My name is Chenoa Jensen and I am representing the Republican Party as the 7th Congressional District candidate for the Colorado Board of Education.

I was born and raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota. During my childhood, we moved from Rapid City to a small farm north of Bear Butte or a more familiar landmark, Sturgis, South Dakota. I hold an Master of Science and Bachelors of Science Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Having a special interest in project based and team based education, I accepted a position following graduation as an instructor within the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Male engineering students quite often have egos attached with their academic skills that enable them to be in the place that they are, so early on in my teaching career I organized a series of biz-cart racing events at a local race track. The open challenge to any of my students was this, “ If you can beat Ms. Jensen's fastest lap time of the day, then I'll pay your $20 event fee.” Claiming the fastest lap time of the day became far more appealing to the students than the monetary reward. I stand here today and can tell you that never once, did I have to part with a single $20 bill. However, many questions were answered on my approach to various obsticles curves in the track.

I left the university environment for a position with a small company working on a aircraft weather sensor system. The company eventually moved to Evergreen, Colorado and as their Federal Aviation Administration Director of Certification, I spent quite a bit of time staring at a computer screen, participating in design and manufacturing, and working with aircraft installation and flight testing. I'd have to honestly say that some of those “extreme weather test flights” were a bit more thrilling than the biz cart races with my former students.

Following this experience, I spent time as a control system specialist in the commercial Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning industry before transitioning into my current role as a homemaker and mother of four children.

Our family lives in the Green Mountain area of Lakewood. Our home, with an 11, 4 year old and a set of two year old twins, is a bit active and loud. We are involved with soccer, boy scouts, our local Bear Valley Church and this is our first year of homeschooling our 6th grade son.

Qualifying as a poster child for the new wave of political involvement, I attended my first caucus this year, volunteered (and paid the necessary dues!) to be a delegate or alternate at the County Assembly, Congressional Convention, and the Colorado State Convention. Each of these gatherings made the political arena more understandable and personal. I am compelled to promote and involve myself in government for the assurance of freedom for the betterment of the people of our nation.

I would like to serve on the Colorado Board of Education because I am not a career politician and I believe that family, not Government, is more often the solution to problems. Additionally, as a mother of four I personally understand that our children each have unique needs that constantly require one-on-one attention. I will actively promote educational choice for families, encourage parental involvement, and demand revision of the current educational assessment and accountability process.

My engineering based education revolved around logic and mathematical analysis, I know that more data points does not necessarily mean better data. Our children are not receiving the education they need. This “more data is better data mindset” often fails to improve the analysis or results of a problem. I believe that our current assessment and accountability system needs to be thoughtfully examined and revised. The introduction of any system or student testing needs to be carefully weighed. We need accurate and complete reporting of assessment findings, we need required follow through on actions, and we need a process that is transparent and accessible to our communities. Students, parents, faculty, administration, and boards all have various assessment responsibilities and should be held accountable for proper handling of results.

We are failing at the job of preparing our youth. Many children in need of a quality education are not mastering the basic skills that enable them to be free and productive citizens. I will promote the return to high core competency with a strong foundation in language and mathematic mastery.

I support the advancement of community driven public schools, charter schools, choice schools, virtual and online schools, homeschooling, voucher systems, and other innovative unbranded educational concepts. With your vote I'd like to serve the 7th Congressional District on the Colorado Board of Education to promote and expand the freedom of choice in providing educational opportunities for our children.


Thank you


Chenoa Jensen

chenoajensen@gmail.com