Patch Candidate Profile: Kyle Anderson For ISD 196 School Board

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN — This fall, Eagan, Apple Valley and Rosemount residents will vote on school board members for ISD 196.

Kyle Anderson 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): 38

Position Sought: ISD 196 School Board Member At Large

Family: 1 son turning 5 this fall

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

Education: RHS graduate, Class of 2002

Occupation: Financial Industry - 5 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: N/A

Campaign website: N/A

Why are you seeking elective office?:

To be the voice of the students, parents and teachers that have been silenced over the past decade in the hopes of bringing our education back to where it once was.

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

Transparency - Transparency is one of many challenges teachers and parents struggle. There needs to be a balance of information available to parents and students without burdening the schools. Curriculum/reading materials are approved at the district level, however these meetings are often kept from a public platform.

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

I worked directly with teachers and students in my previous job, I understand the frustrations on both sides. Add in I am a father wanting to provide the best opportunity for my child and the community.

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

Current members have failed to listen to the overwhelming majority of frustrated parents on many issues, they have continued to bend a knee to the union leaders while ignoring the voices of the public.

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

Current board is an utter failure in almost every aspect in their handling of Covid. Last year seniors were robbed of a memorable moment in their lifetime because they were not given the choice of attending in person or not.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

We need to shift back to basics, apply common sense, and remove the politics with opinions from the classroom. For the student base we can not continue to sacrifice the positive growth of the majority to accommodate a small chance the 1% is going to magically change after 10 years in school. Teachers and admins need to have some control over disciplinary actions again, zero tolerance for violence.

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

Working with others in fast paced and challenging environments has given me experience of breaking things down to a common value, from there you can set goals and benchmarks to achieve what is best for all parties involved.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

I had a psychology teacher tell us to always be weary of a teacher, boss, coworker that was unwilling to make a statement in public or shy away from presenting while being recorded. His logic on that breaks down to one factor, that individual is unwilling to stand behind their own beliefs.

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

I love my community and the future is counting on us. Let's protect it together by elevating our expectations for education.