Of all the races facing voters this season, the Board of Education poses one of the most difficult challenges. In most cases, the candidates are not well known, leaving voters to navigate through lists of names and faces.

And the process itself is confusing. Since the ballot lists the BOE candidates by region, voters may be left thinking that they can only vote for candidates within their districts. That's not the case. O'ahu voters can choose candidates in each O'ahu region; and it's important to select the right number of candidates in each area.

For the Honolulu seat, there are three candidates; voters choose one. The top two vote-getters then go on to compete in the general election.

In the at-large category, there are nine candidates competing for three seats. Voters must choose three candidates — one for each of the at-large seats. Then the top six move on to the general election, where the final three will be selected.

The Board of Education is too often given short shrift in this crucial race; voters tend to spend their mental muscle on dissecting the higher-profile contests.

But the BOE shapes our education policies — charting the educational course for the state's 174,000 public school students and helping direct the state Department of Education's $2.4 billion budget.

Budget cuts ahead will surely require solid leadership on the board, which is still grappling with the Weighted Student Formula. And the federal No Child Left Behind law creates challenges of its own.

Improving our education system is critical to our children's future, and to providing a talented workforce that can put our state on a better economic path. Building a foundation for civic engagement, too, begins with our schools.

Ideally, the board should strike the right mix of sensible, experienced voices and some new perspectives, people who are willing to try more innovative approaches.

In the race for the Honolulu seat, The Advertiser endorses newcomer Carol Mon Lee. While Lee will admittedly have a tough race ahead, going against an incumbent with the longest board tenure, her message on the need for a fresh viewpoint is well taken.

Lee offers a solid background in education. She is a retired associate dean of the University of Hawai'i's William S. Richardson School of Law, and she has taught at the pre-kindergarten, secondary and law-school levels. She also comes with a history of service through a variety of community groups.

Lee, a Manoa resident, would focus on the most central of missions: improving student achievement. She would push for more educational equity, insisting that all children deserve a quality education, and wisely recognizing the importance of teachers in achieving that goal.

In the at-large race, The Advertiser endorses newcomer Pauline Namuo, incumbent Garrett Toguchi and former board member Randall Yee.

Namuo, a mother and grandmother, speaks passionately about her work in the classroom at Dole Middle School, where she is a substitute teacher and helps with the school's after-school program.

Although this is her first time seeking elected public office, Namuo comes as a 32-year veteran of working in the public sector in a variety of positions. She retired from her most recent role as deputy director of administration for the Department of Public Safety.

A Kamehameha Heights resident, Namuo envisions a proactive Board of Education, and sees opportunity for a better partnership with the DOE — working together toward the common goal of improved student achievement. And she is quick to point to the need for more efficiency and accountability. She's right on that score. Refreshingly, she also sees the need to showcase some of the many success stories in public education, and believes that the board should be a champion for our public schools.

Toguchi has been on the board for 10 years, and has performed solidly in that role. He has held several leadership roles during his tenure, including serving as former chairman of the board's Special Programs Committee, Budget and Fiscal Committee and Support Services Committee. He works as an investigator for a company that performs background investigations for the federal government and has also worked in the nonprofit sector on behalf of the mentally disabled.

Toguchi, who lives in Palolo, understands the tough fiscal climate and would work to develop sensible financial strategies, including refining the Weighted Student Formula, and protect funds that directly affect the classroom.

Yee also has experience on the board. He served one term from 2002-2006 before leaving to make a bid for the state Senate.

A practicing attorney in the area of tax law and a certified public accountant, Yee is on the right track with his focus on students. He stresses that a one-size-fits-all curriculum approach is not the best approach and that the system must be more flexible to better meet our students needs; while some students do well on the college track, for example, others may thrive on the vocation education path.

His push for a regular program review will help set a better course toward improved accountability. And he understands that as a board member, he would be just as accountable as the DOE for ensuring academic success of our students.

These are the candidates who stand out in a field of many who can best serve the community's interest and work to put us on the right path of improving public education. They deserve your support.