Two accountants are running unopposed for a pair of seats on the Regional School Unit 5 School Board representing Freeport.
Cheyenne Farrell, 31, and Carolyn Jensen, 36, decided to run for the 11-member school board together. They did so “after being asked by our friends and neighbors to do so,” Farrell said.
“We both felt a civic obligation to contribute to our wonderful school district, where Carolyn’s children go to school,” the candidates wrote in a joint statement. “Our schoolchildren, teachers, teacher’s aides, administrators, maintenance workers, bus drivers, and everyone else working to make our schools run deserve a school board that will continue to work to keep kids safe, engaged in learning, and well-resourced.”
Jensen and Farrell are both self-employed accountants in Freeport. Jensen, who is originally from Montana, owns Jensen Financial Services.
“I founded Jensen Financial Services in January 2018 while completing my MBA with a concentration in finance as a way to bring in some money while I was a full-time student,” Jensen said. She and her husband, Ben, both work for the business as accountants. They have 10-year-old twins.
Jensen and Farrell say that their primary goal on the school board is to maintain a positive relationship between the board and teachers, administrators and students. They are also eager to put their skills in accounting and finance to good use.
“We are both especially keen to develop budgets that allow students and teachers a full breadth of resources and support, and to continue to retain students and talented teachers,” the two candidates said.
“Good public education is a pillar of good society and the evolution of just society, and we feel our spots on the board is a small way we can contribute to the wellness of our community.”
If elected at the polls on Nov. 7, they would replace Susana Hancock and Madelyn Vertenten, whose terms are up.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story