Two Board of Education candidates seeking their first elected office are teaming up to shake up a contest often decided by name recognition.

Their tactic? Become familiar faces themselves.

Janis Akuna, a vice president at Morgan Stanley, encouraged Carol Mon Lee to run for the board after her longtime friend retired as associate dean of the University of Hawaii's William S. Richardson School of Law.

Lee agreed - as long as Akuna came along for the ride.

“;She decided to run, and she says, 'Well, I've never run for anything before, and it would be great if you did, too,'”; recalled Akuna. “;So I said OK.”;

The duo has since embarked on an aggressive campaign, setting up Web sites, appearing in television, print and online ads and sign-waving twice a day - often side by side - for a chance to help shape policy for Hawaii's public schools. Both advanced to Tuesday's general election. Akuna is among six candidates for three at-large Oahu seats, while Lee is running against board member Denise Matsumoto for a Honolulu seat.

They were the only nonincumbents to pick up endorsements from the Hawaii State Teachers Association. A union newsletter being mailed to Oahu homes calls Lee “;an enthusiastic advocate for public education”; who supports equity among all children.

Lee, 61, acknowledged she has a tough battle after running 30,000 votes behind incumbent Matsumoto in the primary. Campaigning under a slogan of change against Matsumoto, who has been on the school board for two decades, Lee said she wants to help schools survive looming budget cuts by tapping into grants and developing private partnerships.

“;My goal is definitely to win, and so is Janis',”; said Lee, who has taught preschool and high school and got both public and private education growing up. “;We don't do anything without putting our full effort into it. We both work very hard.”;

Matsumoto says people should refrain from voting “;for change for change's sake”; and encouraged them to compare her record with Lee's proposals. Matsumoto said she was instrumental in pushing for a standards-based curriculum and a policy to have all children proficient in reading by third grade.

“;I'm committed to seeing changes the board has initiated,”; Matsumoto said.

It is unclear whether Akuna's and Lee's efforts to raise awareness will be enough to get people interested in their ideas or in school board races whose ballots were left blank by nearly a third of primary voters.

“;Even if you run together as a combination, it's hard to get across why you are doing that,”; said University of Hawaii political scientist Neal Milner. “;It still isn't the campaigning that becomes very public and says, 'This is what I'm going to do differently compared to the other candidates.'”;

But Milner said challengers might want to take a lesson from board member Kim Coco Iwamoto. The civil rights attorney, who was visible handing out pamphlets and shaking people's hands, beat two former state lawmakers and an incumbent to win an Oahu seat in 2006.

Akuna, 58, faces incumbents Garrett Toguchi and Lei Ahu Isa; former state legislator Terrance Tom; past school board Chairman Randall Yee; and retired professor Darrow Aiona.

She said she wants the board to communicate more with the teachers union, lawmakers and schools to flag key areas for improvement. And Akuna said public schools suffer from bad publicity, with people tending to hold a generally poor opinion of the system even though some schools are doing well.

“;If one school can do it, then others can, too,”; she said, referring to a recent U.S. News and World report that listed Kahuku High among the nation's best. “;The goal is to create the reality, the image, the perception that yes, our public schools can provide a quality education.”;

Besides the Oahu races, Herbert Watanabe, who has been on the school board since 1997, will battle against J. William Sanborn, a property manager, for the Big Island seat, while Maggie Cox of Kauai will face carpenter Lawrence Fillhart.