Jane L. Johansen

Candidate for School Board

Age: 49

Residence: Falls Church City.

Education: BA, English, West Virginia University; MBA, Penn State; JD, George Mason University School of Law.

Occupation: Contracts attorney, Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Elected offices/civic activities: Member and library volunteer, Falls Church Middle School PTA; member, Falls Church Elementary School PTA; chairman, Middle School PTA Extra-Curricular Activities Committee; member, Band Boosters; statistician, Falls Church Girls' Select basketball team; organizer, the "ad hoc" second-grade chess group; statistician, Cardinal AAU U12 girls' basketball team; former second-grade and fourth-grade room parent; former Odyssey of the Mind coach; former reading volunteer, In2Books.

What do you think is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction? "The critical challenge is to continue the legacy of providing excellent education in a cost-effective manner. With its great track record, the city, in my view, is still a strong draw for top-notch teachers, and most students continue to thrive. However, now is no time for complacency. We must continually strive to keep education professionals engaged, while concurrently enhancing the curriculum. Falls Church faces tough competition not only from the surrounding school districts in terms of teacher retention and academic quality, but also in terms of providing programs and extra-curricular activities that foster leadership in the world community."

Why should voters elect you? "Because of my commitment to our community, tenure in the city, and grasp of educational issues and pulse of our schools at all levels."

Web site: None given.

E-mail address: jljohansen@aol.com