Watershed Voice sent out questionnaires to over 30 candidates running for elected school board positions in St. Joseph County and the surrounding area. Leading up to the General Election on November 3, Watershed will publish the questionnaires as it receives them back from the candidates. Geraldine Jaramillo, an incumbent candidate for the Three Rivers Community Schools’ Board of Education, filled out our questionnaire. These are her answers.
Name: Geraldine Jaramillo
Age: 55
Address: 716 9th Street, Three Rivers, MI 49093
Family (optional): Son John S. Smith and Daughter Nicole Martin-Briggs
Background/Bio:
I have been an Advocate of our community for 30 years, raising awareness and gathering support for a positive change within Three Rivers. I am a graduate of Three Rivers High School, with an associate degree from Glen Oaks Community College. My calling is to help others, and my non-profit business helps meet the needs of our community by providing adults with educational training and assistance.
Does your background include training or work, paid or unpaid, in education? What was that experience? What are some of your successes, and what have been some learning moments?
My background is all about helping others learn and grow personally. This includes both children and adults. I have created many opportunities to help our community expand and tailor their educations. This has been achieved by volunteering my time at community events, running the non-profit organization and through church activities.
I have been instrumental in helping clients to study and prepare for job testing and assisting them in re-defining life skills. One thing I love is when these clients get that moment of clarification that they CAN be more. You realize that you are getting through to them. They begin to see a path in their lives that takes them to the next level of personal growth and achievement.
Do you now or have you ever had children enrolled in the district where you are running?
Yes, my children are graduates from Three Rivers, and currently my grandchildren are enrolled in the Three Rivers School district.
How else do you currently participate, or have you participated in the past, in school district activities?
I am presently an appointed school board member. I am on the Strategic Planning Committee, the Policy Committee, and the Curriculum Committee. I love attending the athletic events, and band concerts, my granddaughter is in band, I am a faithful support of the fund raiser in our school district.
How has your school district handled the pandemic in both the spring and fall of this year? If anything, what would you have done differently?
This year has been a trying year for every school district. I feel that the Three Rivers School district handled this situation in the best they could. This was an unprecedented crisis, and there was not a “play book” to identify answers or previous strategies that worked in the past for the community. This past spring, different teams were formed to jump into action and start making things happen for the students while doing our best to keep the community as safe as possible.
Three Rivers Community School Remote Learning Plan was established, we had school packets given out, and lunch still was being provided for students. So many of our students didn’t have access to the internet at home, and hot spots were created to assist them in remote learning. The district expanded school building wi-fi signals to reach parking lots, and Wi-Fi was also added on 2 vans and a bus.
For the 2020 fall start, we really wanted the kids to be able to go to school full time, but we modified the learning plan as we continue dealing with the pandemic. E-Learning options along with remote learning options were provided to families.
I want to Thank Ron Moag, Nikki Nash, Blair Brindley, Brian Leonard and Nick Bryant for pulling everything together in short amount of time. In the future, I believe networking with other schools would be beneficial to the community as we continue to handle the effects of the pandemic.
Outside of the pandemic, what are currently the most important challenges your school district faces? How do you plan to address those challenges?
Right now, the biggest challenges we are facing is with the 6-12 graders not being in the classrooms every day. We must make sure our children are still up to the Michigan Academic Standards with their reading and math.
Are there other key points of your platform as a candidate for school board? If so, what are they?
That all board decisions need to be made with integrity, transparency, and keeping what is best for the children at the core of our decisions. Communication right now will be key for us to push forward in these uncertain times ahead. I want to continue to be the voice of reason that encourages my fellow board members to get to the root cause of a problem in order to fix the problem.
How does running for the school board fit your broader views and ethics?
I feel every child should have the right to the best education possible. I would hope to train our kids to be critical thinkers and problems solvers. If we train a child in the ways they should go, they will be successful entrepreneurs and one day become successful parents that continue on the Three Rivers legacy.
Why is education important to you?
Education is very important as it is the foundation in which children’s lives will form. With an education, options are expanded, poverty levels go down, our community becomes more productive, and job opportunities become available. Having an education can give a sense of accomplishment, and you realize you can become anyone you want to be. There is power in education, and the bible says, ‘studies to yourself approve. Then you will fear no man.’
Is there anything else the community should know about you?
I have been blessed and want to pay that forward by working within my Community, and I want to ensure no child is left behind in their education.
