AskFlagler School Board Interview: Lauren Ramirez

Lauren Ramirez is one of two candidates running for the District 5 seat on the Flagler School Board. She faces Vincent Sullivan, in a race with no incumbent. The current seat-holder, one-term member Cheryl Massaro initially filed to run for re-election but then exited the race upon Ramirez’s own entry and later endorsed Ramirez.

The elections for both this year’s School Board races will be held on the August 20th primary ballot. There will be no runoffs, as each race has only two candidates. The elections are nonpartisan, and therefore will be open to all registered voters in Flagler County regardless of party affiliation.

Other Candidate Interviews

Flagler County Commission:

• Andy Dance – Flagler County Commission, District 1
• Fernando Melendez – Flagler County Commission, District 1
• Kim Carney – Flagler County Commission, District 3
• Bill Clark – Flagler County Commission, District 3 (Did Not Complete)
• Nick Klufas – Flagler County Commission, District 3
• Ed Danko – Flagler County Commission, District 5
• Michael McElroy – Flagler County Commission, District 5
• Pam Richardson – Flagler County Commission, District 5

Flagler School Board:

• Derek Barrs – Flagler School Board, District 3
• Janie Ruddy – Flagler School Board, District 3
• Lauren Ramirez – Flagler School Board, District 5
• Vincent Sullivan – Flagler School Board, District 5

East Flagler Mosquito Control Board:

• Julius ‘Jules’ Kwiatkowski – East Flagler Mosquito Control Board, Seat 1
• Perry Mitrano – East Flagler Mosquito Control Board, Seat 1
• Lance Alred – East Flagler Mosquito Control Board, Seat 3
• Ralph Lighfoot – East Flagler Mosquito Control Board, Seat 3

Palm Coast City Council:

• David Alfin – Palm Coast Mayor
• Peter Johnson – Palm Coast Mayor
• Alan Lowe – Palm Coast Mayor
• Cornelia Downing Manfre – Palm Coast Mayor
• Mike Norris – Palm Coast Mayor (Did Not Complete)
• Kathy Austrino – Palm Coast City Council, District 1
• Shara Brodsky – Palm Coast City Council, District 1
• Ty Miller – Palm Coast City Council, District 1
• Jeffery Seib – Palm Coast City Council, District 1
• Dana ‘Mark’ Stancel – Palm Coast City Council, District 3
• Ray Stevens – Palm Coast City Council, District 3
• Andrew Werner – Palm Coat City Council, District 3

Interview Criteria

• The object of the interview is not to grill the candidate, nor to give them softballs. Ideally, in their answers the candidates provide to voters a useful insight into their ideology, their priorities, and their knowledgeability and preparedness for office.
• These questions are sent to each declared candidate in Flagler County’s local elections. All candidates running for the same office received the same exact questions.
• The only edits made are for spelling, formatting and basic grammar (i.e., ‘their’ when it should be ‘there’). Censorship of profanity may also be applied if it were applicable. Otherwise, answers are presented in their full form as the candidate provides them.
• Answers are subject to fact-checking if they contain information that’s blatantly misleading or untrue (misrepresenting factually verifiable information, misquoting a statistic, etc). Clarifications will be added underneath the candidate’s answer if applicable. The answers will still be presented as given even if a fact-check or clarification is needed.

Candidate Interview

Date of Birth: October 2nd, 1983

Hometown: “Born in Washington D.C., grew up in Central Florida”

Career/Educational Resume: Click to View Resume

1. Order these three groups according to how strongly you feel a School Board member is tasked with serving them: students, teachers, and parents.

1. Students
2. Teachers
3. Parents

2. Describe any career experience you have in which you directly worked in or with the public education system. If none applies, explain how any other experience you have would directly apply to the education aspects of School Board duties.

“Aside from having 4 children currently in Flagler County Schools (since 2017), I have and continue to be involved as a volunteer in several school and community organizations which include:

• Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at Belle Terre Elementary School
• Student Advisory Committee (SAC) at Belle Terre Elementary and Indian Trails Middle
  School
• ESE Parent Advisory Council (EPAC) (active from 2021-2022)
• Science Instructional Committee
• Flagler County Education Foundation
• Classrooms to Careers at Rymfire Elementary School
• Road to Success program
• AdventHealth volunteer programs

“I bring 12 years of extensive experience in collegiate education, encompassing teaching, curriculum development, policy creation, accreditation compliance, faculty and staff management, budgeting, student engagement, and community outreach. My professional roles have included Associate Academic Dean and Department Chair for the School of Health Sciences, where I oversaw 14 campuses. Additionally, I am a current member of the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), where I actively serve as an accreditation evaluator for universities. Being actively involved for over seven years with our PTO and SAC, including two years as PTO President, has provided me with a thorough understanding of our local education system and the needs of our schools.”

3. Flagler Schools received a B rating in December from the state, its ninth such rating in the last ten years that one was given. The district has had at least one, usually multiple, C schools every year since 2015. What’s within the School Board’s power to galvanize those ratings upward?

“As a School Board member, I would be actively involved with our schools, faculty, and administrators to understand and address their needs, ensuring we work together to improve our district’s ratings and continue to thrive with each school’s individual grade. School Board members collaborate closely with the district to review approved initiatives and identify areas of opportunity for our schools, specifically at the agenda workshop meetings. I would work diligently to ensure our schools have the necessary resources and support in collaboration with the Superintendent, which is one role of a School Board member. This includes potential enhancements in several key areas:

• “Targeted Professional Learning: Providing teachers with ongoing professional learning opportunities to improve instructional strategies and student outcomes. This includes facilitating inter-school collaborations where educators can share best practices and tackle common challenges together.
• Resource Allocation: Ensuring that schools have the necessary resources, including technology and support staff, to enhance learning environments and student performance. By working closely with faculty and administrators, we can identify specific needs and allocate resources more effectively.
• Community Engagement: Promoting active involvement of parents and community members in school activities and decision-making processes to promote a supportive and collaborative educational environment. When School Board members discuss these matters at meetings and agenda workshops, parents listen, so effectively communicating this to our community will help promote it.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing data to identify areas of improvement and implement evidence-based interventions to address specific challenges faced by schools. By engaging with school staff, we can make informed decisions that directly impact student success.
• Support for ESE Programs: Increasing support for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs to improve outcomes for students with special needs can positively impact overall school ratings. Facilitating collaboration among schools to share effective ESE strategies will be a key focus.”

– Editor’s Note: Flagler Schools’ 2024 grades were released after this question was sent out, and the C schools did improve to Bs.

4. How would you want district staff to handle a large student protest walkout such as the one that occurred at Flagler Palm Coast High School in 2022? Keep in mind the scope of authority as a School Board member.

“I would adhere to the established policy, collaborating closely with the Superintendent, who would work with staff to prioritize safety and order. This situation presents an opportunity to review the current Secondary Code of Student Conduct, particularly focusing on Level I offenses related to inappropriate location. While peaceful protests are a constitutional right, keeping our policies up to date is important, making regular reviews and discussions beneficial.”

5. With neither of the School Board’s two most tenured members running for re-election this year, all five members will be in their first term on the Board. Does the School Board have an experience problem? If so, how might you propose addressing the challenge?

“The new board members who come on will bring fresh perspectives, and although they will be new to the role, each will contribute valuable experience and background to the board. The current members, now almost two years into their term, have brought experiences and have been continuously learning and growing. As a new board, I would recommend prioritizing attending professional learning sessions offered by the state and working closely with our existing board and Superintendent to develop essential insights and knowledge to fill any experience gaps.”

6. The Flagler School Board parted ways with a Board Attorney and a Superintendent in the last couple years, with both processes spawning great political strife in the public eye. Do you feel those incidents have hurt Flagler Schools’ ability to attract top talent to its administrative positions? If so, how can the district be made a more appealing place to work?

“These incidents may have impacted Flagler Schools’ ability to attract top talent, particularly for the two attorney positions they are seeking. However, it is difficult to pinpoint this as the specific reason. To make the district more appealing, things to consider include:

• “Promoting a Positive Work Environment: Continue on promoting a positive and collaborative work culture where employees feel valued and supported and make improvements. For instance, I recently learned at an agenda workshop meeting that the tenure recognition pins for employees lack consistency. Implementing a standardized recognition program, which I know the Superintendent is working on, will create a more positive impact and further enhance employee morale.
• Transparent Communication: Ensuring transparency in decision-making processes and maintaining open lines of communication with staff and the community.
• Professional Growth Opportunities: Providing opportunities for professional growth and development to encourage continuous improvement and career advancement.”

7. Consideration has been given to adopting a ‘guardian program’, employing armed guards in an attempt to increase readiness for a school shooting. When compared to the current arrangement with the FCSO and its School Resource Deputies, what’s the right path for Flagler Schools to ensure the safety of its students and faculty?

“Maintaining our current School Resource Deputies is a priority, as they provide a trained and professional presence for all our students, faculty, and staff. The guardian program should be considered a supplemental measure, ensuring that any armed personnel undergo rigorous training and operate under the strict guidance of law enforcement. This program should be entirely overseen by our Flagler County Sheriff. If this route is considered, all program types should be evaluated, and only the safest option for our students, faculty, and staff should be implemented, for example, uniformed guardians.

“We also need to expand additional safety training and tools for school employees, including developing comprehensive safety plans that encompass physical security measures, mental health support, and emergency response protocols. Additionally, community involvement is crucial. Engaging parents, students, and the broader community in safety planning and discussions will build trust and ensure a collaborative approach to school safety.”

8. Are there any new or underutilized revenue streams you can name that Flagler Schools could tap into to support its operating budget? If so, expand upon your plan for implementation.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about this question as it has been asked quite a bit recently. As with any financial transaction, there are two sides of the equation: 1) the revenue, and 2) the costs. As I did as the PTO president (a completely volunteer position), my small business, and personally, I would address both sides of the equation simultaneously to ensure we are operating from an optimal fiscal position.

“On the cost side of the equation, there are two things I would do immediately. First, it has to start with the School Board itself. While the state establishes the salaries for School Board members, the School Board should lead by example, evaluate its true value to the district given it is a part-time position, and determine if we should cut the School Board salaries. In other parts of the country, School Board members are paid significantly less and, in many cases, are volunteer positions. This will not completely close funding gaps but may help support our more pressing needs (i.e., one or more school psychologists).

“Second, I would work closely with our financial department to review current budgets and expenditures. By collaborating with the Superintendent and the district’s financial department, we can ensure that funds are being allocated appropriately, looking for opportunities to cut unnecessary or wasteful spending. For example, when I took over as PTO president I treated this like a business. We realized there were outside vendors we were using that were taking a significant portion of proceeds. I, with the support of the rest of the PTO board members, found a more cost-effective approach that removed the vendors and allowed us to triple the net proceeds that went back to the school. Given that our school district is exponentially larger than one elementary school’s PTO, similar opportunities surely exist within our School Board budget.

“On the revenue side, it’s important to note that much of the current funding we need is directed at the state level and is often beyond the control of the School Board. However, there are available revenue streams that we need to explore, and these should match our school programs and goals. It has been mentioned by my opponent in other forums, some funding sources are not sustainable and, as a result, he has alluded to the fact that we should not pursue these opportunities. The funding sources for one-time, short-term initiatives do not have to be long-term or ongoing sources of revenue. With my specific plan, if elected, there are short-term, one-time funding goals we need to achieve. For example, having our teachers trained in Orton-Gilliam instruction will help improve ESE scores, which will support bringing our district to an “A” grade. This is essentially a one-time expense and then ongoing would be minimal to train new teachers as we onboard them (especially as we take measures to retain the quality teachers we have!). I would explore grants, charitable organizations, and other short-term funding avenues to achieve these larger short-term goals. Long-term would require us to strongly advocate for sustained funding sources at the federal, state, and local level, and couple that with sustainable cost-cutting measures.

“In addition, I would work with our Flagler County Commissioners, elected City Officials (i.e. Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell, etc.), and our soon to be elected State Representatives for our district, to take a more holistic approach to our education and city planning. There has been a lot of talk from Palm Coast city council candidates regarding attracting new business to the area, and quality education is an important aspect for attracting new business. Therefore, any revisions of city and county plans should give weight to making Flagler County an attractive place for new residents to raise families through quality education. At the core, our focus needs to be on the programs that directly support our students, staff, and families.”