Written by Michael Palomba
Famela Ramos is a nurse, researcher, and the Republican Party of San Diego County’s endorsed candidate for Chula Vista Elementary School District Seat 2.
Ramos came to the United States from the Philippines at the age of two, when her father joined the U.S. Navy. Her parents worked tirelessly to support the family of five children, all of whom became successful entrepreneurs and public servants.
As a nurse, Famela has experience from the beginning of life to the end, having practiced in pediatric nursing and having worked as a hospice nurse. Her excellence in nursing and research is attested by seven peer-reviewed publications that she collaborated with Academy and Industry in advancing cutting edge research in immunology and regenerative medicine.
Ramos has established the Right to Try Foundation, which assists companies in providing accelerated patient access to experimental medication. Through this foundation, she facilitated the first utilization of a cancer vaccine in the United States and has been assisting both public and private companies. Famela also sits on the board of Silent Voices, a pregnancy resource center that provides counseling to woman in emergency pregnancies, alternatives to abortion, and for woman that do choose abortion, post-abortion support.
Ramos has three priorities that she will bring with her to the school board: academic excellence, budget accountability, and community collaboration.
Regarding academic excellence, she believes that COVID-19 has really hurt our schools and our students.
“The current school system is in the middle of a complete overhaul. Distance learned has drastically altered the way education is delivered. We need to ensure that we are providing an environment for children to increase their critical thinking skills instead of allowing them to fall into the trap of becoming mindless robots.”
Ramos says that we need to create a “synergistic” relationship between teachers, parents, and students because it does “take a village” to raise a child.
On budget accountability, Ramos says that “the success of our district is based on sustainability, which is directly related to financial viability.”
“Unfortunately, while administrators are often well-intentioned, lack of financial expertise leads to situations in which the district runs out of funds and is forced to take bonds with disastrous long-term implications. I believe in transparency, following leadership of experts, and investment in areas that have a higher chance of return based on facts, compared to ‘feel good’ endeavors that are not backed by objective chances of success.”
Lastly, on community collaboration, she believes that the school board is part of the community and therefore has a responsibility to listen to members of the community.
“As Trustee, I pledge to be the voice of the School District to the Community and the voice of the Community to the District. In contrast to the norm, which is trustees being beholden to the unions and special interests, I will focus all my energies on understanding the voice of the children.”
For more information about Famela Ramos’ campaign, visit Famela4SchoolBoard.com.
