Betty Carmand, East Ramapo alumna, highlights activism for school transparency and arts preservation

Betty Carmand, a community advocate and graduate of the East Ramapo Central School District (Spring Valley), said she was born in Haiti and raised in New York and holds a bachelor’s degree in business. Carmand has focused her work on defending public education in underserved communities and on preserving school arts and music programs.

Carmand described leading efforts to hold local school boards accountable for transparency and fiscal responsibility, including filing legal actions to protect public resources and directing public outreach and speaking to mobilize families. She said her organizing has ranged from forums and protests to educational campaigns aimed at amplifying families often excluded from decision-making.

She recounted running for the Ramapo Town Council with reform-minded groups that prioritized ethical governance and responsible development. Carmand said those efforts were part of a broader push for fair representation and resistance to political overreach at the local level.

Carmand also described advocacy on environmental justice and public health issues, opposing developments she characterized as hazardous and connecting grassroots organizing to policy reform. She noted citizen appeals to the New York State Education Department to spotlight systemic challenges in East Ramapo and to press for remedies.

Carmand credited the support of her husband in sustaining her work. The profile did not record any formal votes or official actions; it primarily documents Carmand’s background, civic activity and public-facing organizing.