Amy Jensen is a retired 31-year public school teacher. She taught for six years in Clearwater USD 264 and for 25 years in Maize USD 266 - retiring in 2023. As an educator Amy received the USD 266 Excellence in Education award twice. Recipients of this award are among those chosen to represent USD 266 in the annual Kansas Teacher of the Year competition. Throughout her career, Amy has been a strong advocate for public education. Kansas educators elected her to serve on the National Education Association's Board of Directors where she lobbied for Kansas students, educators, and public education on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Amy believes that all kids deserve to have a future-ready education in USD 259 to prepare them for a fulfilling, productive life. She understands it takes the community to provide what our students need to be successful.

Amy grew up in Salina, Kansas, and proudly attended public school. Her mother was an immigrant to the United States and instilled a love of learning, a sense of humor, and a passion for helping others in her only daughter. Amy's dad, "Big Earl," served in the US Air Force. When he left the Air Force, he purchased a 1947 Ford pickup and drove it for a few years. It then sat in a wheat field for over 30 years. In the 1990s, Amy and her dad retrieved the pickup, and Earl completely restored it to its original state. In 2020 Amy donated it to The Garage Automotive Museum in Salina. Amy earned a BA in English and Secondary Education from Kansas Wesleyan University and an MA in Teaching from Friends University. Amy was a union member and stays active as a retired union member. She continues to help others by supporting and advocating for working Kansans in her retirement job. Currently Amy is employed by *AFT Kansas in Topeka as the Director of Member Services/Organizer, where she works with public service employee unions at WSU, KSU, PSU, KU, and the City of Topeka. In her free time she enjoys ushering at Century II, working at shows at Intrust Bank Arena, and greeting visitors at the Oxford Grand Senior Living facility. Amy has lived in District 5 for over 30 years. In District 5 she serves as a Precinct Committee Person for Precinct 503 and as the secretary of the Country Acres Neighborhood Association. Amy has two (spoiled) cats who bring her much joy.

• Board Member - National Education Association Board of Directors, Washington, D.C.

• Board Member - Kansas NEA Board of Directors, Topeka, Kansas

• Board Member - Kansas Association of Teachers of English

• Chairwoman - South Central Kansas UniServ Advisory Board, Wichita, KS

• President - Maize Education Association, Maize, KS 

• Supervised 5 successful student teachers

• Led as English Department Chairwoman

• Served as lead negotiator on contract bargaining team

• Served on district-level committees: Building Level Team, Secondary Core Standards Committee, MTSS Secondary Committee, Professional Development Curriculum Council, Professional Learning Community Leadership Team, and Superintendent's Advisory Committee

• Served as district Co-Chair for Professional Development Council

• Mentored students as Scholars' Bowl Coach

• Graduate of Butler County Community College Advance Kansas

• Holds current Kansas teaching license in 7-12 English, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and PreK-12 Reading Specialist

*Disclaimer: The United Teachers of Wichita is an affiliate union of Kansas NEA and AFT Kansas. Both KNEA and AFT KS employ staff in the UTW office in Wichita. Amy Jensen is not one of those staff members. She does not work for or with UTW. Amy is not employed by The United Teachers of Wichita; she works for AFT Kansas. Her office is at 1300 SW Topeka Blvd in Topeka, KS. On May 19, 2025, prior to filing to be a candidate for USD 259 Board of Education, Ms. Jensen requested that the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission (KGEC) conduct an investigation into whether her employment at AFT Kansas is a conflict of interest, an ethical violation, or breaks Kansas statutory laws. The KGEC conducted an investigation and concluded the following: "If you are employed by AFT Kansas, holding a board member position and your position with AFT Kansas concurrently does not appear to violate any of the foregoing statutes." See the full response below.