ongoing for months about whether the district should focus more on system-wide curricula and programs.

Traditionally, Cambridge elementary schools have been given broad latitude in developing their own teaching styles. The budget season has brought this question to a head.

"The school committee is struggling with the budget," said committee member Joseph G. Grassi. "The school committee is going to have to sort out where we're going with the budget."

In her budget, formally unveiled last Tuesday, D'Alessandro has outlined a plan that goes in a direction that Grassi says he likes--focusing on district-wide initiatives.

"I want to move to be a school system, not a system of schools," he said.

The Power of the Purse

At 10:55 p.m. Tuesday, the time limit on the budget hearing was about to expire for the second time, just as Mayor Anthony D. Galluccio took his turn to question district officials about the 350-page budget document.

"You don't want the one man in this room with his hands on the purse to get cut off," said Galluccio, laughing. In all, members extended the hearing four times so it went two hours beyond its original 10 p.m. end time.