Candidates Statement

By Reynaldo "Rey" Ramirez

What Rey Ramirez brings to the School Board

I will bring to the South Pasadena School Board over 37 years of experience in education

Eighteen years ago, my wife and I moved our family into South Pasadena because of its little town feel, nice homes, safe streets, good neighbors and wonderful schools. My decision to run was to address the issues raised as a result of the continued decline in state school funding. The decline in state funding has resulted in class size increases in the primary grades and a drop in test scores in the high school. As a member of the board, I will work to maintain and enhance our quality schools. I will fight for every dollar and direct the funds to the classroom to help our kids.

This year, after 37 years of service in education, I retired from teaching. Having taught every grade level from preschool to high school I differ from my opponents in that I bring to this office a teacher's perspective to the table, dealing with the aforementioned issues. In addition to my classroom experience, I also have administrative experience as a School Compensatory Education Advisor. As an advisor, I worked with parents, teachers and administrators in developing school plans, staff training and balancing annual school budgets. As a classroom teacher, I have learned what is needed for high student achievement, including high expectations, monitoring student progress, and giving teachers the resources needed and time to collaborate.

As a board member, I will work to collaboratively and cooperatively with parents, teachers, and fellow board members in a transparent, open environment to deliver an effective instructional program to enhance student achievement.

As a member of the board, I will work to provide our teachers with the tools and training necessary to implement the new Common Core State Standards that focus on critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and communication. Together we need to maintain and enhance our quality schools, as a bully free, safe place to learn. We need to prioritize and balance our school district budget based on state funding to deliver an effective program with lower class sizes.

My wife and I are proud parents of South Pasadena Alumni. My daughter is a teacher and our son is an orthopedic surgeon. As for the students that I was fortunate enough to teach throughout my tenure as a teacher, they too were like members of my family as I have always advocated for them--I will do the same here for our South Pasadena's students. My ultimate goal is to ensure that every student in South Pasadena is prepared to go to college