Susan Fell Johnson’s grandparents arrived in Austin in the 1920s.

Monday, September 20, 1999

Susan Fell Johnson’s grandparents arrived in Austin in the 1920s. Her mother and father are graduates of Austin High. So is Johnson. Plus, her father is a retired Austin school teacher.

So it’s easy to believe Johnson when she says, "This community really means a lot to me."

On Nov. 2, voters will choose between Johnson and 16 others to fill four open seats on the Austin Board of Education.

Johnson, who has never run for office before, began to take a close look at doing so in the spring, when the district was wrestling with the budget overspending issue.

"Dr. Myers (the district’s past superintendent) took responsibility," said Johnson, who then wondered aloud why no one on the school board came forward to take at least some responsibility.

Johnson is a mother of two children who attend Sumner Elementary. Her husband works at Mower House Color Graphics, while she is a computer analyst at the Hormel Foods corporate office.

Before that, Johnson worked for five years in the school district’s administration building as a bookkeeper. Johnson said she would gladly use that background to the community’s benefit if she were a school board member.

"For starters," she said, "I’d go through the billing sheets with a fine-toothed comb before I ever voted to pass them."

Beyond the business side of the district, Johnson said she believes her kids are getting a good education in the Austin public school system. But she fears the lines of communication between the community and the school board have frayed.

Johnson insisted she would take the time to call back anyone who phoned her regarding school issues.

"You’ve got to listen to the people and hear them out," said Johnson, a Sunday School teacher and one-time computer teacher at Riverland Community College.

Johnson believes she has picked a good time to start her political career.

"People are finally deciding that they need to get involved in the education process," she said, "instead of just criticizing from the wings."