Jody Ward-Rannow (Eden Prairie Board of Education At-large, Minnesota, candidate 2024)

Jody Ward-Rannow

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Eden Prairie Board of Education At-large

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Minnesota, 2003

Graduate

Saint Catherine University, 2022

Law

University of Minnesota Law School, 2006

Personal

Birthplace

Edina, Minn.

Religion

Lutheran - ELCA

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Jody Ward-Rannow ran for election to the Eden Prairie Board of Education At-large in Minnesota. She was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Ward-Rannow completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jody Ward-Rannow provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024:

• Birth date: July 25, 1982
• Birth place: Edina, Minnesota
• High school: Eastview High School
• Bachelor's: University of Minnesota, 2003
• J.D.: University of Minnesota Law School, 2006
• Graduate: Saint Catherine University, 2022
• Gender: Female
• Religion: Lutheran - ELCA
• Profession: Attorney
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

General election for Eden Prairie Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Eden Prairie Board of Education At-large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Ann Bradsher (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jon Cermak (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Kim Johnson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Kim Ross (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Dennis Stubbs (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jody Ward-Rannow (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ward-Rannow in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jody Ward-Rannow completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ward-Rannow's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My husband and I have lived in Eden Prairie for about 12 years. We have an 8th grade daughter at CMS and a 5th grade son at Eagle Heights. I have volunteered on the Eagle Heights PTO for years. I am a Co-Community Leader for Eden Prairie Girl Scouts. I am a member of the Foundation for Eden Prairie Schools Board. I also volunteer at Prairie School of Dance. In my day job I work with employers to manage their workforce and solve disputes when they arise. Many of the skills I use daily would help me add value on the School Board.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am an advocate for students, families, staff, and teachers. I ask questions and offer ideas to make positive change.
• Students feeling safe and inspired at school is very important to me. This requires us to implement and enforce policies that keep our schools safe and promote positive mental health in our students.
• Aggregate achievement numbers are important, but it’s even more important to make sure that we are helping individual students improve over time. We need to make sure we are evaluating how each of our students is doing and find ways to help each student succeed.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about making sure that we are serving each student, including those that may have individualized needs for any reason.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

No.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I think it is most important for an elected official to listen to the community and then to be responsive to the community’s needs.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am an advocate. I think outside the box and ask questions to help find solutions others may not identify.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I think the core responsibility of an elected official is to solve problems. Until a problem is solved, their work is not done.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be able to say that I helped identify ways to improve achievement for students who may not have been reached by past practices/policies.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the challenger explosion. I think I was 5.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked food service at the Minnesota Zoo starting at the age of 14. I worked there until I graduated high school.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

I think the primary job of a school board member is to listen to the community and make sure that district officials have considered community ideas and concerns when they made decisions and policies.

Who are your constituents?

Students, families, teachers/staff, and residents of Eden Prairie.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

I would support our diverse needs by listening to our community and learning about individual experiences with our district so that I could bring those perspectives to the board table.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I will reach out to learn about the experiences of families at each of our schools. I will attend school events and meetings to engage with the community.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Good teaching inspires students. As a board member I would listen to the needs of our school buildings to help foster an environment where teachers can focus on teaching and not have other responsibilities added to their plates.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I would like to see us continue to improve our reading program. I would also like to see us improve our special education and gifted and talented programs. How are we helping all students reach their full potential?

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

I think our district leadership does a good job stretching our referendum dollars. I would support efforts to continue this work.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

I think we need to work on fostering community in our schools to help students before they get to a place where they think about committing violence in schools. Mental health resources and enforcement of policies against bullying are important to help build a strong community.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

I think we need to prioritize resources for mental health. I also think we should partner with outside organizations like NAMI to help bring resources to families to help them help their students at home.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I would like to see us focus on how we can improve special education and gifted and talent services. How are we evaluating who qualifies for these programs or services? Are we reaching all of the students who might need something other than the typical classroom curriculum?

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

I think our ideal learning environment is individualized for each student.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

I think we did a very good job managing the pandemic. I would follow CDC guidance in the future as we did with COVID.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

I will reach out to learn about the experiences of families at each of our schools. I will attend school events and meetings to engage with parents and understand their experiences.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

I think our schools do best to recruit and retain staff. They know their buildings and their needs.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I think the District officials should be as transparent as possible without violating their duty to the District if some things need to be private for a legitimate reason. Officials should be accountable for their decisions.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Eden Prairie Board of Education At-large

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