Tatiana Guerreiro Ramos, a Berkeley Unified School District parent and former teacher, is running for a seat on the district’s school board.

Guerreiro Ramos — who currently serves as co-director of a Berkeley-based tutoring company called Classroom Matters — is campaigning on a message of transparency, equity and individual support for students and families, with a focus on those at the margins of the education system.

“The special education process needs to be more transparent, less onerous, and more welcoming. We are failing too many students and families need to know we support them,” Guerreiro Ramos said in an email. “Black and brown students are also at the top of my priority list, as they have been hugely ignored for the last decade.”

Guerreiro Ramos noted she could be a voice for these groups, citing her experiences as a woman of color and as a person with ADHD. Guerreiro Ramos’ children, all three of whom have attended BUSD schools, also have ADHD, which has given her experience navigating the district’s accommodations processes, according to her website.

Guerreiro Ramos added that she hopes to inspire confidence in potential voters through a combination of her experiences and the 12 years she has spent working with BUSD students and families.

“I will make sure families feel heard and that they know what is going on with their kids’ education,” Guerreiro Ramos said in the email. “I would like to make board decisions and policies more transparent and easily accessible to our families.”

In line with this goal, Guerreiro Ramos noted she would maintain regular office hours to connect with the community if elected to the board.

Guerreiro Ramos has received endorsements from Latino Young Democrats of the East Bay, as well as Mimi Pulich, the  executive vice president of the Berkeley High School PTSA; Christine Staples, Berkeley PTA Council former president; and Lisa Miller, Guerreiro Ramos’s co-director at Classroom Matters.

“I am the only candidate who has direct experience working one-on-one with students and families in the district,” Guerreiro Ramos said in the email. “I can speak to the lived experiences of families of color, as well as families with neurodivergent students. I am a creative thinker and look forward to working to improve the district.”