Equal school access leads candidate's priorities.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ Lynne Leach, a white-haired spitfire in a conservative suit, ignited hundreds of slouching and chattering ninth-graders last week with a single, booming phrase: "Good morning, McClymonds High School!"

When the cheers faded, Leach delivered a rousing speech. She rocked on her feet, pumped her fist and almost shouted into the microphone.

"The most important thing you can do right now is sit in this high school and learn all you can," she told students in one of Oakland's most troubled schools.

Although she's out of her suburban element, Leach looked entirely at home on the dim stage. She's a motivational speaker, a saleswoman and a candidate for the state's top education job.

In her three terms representing a swath of the East Bay from Lamorinda to Livermore in the state Assembly, Leach has fought doggedly for her pet education cause, equalizing per-pupil funding for districts that receive less than the state average.