Jean Spenske isn’t going to let this opportunity pass her by.

Thursday, September 09, 1999

Jean Spenske isn’t going to let this opportunity pass her by.

She’s been interested in school board politics for two years.

"I got in before the school board became a hot seat," Spenske said.

The focus of Spenske’s campaign for one of four vacant Austin Board of Education seats on the Nov. 2 ballot is about reaching potential.

Spenske believes that by concentrating so hard on graduation standards, the standard of excellence has become a rusting reality.

She is prepared to inject a dose of raise-the-bar enthusiasm into the board.

"There are kids we’re missing," said Spenske, whose husband works in the Hormel Foods Corporate Office and whose two children attend Banfield Elementary and Ellis Middle School. " … our system should be designed to accommodate the needs of those going to major universities as much as it is accommodating to those who need assistance in graduating high school."

Spenske’s particular focus is on high potential students, those who strive to learn at a rapid rate. Seven years ago, before she and her family moved to Austin, her children went to school in Utah. There, they were reading by kindergarten. Upon reaching Austin’s schools, "the children were bored," Spenske said. "They had started earlier."

Spenske noted that a school-system-wide curriculum overhaul already in place is a "move in the right direction."

Spenske, a member of the school board’s High Potential Advisory Board, works as the project coordinator for the Paramount Theater and its restoration. She is familiar with raising money and working within budgets. It follows, then, that Spenske is drawn to the financial aspects of the school board.

"I want to know where the money is going," she said. "People have asked a lot of financial questions that didn’t get fully answered. We need to do a little more research."

She also insists the business community can do a better job of supporting the schools.

"My belief is that the business community needs to be more involved in seeing to it that Austin’s school system is top notch," Spenske said. "They have a unique opportunity to attract prospective employees via a stronger education system."

Spenske is also concerned at the lack of IBM-compatible computers in the schools.

This is the first in a series of candidate profiles presented by the Austin Daily Herald. One will be presented each day until all 17 have been profiled.