and the proposed mergers of several elementary schools because of declining student enrollment, should play large roles in November's election.

Thirteen candidates, including incumbents Grassi, Segat, Simmons and Alice L. Turkel, are running for six spots in what Cambridge political analyst Glenn S. Koocher '71 has said will be a tight race. Cambridge's mayor--who doubles as the chair and seventh member of the School Committee--will round out the new board after the new City Council chooses a new mayor in January.

Challengers include Alfred B. Fantini, a longtime Committee member who lost his seat in the 1997 election; Alvin E. Thompson, a former State House representative who lost his seat in 1998 to Jarrett T. Barrios '90; and Nancy Walser, a parent and author who "wrote the book" on the school system, A Parents Guide to Cambridge Schools. Melody L. Brazo, Shawn M. Burke, Donald Harding, Michael Harshbarger, Elizabeth Tad Kenney, and Jamisean F. Patterson are also running for the board.

David P. Maher and Harris are not running for re-election, though Maher is trying to make the traditional jump from the School Committee to the City Council.

Several upcoming debates will give the candidates a chance to discuss the issues and attract voters. Candidates will debate at Howard Johnson's Oct. 13, at the Haggerty School Oct. 14, and at CRLS Oct. 28.