Patch Candidate Profile:Sakawdin Mohamed For ISD 196 School Board

EAGAN/APPLE VALLEY/ ROSEMOUNT, MN — This fall, Eagan, Apple Valley and Rosemount residents will vote on school board members for ISD 196.

Sakawdin Mohamed is one of 15 candidates running for School Board in the Nov. 2 election.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Are you running for School Board? Contact Morgan Reddekopp at morgan.reddekopp@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

Age (as of Election Day): 43

Position Sought: ISD 196 School Board Member At Large

Party Affiliation: Nonpartisan

Family:

Wife, six children: four daughters (ages 18, 11, 7 & 7 months baby Kamila), and two sons (16 and 14)– four of them who are District 196 students, one recent graduate into college and 6-month-old future ISD 196 student; and cat, Arthur.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education:

Advanced university degrees including two masters’ degrees from Minnesota State University-Mankato; University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs and undergraduate from North Dakota State University.

Occupation:

I am a public servant, long time state government employee/Financial Services Section Manager.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

Minnesota Commission on National and Community Service also known ServeMinnesota

Campaign website: www.sakmohamed.org

Why are you seeking elective office?:

What makes America great is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or how funny their name sounds, has the ability to achieve their dreams. I am living proof of the “American Dream” and ideals of opportunity and equality for all. I believe that there are immense opportunities for success and achievement within education. I am extremely passionate about the value of education.

My experience as refugee coming to the U.S., as a young man with nothing but a dream and hope for a better future, inspired me to seek for School Board service and bring a fresh perspective as a parent and new American. I am motivated to do all I can to give back to the country and community that welcomed me two and a half decades ago.

I want to be that unique voice of reason, balance and understanding that brings unity and fresh ideas that our district needs.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it:

I believe single most pressing issue facing in our school district and many other public institutions is budgets or unstable unpredictable funding that our schools need to provide the education possible in this challenging times that we are all facing. I am someone who understands the importance of investing in our schools and key priority areas that our students need. I know my way around public budgeting. I will get a handle on the budget – and dedicate resources directly to the classroom for student achievement and to getting support that our teachers need by increasing staff that provide mental emotional health support that our students need. I have been around government public budgets for a while. I have more than 17 years of organizational government and finance experience spanning multiple economic sectors and industries as well as all levels of government including county, federal, and state levels. I have been a key budget advisor in the administrations of several Minnesota State Government Departments.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?:

I am passionate about public education, and deeply care about the future for our kids. I am motivated by the best interests of all students. I have been a huge supporter of quality public education and issues affecting working families. I have a track record of getting the work done and have proven track record of public service. I come from diverse disadvantaged background and offer unique perspectives. I will bring parents’ view, and fresh diverse voices to the School Board in this challenging time that we are all facing. I am a very good listener and communicator; I find it’s easy for me to relate to other people.

I truly enjoy learning new things and familiarize myself issues that are affecting us all and different constituents, I will be constantly seeking out new learning opportunities and ideas to address our common issues. In addition, my prior experience as social worker/finance manager and former refugee has provided me with unique financial, technical and people skills that I can apply to this role as school board member. I am someone who understands what parents, students, teachers and staff expect from our district.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency):

Our district is high-achieving school district with a record of outstanding achievements. Thanks to the collective efforts of our students, teachers, parents, and leaders. I will continue to work hard for our district in maintaining and continuing these achievements. I have the experience in approving funds and serving board for high-impact educational grants and programs in our state. I believe there is still room for improvement and can do better in investing in our students and provide support for our teachers by improving mental health and other specialized support staffing to address mental health, behavioral or emotional needs and enhance overall wellbeing.

How do you think local officials are performing in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?:

In the past 2 years, we have as community faced most challenging times as the pandemic changed not only how we interact or share social spaces but changed lives everywhere. I do believe like everyone else, our district officials did what they could and followed similar response methods as the rest of the nation and state did in ensuring safety and protecting our kids, and staff. Our teachers did what they could and did a wonderful job in providing the best education possible with the available resources while keeping everyone safe. Similarly, same goes for all district 196 parents including myself. I believe they could have initiated their pandemic prevention, preparedness and mitigation efforts much earlier or before other districts or entities. Also, I also believe that we could have done much better in involving and engaging all district stakeholders in the pandemic response decision making. I believe in public engagement and active civic participation.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Here are my campaign priorities for our schools:

1) Continue and enhance district’s legacy and commitment to educational excellence.

Our district is high-achieving school district with a record of outstanding achievement both in and out of the classroom. Thanks to our students, teachers, parents, and leaders.
I will continue to work hard for our district in maintaining and continuing this achievement. I have the experience in approving funds and serving board for high-impact educational grants and programs in our state.

2) Bring parents’ view, and fresh diverse voices to the School Board in this challenging time that we are all facing.

To find solutions and face the emerging challenges, we need fresh ideas and new approach. Sakawdin will provide new perspectives as parent with 4 children in the school district and 1 upcoming future district student as well as 1 Eagan High School graduate who is now freshman in college.

3) Be a voice for our teachers.

As a lifelong learner and offspring of schoolteacher/ administrator, I understand the importance of our teachers and investment in our classrooms. I will put our teachers first and ensure that they are taken care of, so they can take care our students.

We are all product of teachers one way or another. We need to support our teachers, so they can support our students. We all had teachers at one point in our lives. We are as good and as educated as our teachers, the quality, and the support our teachers get matters. I will commit in teacher satisfaction, appreciation, success, and development.

4) Help improve equity in our education delivery for all our students and support teachers and staff equitably.

I have been community advocate and a bridge builder. I will build trust between all district members, and parents especially those new to our community. I will commit and ensure district’s educational equity and support its implementation, so all students and staff have equitable access to all opportunities that our district offers.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?:

I am experienced budget and revenue manager. I have over 17 years of government and finance experience spanning multiple sectors in all levels of government including county and state levels. I am a multi-term appointee by two different governors to the Minnesota Commission on National and Community Service. I played integral part in approving grants that invested in nonprofit and educational groups through AmeriCorps with program impact in reading, math and English proficiency, dropout prevention, mentoring, college preparation and success. I am a parent of a recent District graduate, and now I am a parent of 4 current District students, and 1 future district 196 prospective student. I have passion to quality public education & issues that impact working families. I am motivated by the best interests of all students. I have served as the top leader and manager of community nonprofits, public policy, and government organizations. I provided an innovative and results driven strategic approach to each institution, accelerating systemic change, and improving outcomes and organizational performance. In each organization, I brought together people with diverse interests and backgrounds to improve the lives of community members and working people.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

“If it ain't broke, don't fix it”. If something is working well and functioning properly, it's probably best to just leave it alone and not make any changes that could potentially break it.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?:

I value education, and I am product of public education system. i am who can get the work done and trusted to do better job for all our students. I am a busy father, neighbor, longtime Eagan resident and a community member. I deeply care about the future for our kids and the quality of education that they get. I believe in the American ideals of fairness, opportunity and equality regardless of anyone's ethnic origin or the color of their skin. I am someone who can be counted on to be that unique voice of reason, balance and understanding that brings unity and fresh ideas that our district needs. I care about the district and your votes/support matters to me. Our kids’ future matter, and most certainly the most important of all, our teachers matter; that is why I am running.

Here are my Values: Cooperation, Partnership, Diversity & Equality

- Foster cooperation and the partnership of teachers, administration, parents and students as crucial to the achievement of mutual goals.

- Celebrate and value diversity of culture, religion, ethnicity and socio-economic background.

- Actively engage in the creation of nurturing environment and the promotion of empathy, equity, mutual respect, and service to others.