The Municipal League of King County

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224

Seattle, WA 98104

(206) 264-1070 ∙ cec@munileague.org

2007 Board of Trustees Bruce Carter, Chair Judge Pro Tem, Seattle Municipal Court Robert Klein, Vice-Chair Short Cressman & Burgess PLLC Norma Jean Hanson, Secretary Norma Jean Hanson Paralegal Services Sandra Driscoll, Treasurer City Attorney (ret.)   Angela Avery, Community Volunteer Dan Berger, Municipal Attorney Jill D. Bowman, Stoel Rives LLP Bill Breitenstein, Financial Executive (ret.) David Brentlinger, Weyerhaeuser Realty Investors Steve Call, Cascade Water Alliance Mary Gates, Consultant Albert Israel, Mass Mutual Financial Group Rachel Jackson, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Chris Johnson, Office of the Attorney General, WA State Mark Koenig, Consultant Rick Lewis, Intel Steve Marshall Eric B. Martin, Davis Wright Tremaine Bradley Meacham, Microsoft Dan McDonald, MWH Americas Kristen Peterson, Washington State Hospital Association Kathy Putt, Comcast Ramsey Ramerman, Foster Pepper R. Todd Slind, CH2MHill Will Smith, T-Mobile John Spady, Dick’s Drive-In Lucy Steers Gary Strannigan, Safeco Harold Taniguchi, King County Department of Transportation Michael Teter, Perkins Coie, LLP Wes Uhlman, Wes Uhlman & Associates Jason Van Nort, Puget Sound Energy Jen Watkins Rodney G. Wendt, Koegen Edwards LLP Rich White, Boeing Nick Williamson, Encrypted Key Technologies

2007 CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
FOR NON-JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

The Municipal League of King County requests every candidate who participates in the candidate evaluation process to submit background information prior to his/her interview with a candidate evaluation committee.  The questionnaire is the basis of the League’s research and interview process.  The League’s ratings are non-partisan; they are based on standards of Involvement, Effectiveness, Character, and Knowledge, all of which have been developed and refined over the past 90 years.

A printed version of the questionnaire is available for candidates who prefer to use the traditional format.  To obtain a hard copy, please contact the League office.  A copy of this questionnaire will be provided to Candidate Evaluation Committee members to help them prepare for your interview.  Candidate responses, except the confidential section, will be available to the general public at the League website. 

The Municipal League requests the following materials from candidates.  Please check to make certain you have sent in your:

   Candidate Questionnaire

           Sent by:     Email             US Mail         Fax            Not Sending

   Resume (education, employment, and professional activities)

           Sent by:     Email             US Mail         Fax            Not Sending

            Check here if you DO NOT want your resume posted on the Municipal

                League website

   Campaign Materials

           Sent by:     Email             US Mail         Fax            Not Sending

   Constituent Newsletters and other publications

           Sent by:     Email             US Mail         Fax            Not Sending

   Photograph

           Sent by:     Email             US Mail         Fax            Not Sending

For non-electronic submissions, please print clearly and legibly and return the application as soon as possible in order to allow the committee the greatest amount of time to prepare a complete report on your skills and experience.

We request that you return the Candidate Questionnaire

by June 22, 2007

If you have not yet been contacted to schedule an interview, or if you have questions about the candidate evaluation program, please contact the League office at 206-264-1070.

If you have a disability and require accommodation to participate in the candidate evaluation process, please contact the CEC Coordinator at the League office.

First Name

Middle Initial or Nick Name

Last Name

Maria

Guadalupe

Ramirez

Seattle School Board, Dist. 6

25 years

25 years

Campaign Name:

Maria4Kids

Address:

8838 24th Ave SW

City/State/Zip:

Seattle, WA 98106

Campaign Phone:

206 218 9650

Campaign Fax:

Campaign E-mail:

mariagramirez@mac.com

Campaign Website:

maria4kids.org

Public Office

Elective or Appointive?

Dates Held

Leadership Role (if any)

Office Title

Year of Run

I am running for the Seattle School Board Director position for District 6 (West Seattle/South Park) because I have a passion for education. I started my involvement in the traditional PTA/PTSA.  I was very involved with the PTAs/PTSA's at my sons schools for 8 years. I have been legislative chair, co-president & vice president.

In 1999, I joined a task force formed by  Seattle Schools to eliminate the achievement gap. I served on that committee for 2.5 years and presented our recommendations to the School Board in 2002. I lead a group to hold the District and Board accountable. This group, ACCESS (Accountability Coalition Concerned about Equity in Seattle Schools) worked with the Equity and Race Relations Director in her inaugural year. In 2004, I joined a coaltion of Latinos concerned about our children, Campana Questzal. I worked with this coaltion to bring the Latino Education Summit in March 2005.  This event resulted in a set of Resolutions which we presented to the Board and SPS Superintendent. This as been my blueprint for the work of our organization. In 2007, I was named co-Executive Director of Campana Quetzal. I will speak about my latest accomplishments: 1) planned a pilot community summer school program for latinos high school students in South Park; 2) worked to pilot an after school biliteracy program at an elementary in South Park for 1st and 2nd graders; 3) initiated a 'pathways' project with 4 schools to share resources, school/community liaison and increase communication between these schools and the families.

I have served on several committees for a number of years:

Bilingual Review Committee (2002-present)

Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center Relocation (2005-present)

I have served on interview panels for principals, teachers and central staff and administration.

As co-Executive Director of Campaña Quetzal (www.campanaquetzal.org), I have lead the research and program design work that will define the next 3-5 years of the work of this organization.  I oversaw and took park in a literature review, focus groups and about  75 informational interviews. We have developed workplans to continue our work on early learning, high school success and college preparation, and parent training.

My two college degrees speak to who I am and how I got here. I studied Anthropology with an emphasis on MesoAmerican archaelogy to understand who I was and where I came from. I studied cultural anthropology and feel that I understand people and accept them where they are.   My second degree is in Economics. I learned late in life that I enjoyed working with numbers. I have a very analytical mind. My life experiences include being the daughter of immigrants in a family that valued education.  I worked my way through college, I'm a single mother and I believe in giving back to my community.  In summary, I have very good people skills. I enjoy being around people that come from different countries or cultures. I am the kind of person people turn to when it's time to lead a meeting or plan an event.  I hold myself and others accountable to do what they say they are going to do.

Being a part of the coalition that organized a successful event like the Latino Education Summit in March 2005 was the biggest and most successful event I'd ever been a part of. My skills included:  forming partnerships, working in an inclusive environment, coordinating volunteers, organizing the program and the speakers, and workng with a wide range of people.

My second major accomplishment was earning my second B.A. at the University of Washington in Economics. It took me 10 years to earn this degree because I had 2 children during that time and I worked full time. I took one class at a time.  I am patient and focused on my goals.

My third major acommplishment is my work with Campana Quetzal. As a member of a coaltion I have had to hear many people's stories of their experience in school. Each story touches my heart.  My reward comes when a parent comes to tell me that becuase of Campana Quetzal they have hope for their children, they are encouraging their children to stay in school and they are even feeling empowered in their jobs.  This work is very rewarding and I fell honored and take the responsiblity very seriously. I hold myself accountable and I hold others accountable. This is a necessary skills to have for the Seattle School Board.

In closing, I am a capable leader, I am reliable and I am hard working.

Past Activities:
PTA/PTSA:  Legislative Chair, Lafayette Elementary, 1996; Co-President, Lafayette Elementary, 1996-1999; Co-President, Madison Middle School, 1999-2001; V.P., West Seattle High School, 2001-2005; Secretary, Denny Middle School, 2004-2005.

Seattle Public Schools Task Force: Eliminating the Achievement Gap Action Committee, 1999-2002.

Accountability Coalition Concerned about Equity in Seattle Schools (ACCESS), 2002-2006.

Campana Quetzal, a coalition that advocates for latino students (and all students), 2004-present. Currently, co-Executive Director and Research and Program Design Coordinator.

Duties inluding attending the board meeting, reviewing the agenda and materials.

I prefer to

 think of my duties more in terms of the Vision for the Board: Every student—regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background—will graduate and be fully prepared to lead a successful life.

I would hold myself and everyone else accountable for the Vision.

     B.A., Anthropology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1980.
B.A., Economics, University of Washignton, Seattle, 1995