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050903 "Spanish Community has to be heard"
By FRANK NARDOZZI
Betty Negron Ramirez of Mount Kisco, the mother of three girls, has joined the race for the seat on the Bedford Central Board of Education currently held by Joseph Whelan.
Mrs. Ramirez, 38, filed her nominating petitions on Monday to oppose Jason Black, 34, the father of three, and Mark Santora, 44, the father of four, who are also Mount Kisco residents.
Mrs. Ramirez was horn in Puerto Rico and came to the United States in 1968 when she was three years old. Her mother, Amalia Santana, still lives in Bridgeport, Conn., where Mrs. Ramirez attended school and graduated from high school. Her father is deceased.
She was a student in the Upward Bound program in high school and went on to obtain a business associate's degree from the Connecticut Business Institute in Stratford, Conn. She has also taken college courses in sociology, math and computer programs at Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University and Westchester Community College.
"I've been a working mother who was not able to finish her college degree, who has always struggled, but I've made it, so far," Mrs. Ramirez said.
First Hispanic
If she is elected on June 3, it is believed that she would be the first Hispanic to serve on the Bedford Central Board of Education.
Mrs. Ramirez moved to Mount Kisco in 1997 to work as a financial counselor at Northern Westchester Hospital. She had previously worked for 10 years as a business associate for the Bridgeport Hospital, where she provided similar services, helping patients deal with their insurance companies or obtain Medicaid benefits.
Mrs. Ramirez remarried last summer. Her husband, Thomas Ramirez, is an assistant manager at Kohl's department store in Bedford Hills.
Her oldest daughter, Yamarie, 18, will graduate from Fox Lane High School this June. She will attend Manhattanville College.
Yamarie is president of the youth club at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northern Westchester in Mount Kisco. She helped organize a conference on domestic violence and this year received the club's "Youth of the Year" award.
Mrs. Ramirez's second daughter, Imari, 8, goes to Mount Kisco Elementary School, and her youngest daughter, Emely, 4, goes to the preschool at the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Mount Kisco, as well as the daycare center at the Boys & Girls Club, while her parents are working.
Mrs. Ramirez, who is fluent in Spanish, said that it is an advantage to her because the Hispanic population has grown so much in this area. "I am the only Spanish-speaking person in my area here at the hospital," she said. "You wouldn't believe the number of calls that I get. Everything from interpreting to applying for medical assistance." Mrs. Ramirez said that she interprets for the doctors at the hospital and volunteers her time to patients outside who don't speak English and must see a lawyer or take care of other business.
"The need is so great out there," said Mrs. Ramirez, "and not to have more people like me, not to have the resources for these people, makes it very difficult."
Community needs a voice
Asked what her biggest concern was about the Bedford Central School District, Mrs. Ramirez said, "That there isn't anyone on the board that is from the Spanish community. I feel that the Spanish community has to be heard.
"I'm not saying that they've been deaf up until now, but I think that it would make a difference, because there would not be a language barrier. They would have someone to relate to.
"I think that there has been a lot of miscommunication," she said. "For example, the board voting to terminate the dual language program at the Mount Kisco Elementary School."
Mrs. Ramirez said that she would like to reestablish the dual language program. "I would also try to get a literacy program for those children who come from other countries who cannot read and write in English so that they can become educated and don't end up like other children out there who, at 15 years old, are working at a restaurant to make money to send back home.
"I feel that no matter where you come from, it would
benefit anyone to be able to speak a second lan
guage,
especially in today's job market," she said. "It's great for anyone to be
bilingual, to speak more than one language. If you have a second language, it
makes you more marketable out there."
Spanish a valuable skill
And Mrs. Ramirez feels that the ability to speak Spanish is a particularly valuable skill in America today "because the Latin American community has grown tremendously in the United States over the past several years.
Betty Negron Ramirez"I'm talking about the Spanish stars who are rising up in the entertainment business and the Hispanics who are emerging in other areas, like politics. In years past, you never saw that," she said.
Why is she running for a seat on the Bedford Central school board?
"Because I feel that it is time for me to get involved with my children's education," said Mrs. Ramirez. "I feel that there are a lot of programs out there that could be made available to children in our area who are underprivileged, and who don't have the resources to improve themselves.
"I'm not saying that the previous people on the board were not listening to what the parents were saying, but I feel that they should have someone there who has been on the other side.
"I'm not a rich person. I consider myself to be a middle-class person, but I have always worked all my life. I was a single mother for many years. I know what it is to struggle with children. So I understand the needs of the underprivileged," Mrs. Ramirez said.