A local attorney believes it's time for a change on the Omaha school board, and she has filed to run for the seat held by longtime board member Sandra Jensen.
Omaha attorney Randi Scott has filed to represent OPS Subdistrict 12 in northwest Omaha.
Jensen has not filed for re-election. The incumbent filing deadline is Feb. 15. She could not be reached for comment Monday.
Jensen was first elected to the board in 1978. She is a registered Republican.
Scott, also a Republican, is the campaign manager for Brett Lindstrom, who is running against Rep. Lee Terry in the Republican primary in May.
Scott said she's seeking the seat because she believes the district is not headed in the right direction.
"I feel like it's time to get some new ideas in there and some new people," Scott said. "I will question why we do what we do and is this in the best interest of our students?"
She doesn't want to act as a "rubber stamp" for the OPS superintendent and plans to bring "a logical, conservative perspective to the board," she said.
Scott, 33, is married and has two children, ages 4 and 1.
She graduated from Lourdes Central Catholic High School in Nebraska City in May 1996. She attended Peru State College and graduated in May 2002. She has a master's degree in special education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
After teaching at Lincoln Southwest High School for three years, Scott took a job teaching English to special-education students at Omaha Northwest High until 2007.
Her husband then got a job in Chicago, and Scott enrolled at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago and graduated in May 2010.
She's been working for Lindstrom since last March.
At Northwest High, Scott said she grew frustrated with several issues, including discipline matters and making sure curriculum flows well from middle schools to high schools. She said she wants to influence district policies on such matters.
"I've worked with a lot of great teachers and staff," Scott said. "I would like to make a difference and help make the decisions that will make a difference for the district."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1074, jonathon.braden@owh.com
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