Patch Candidate Profile: Jaime Kokaisel For ISD 833 School Board

SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — This fall, Woodbury and Cottage Grove residents will vote on school board members for South Washington County Schools.

Jaime Kokaisel is one of nine 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): 44

Position Sought: ISD 833 School Board Member At Large

Party Affiliation: Non-Partisan

Family:

Husband Chris, and kids Layton (15) and Carley (12)

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

Education:

Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Occupation:

Portrait and Event Photographer for 17 years, a business owner for 5 of those years.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

Campaign website: www.JAiMEkokaisel.com

Why are you seeking elective office?:

I am seeking office to balance and represent community opinion on the board more equally. I would like to align funding more intentionally toward excellence in education. I would like to decrease distractions from learning, such as divisive partisan policy. Community civic involvement is an important step in young adult life, but I would like to seek better ways for the school to support a positive, inclusive, and free exchange of ideas rather than a negative culture of conformity. I believe in the children of South Washington County. I believe they can each shine in their own way. I believe the school board has a great responsibility and influence in the development of every child.

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

A clear direction... While our school district is influenced by the power and money of special interest groups, our tax dollars go toward funding the large government school system before funding the infinite minds of children. I see inconsistent policy in the administration, which produces confusion among the kids.

If elected, I intend to work toward clear and consistent policy grounded in reason. For instance, if there is the claim of a problem (either community expressed or media influenced), I will work as a team with board members, seeking to identify the problem in a measurable way and assessing our current situation through collaboration with district staff, parents, teachers, and students. Then I will focus on clearly defining the measurable goal, I will implement change with transparency and care, and I will adjust policy as needed.

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

Speaking for myself, I think the strengths which make me a good candidate are my creativity, positivity, and humility. I also have leadership qualities such as integrity, perseverance, commitment, and the ability to plan, initiate and encourage others. I work as well in a team as I work independently.

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

The current school board has not earned community trust. They have demanded it, while taking measures to hide intentions and reduce transparency. Their inconsistencies demonstrated in policy are too numerous to count. Among the highlights of inconsistent policy are 1) a version of Equity that does not apply to all races equally 2) a separation of Church and State that applies to some religions differently than others 3) A district administration that advocates for a student political activism citing first amendment rights, while disregarding other student’s first amendment rights to remain neutral, stay in class, and exercise their right to an education.

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

Just two years ago, the definition of “safety” meant a set of double doors and the presence of SRO’s (School Resource Officers) at public school entrances. This was for students’ physical, psychological and emotional well-being. In fact, the current referendum helped pay for these safety measures.

In 2021, now SRO’s have been cut, the fear pushed in the media is mimicked in the public school, and mental health among youth is at a critical point. The current districts definition of “safety” used to mean “health.” By redefining safety, local officials confuse individual health choices, like nutrition and exercise, with group conformity, like masking and vaccination requirements.
In a pre-covid world, nutrition and exercise equated to a robust immune system, less sickness, and strong mental health. What would I have done differently? In the first six months of uncertainty, I would have been cautious. After a year of experience living around covid, I would have weighed the consequences of extreme mitigation strategies (weakened economy, mental health, and physical health) and adjusted to maintain balance. I would have put more trust in parents and families to be informed and make the best health choices for their own children.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

I am passionate about strong education. If elected I will:
-work to restore trust in district leadership.
-bring transparency to district policy, process and financing.
-be accountable for students’ consistent and measured success.
-offer common-sense policies that are compatible with student life.
-listen respectfully to opinions of students, parents, and teachers.

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

With nearly 17 years in family photography and five of those years as a business owner, I have experience in leadership positions. As a wedding and event photographer, I have proven myself to be dependable, dedicated, and clear. As a business owner, I have developed strength in accounting, workflow, and marketing. As a portrait photographer I highlight the strengths of people, find creative ways to illustrate ideas, and put the opinion of others first. As a long distance runner in marathons, half marathons, and team adventure races, I have demonstrated commitment to my goals, no matter how large or small, and I have shown perseverance. My role as the captain of a 12-person Ragnar relay event which covered over 200 miles of road, is one example.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.” I admire the insight and poetry of this quote by C.S. Lewis which stands the test of time.

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

Help me to... Grow love not fear. Grow students not victims. Grow academics not activism.
Vote for Jaime Kokaisel on November 2nd.