State House District 37 race: Spooner looks at teachers' needs

Jan Spooner, the Democratic candidate for state House District 37, is a relative newcomer to politics and according to her campaign website, hopes to bring “a fresh perspective and new ideas to the Colorado State House.”

Although Spooner's online bio indicates she's managed several legislative campaigns, she's never held a legislative office. She holds a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from the University of Iowa and lists her professional occupation as special needs para-educator.

Her civic and charitable interests include Habitat for Humanity, Parker Food Bank, Youth Incentives and Race for the Cure.

Spooner resides in Centennial with her husband, Mike. They have two grown children.

Colorado Community Media asked the following questions of candidates in the HD37 race. Below are Spooner's answers.

What makes you the best candidate for this office?

I am the best candidate because people matter and what is important to them becomes what is important to me as their representative.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the district and what would you do to meet that challenge?

The biggest challenge might be that we need to support the growth in this area. The need to provide adequate clean water, to valuing our schools and the people that work there, will be a focus for my term in office.

What should be done to improve Colorado's K-12 educational system?

We need to provide teachers with supplies and the support they need to educate our youth. This takes money. Salaries take money. We need more teachers so that class sizes can be decreased. Cherry Creek School District is spending $600 less per student than in previous years.