Guest Opinion | Robin Salzer: Principal Rudy Ramirez Deserves His Job At San Rafael Elementary School

We who live in Pasadena can all learn a lot from the events that took place at San Rafael Elementary School on Sunday, August 13, 2022. First by having an honest non finger pointing dialogue with everyone involved, Principal Ramirez, neighbors, student parents and the PUSD board members. The passions are running high on both sides and a time of lower negative rhetoric is needed to bring forth a plan of community healing and a progress template to move forward on. 

By now most of us know of the events that put us as a city and a community in the position that we are in today. A neighbor on Sunday saw someone suspicious on the school grounds property. The neighbor called the Pasadena Police Department who responded to the property and for 6-7 minutes held a person found on the property until it was proven via cell call to Principal Ramirez that this was in fact an employee of SRES getting things ready for the first day of school. The neighbor did as we all have been asked to do if you “See Something, Say Something”. The Pasadena Police Department did their job in a professional, respectful and fastidious manner. Principal Ramirez drove from his home in Arcadia to the school to protect his staff member.  I can only imagine the emotions going through his mind while driving to the school. Anger, frustration and a personal responsibility for his staff member. I get it. Many times within the 37 years that I owned a small business in Pasadena I drove/raced to my business at 3am-4am to meet the police on site or to check on an activated burglar alarm. I am sure that Principal Ramirez only had the protection of his staff member in mind while heading to the school. 

Principal Rudy Ramirez in the heat of passion, protection and concern to support one of his staff members used language in public that some might consider objectionable and rightfully so. It is fair to say that we expect our leaders to perform at the highest level in every situation but sometimes that is an unfair assessment and expectation. Was the language that he used wrong? YES. Did Principal Ramirez take complete ownership for using those words in public? YES. Does Principal Rudy Ramirez deserve to lose his job over this? ABSOLUTELY NO!

A few facts about Principal Ramirez’s time at San Rafael Elementary School since 2012.

2019 – Principal Of The Year – Pasadena Unified School District out of 28-29 schools

2016 – SRES California Gold Ribbon School

2016 – California Title Academic Achievement Award School

2014 – California Distinguished School

San Rafael is the FIRST school to be awarded the California Distinguished School and the California Gold Ribbon School in back to back cycles.

All of these prestigious awards and designations were earned under the leadership of Principal Rudy Ramirez.

To destroy this man’s career after a decade of a stellar commitment to education and after making our San Rafael Elementary School one of the best in California is unconscionable.

Looking back in recent history some of our most beloved sports and political figures have used “salty language” in public with nary a slap on the wrist and more of a laugh or snicker.

Former Vice Presidents, Dick Cheney and Joe Biden were caught on a “Hot Mic” dropping the “F” word. Our legendary beloved Tommy Lasorda’s use of the “F” words might have made a drunken sailor wince. Check a YouTube of Lasorda interviews. Even a well respected former Pasadena City Council member years ago used the “F” word at a public council meeting and he wasn’t removed from the dias. Yes, words have consequences but we are also a society of forgiveness and second chances. Principal Rudy Ramirez deserves a second chance. His career as an exemplary principal should celebrated and his misstep a lesson for us to all learn from.  

I attended a meeting this past Saturday at San Rafael Park attended by 70-80 parents and neighbors from the surrounding streets. Every one of them fervently and passionately defended Principal Ramirez. They didn’t defend his choice of language but they defended the man, the principal and everything that he’s done to make SRES one of the best if not the best school in the PUSD. 

The SRES situation in some parts reminded me of the true real life inspirational movie “Rudy”. The clock was running and the game was coming to an end. All Rudy wanted was a chance to redeem himself as a football player at the Notre Dame. His chance was in the hands of his coaches. With 37 seconds, Dan Devine, put him in the game and the rest is history. 

Don’t let the time run out on Principal Rudy Ramirez. Don’t let 1-2 minutes destroy 10 years of his love for his students and the institution. Please keep Principal Rudy Ramirez at San Rafael Elementary School.

Robin Salzer
23 year resident in the San Rafael area
40 year resident of Pasadena
Parent of former students at San Rafael Elementary School
Former City Commissioner
Retired Owner of Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ
Realtor at Dilbeck Estates