Hilda Ramirez
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Hilda Ramirez was an at-large member of the Worcester School Committee. First elected on November 5, 2013, Ramirez lost a re-election bid in the general election on November 3, 2015.[1]
Biography
Ramirez resides in Worcester, Massachusetts. Ramirez earned her B.A. from Lesley University and her M.Ed. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. From 1986 to 2002, she was employed as a manager by John Hancock Financial Services. Ramirez founded the Ritmos Academy for dance instruction in 2003, which she still owns and operates. From 2004 to 2008, she served as an adjunct instructor at Cambridge College, and from 2008 to 2012, she worked as an executive director for the Worcester Youth Center. Ramirez took her current position as the assistant director of the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University in 2012.[2]
Elections
2015
All seven seats on the Worcester School Committee were up for election on November 3, 2015. Six seats were elected by city residents at-large. The seventh seat on the board was held by the Mayor of Worcester but was not covered by Ballotpedia as the city fell outside of municipal elections coverage.[3] Incumbents Brian A. O'Connell, John F. Monfredo, John L. Foley and Dianna Biancheria won re-election, while Donna M. Colorio and Molly McCullough joined the board. They defeated incumbents Tracy A. O'Connell Novick and Hilda Ramirez as well as challengers Cotey Collins and Nicola D'Andrea.[1]
Results
| Worcester School Committee, At-large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Brian A. O'Connell Incumbent |
12.9% | 9,021 |
| Donna M. Colorio |
12.3% | 8,606 |
| John F. Monfredo Incumbent |
12.0% | 8,370 |
| John L. Foley Incumbent |
11.6% | 8,107 |
| Dianna Biancheria Incumbent |
10.6% | 7,413 |
| Molly McCullough |
9.9% | 6,891 |
| Tracy A. O'Connell Novick Incumbent | 9.0% | 6,294 |
| Hilda Ramirez Incumbent | 8.6% | 6,014 |
| Nicola D'Andrea | 7.6% | 5,304 |
| Cotey Collins | 5.5% | 3,839 |
| Total Votes | 69,859 | |
| Source: Worcester, Massachusetts, "City of Worcester Municipal Elections 11/3/2015 Official Results," accessed December 17, 2015 | ||
Funding
Ramirez began the race with an existing account balance of $231.51 from her previous campaign. She reported $3,015.62 in contributions and $3,004.38 in expenditures to Worcester Election Commission, which left her campaign with $242.75 on hand as of October 28, 2015.[4]
Endorsements
Ramirez did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
2013
Ramirez defeated incumbent Donna M. Colorio and fellow newcomers Douglas F. Arbetter and Robert J. Cohane to win one of six at-large seats in the general election on November 5, 2013.
Results
| Worcester Public Schools, At-large General Election, 2-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Brian A. O'Connell Incumbent |
15.3% | 8,146 | |
| Nonpartisan | John L. Foley Incumbent |
13.9% | 7,385 | |
| Nonpartisan | John F. Monfredo Incumbent |
12.2% | 6,465 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dianna Biancheria Incumbent |
11.9% | 6,305 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tracy A. O'Connell Novick Incumbent |
11.8% | 6,247 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hilda Ramirez |
11.4% | 6,053 | |
| Nonpartisan | Donna M. Colorio Incumbent | 10.6% | 5,654 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robert J. Cohane | 7.5% | 3,981 | |
| Nonpartisan | Douglas F. Arbetter | 5.5% | 2,908 | |
| Total Votes | 53,144 | |||
| Source: Worcester, Massachusetts, "Election Summary, Municipal Election," accessed December 18, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Ramirez began the race with an existing debt of $3,866.90 from her previous campaign. She reported $8,577.65 in contributions and $4,578.14 in expenditures to the Worcester Election Commission, which left her campaign with $132.61 on hand.[5]
Endorsements
Ramirez received endorsements for her campaign from the Educational Association of Worcester, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and Worcester Magazine.[6][7][8]
2011
| Worcester Public Schools, At-large General Election, 2-year term, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Brian A. O'Connell Incumbent |
13.3% | 9,074 | |
| Nonpartisan | John L. Foley Incumbent |
13.3% | 9,065 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dianna L. Biancheria Incumbent |
12.1% | 8,258 | |
| Nonpartisan | John F. Monfredo Incumbent |
11.1% | 7,565 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tracy A. O'Connell Novick Incumbent |
10.3% | 6,974 | |
| Nonpartisan | Donna M. Colorio |
10% | 6,768 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary J. Mullaney Incumbent | 9.9% | 6,735 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hilda Ramirez | 8.6% | 5,830 | |
| Nonpartisan | Todd Mark Salmonsen | 6.2% | 4,220 | |
| Nonpartisan | John A. Trobaugh | 5.1% | 3,486 | |
| Total Votes | 67,975 | |||
| Source: Worcester, Massachusetts, "Election Summary, Municipal Election," accessed September 25, 2013 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Ramirez's campaign website listed the following campaign themes for 2015:
| “ |
Early Education: Every child needs highly developed language skills to ensure school readiness. Students who come to school ready to learn have greater success in meeting high expectations, complete high school on time, matriculate into college and can ultimately contribute to the knowledge-based economy in Worcester. I will ensure the district develops greater supports for children and families that lead to improved school readiness and every child reaching grade level reading expectations by grade 3. I would like to see us bring parents, teachers and the community together to make school readiness a priority. As a member of the School Committee, I am committed to leading the effort to identify partners and resources to help parents secure support to ensure school readiness. A Possible Solution: Worcester Public Schools has great partnerships with early childcare providers, such as: Edward Street Child Services, Guild of St. Agnes, Rainbow Child Development and the Head Start program. We need to focus on early literacy and aligning early education to 3rd grade outcomes in our public schools. One approach that does not require additional funding is to align resources and curriculum. As a School Committee member, I will lead an effort to recommend changes to the regulations by the Department of Early Education and Care to require that all early education teachers use the Core Curriculum used by the Worcester Public Schools, thus ensuring that our children are prepared for any public school. Identifying Connecting and Aligning Existing Resources to Improve Student Outcomes: The City of Worcester is rich in resources, and there are many programs currently supporting students. However, these efforts are often not coordinated and may not be in tandem with the Worcester Public Schools. This is a challenge because our students need supports that can help them make meaningful connections. Our school district needs to support all of our students, including gifted/talented students. Educational relevance is important to every child. I will ensure that all of our partnerships are geared towards improving student outcome, whether that’s through arts, music, sports, science, or technology. A Three Prong Approach: 1. Public-Private Partnerships: We can create new opportunities with public-private partnerships like the AVID-Hanover partnership and UMASS’s Building Brighter Futures. There are business sectors that are demonstrating growth in our local economy, and we must capitalize on this success and identify more ways to expose our students to opportunities through internships and jobs. 2. Aligning Resources: The Worcester Public School recently was awarded funds to implement the Wraparound Zone Initiative which will support some schools in coordinating services to improve student outcomes. We must take these best-practices and make them available for every school in our district. 3. Engaging families by implementing Parent Academies: Many school districts use Parent Academies to serve and engage parents and families. It is a community-driven initiative designed to provide educational resources to help parents and caring adults become engaged in their child’s education. Studies have shown that consistent parental involvement is a major factor in determining a student’s academic success. As a member of the School Committee, I am committed to leading the effort to identify the partners and resources needed to bring family academies to Worcester. Effective Teacher in Every Classroom: High levels of student achievement requires high quality teaching. Teachers need the support of professional development and instructional coaching to guarantee our students reach their potential. I will work to support public-private partnerships that can bring in additional resources to support our teachers, ensuring their success A Possible Solution: The Boston Teacher Residence Program, an intensive two-month summer institute, followed by an academic year in a BPS classroom with an experienced teacher. In addition to these hands on experience, these residents also receive theory and pedagogy instruction. This program is an excellent example of a public-private partnership, as it is funded by many stakeholders interested in improving quality instruction. As a School Committee members, I will work hard to work with our City leaders to bring this model to Worcester. We have the stakeholders and resources needed to create such a program in Worcester. [9] |
” |
| —Hilda Ramirez, (2015), [2] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Hilda + Ramirez + Worcester + Public + School"
See also
- Worcester Public Schools, Massachusetts
- Worcester Public Schools Elections (2013)
- Worcester Public Schools elections (2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 City of Worcester, "2015 Municipal Election Candidates List," May 29, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hilda Ramirez for Worcester School Committee, "About Hilda," accessed September 26, 2013
- ↑ Worcester Public Schools, "School Committee," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ Worcester Election Commission, "Campaign Finance Filings," accessed October 15, 2015
- ↑ Worcester, Massachusetts, "Campaign Finance Filings," accessed December 23, 2013
- ↑ Jacqueline Reis, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, "Teachers union announces endorsements," September 23, 2013
- ↑ Worcester Telegram & Gazette, "Endorsements for Worcester School Committee," November 3, 2013
- ↑ Worcester Magazine, "Endorsements in the City Council and School Committee 2013 elections," October 31, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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