By Zach Church, Current Staff
Sonal Ramani is running for West Bend School Board to ensure everyone in the district receives the best education.
Ramani has lived in West Bend for 18 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in human resources management and has worked in the healthcare, retail and manufacturing industries. In 2016, Ramani was hired by Metalcraft of Mayville and works at the West Bend facility. She was promoted to human resources manager in 2021, which is her current position. Ramani has lots of experience working with high school students as part of her career and helped establish a youth apprenticeship program at Metalcraft.
“As a human resources manager, she balances hundreds of personalities, identifies and implements efficiencies, advocates for her staff and solves difficult problems,” former West Bend mayor Kraig Sadownikow said in an endorsement published in the Washington County Daily News.
Ramani has two children in the West Bend School District. One attends Silverbrook Intermediate School and the other attends Badger Middle School.
She enjoys taking walks and bike rides. Ramani’s passions are cooking and crafting, and she also has a weekly movie night with her family.
Ramani wants to help cause positive change in the WBSD, and would like to help make decisions that would strengthen the relationship between the board and the community.
How will your credentials and experiences help you be a constructive member of the school board?
FULL TRANSCRIPT: A big part of my career has been in recruiting, onboarding, and training high school students and graduates in positions in manufacturing. We need our young people to be productive workers and citizens. That’s why I created the youth apprenticeship program at Metalcraft of Mayville–that includes our West Bend location. The school education and on-the-job training get high school students off to a good start in their careers. Even if they don’t end up at Metalcraft, they know what’s expected in the world of work.
How can the district become more safe?
FULL TRANSCRIPT: By implementing and following procedures, policies, and emergency protocols. I’m sure some of the policies create a healthy school environment for all students. A lot of these policies, schools might already have them. With my work, I already write a number of policies and procedures, but also enforce them and make sure that they are being enforced properly.
As far as creating a healthy school environment, make sure there is a designated entry for all the students and the staff. We have locked doors at the high school, but are they always locked? There are processes and policies that are put in place, but are we enforcing that? Making sure we constantly go back and review those policies is how the district can become more safe.
What is another significant challenge the district currently faces? How will you address it?
FULL TRANSCRIPT: Definitely the infrastructure, I know that is a big talk of the town. Even with fewer students each year, there is a stack of needed upgrades and a major maintenance upgrade for our facilities. Businesses like my employer make big capital decisions every year and always make sure there is a positive payoff for major expenditures. We want to make sure our kids are safe within the building, so I will apply my business experience to both discipline and decisions.
I will make sure that there is a payoff for any project under any budget. If we replace all of the garbage and trash cans in the building, is that really necessary? Is that the priority compared to something like a falling roof? We need to go back and reevaluate what’s a necessity, how many people it’s going to affect, and what the payoff is for those changes.
How can common ground be found when it comes to divisive topics?
FULL TRANSCRIPT: I think that the school board should be a team effort as far as the educators and the community, and we can do that by listening with an open heart. It’s not about waiting for someone’s turn to speak, you should listen to others with an open mind. Seek common ground, and ask meaningful questions. Show empathy and respect for disagreement. Sometimes you have to agree to disagree, find common ground, and respect other people’s decisions.
Please say one nice thing about each of your opponents.
FULL TRANSCRIPT: Chris Zwygart is the current president of the school board, and he is doing a wonderful job. He is very respected among his peers and within the community. I met him once and he definitely stood out. I attended one of the board meetings and his presence was really impressive. Chris Jenkins served briefly as the mayor of West Bend and has been highly visible in the community. Bill Schulz ran last year and he did not win, and I can say that he’s not giving up on his efforts. Despite the loss, he’s running again.
Read about the school board candidates at The Current. Three candidates responded to requests for interview. The school board election is April 2.
(Photo courtesy of Sonal Ramani.)
The West Bend Current 