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Tarrant County College District 1 candidates in May 1 election

Teresa‌ ‌Marie‌ ‌Ayala‌ ‌

Age:‌ ‌55‌ ‌

Occupation:‌ ‌Senior‌ ‌contract‌ ‌administrator‌ ‌-‌ ‌Compliance‌ ‌

Education:‌ ‌Texas‌ ‌Christian‌ ‌University‌ ‌-‌ ‌Masters,‌ ‌Texas‌ ‌Christian‌ ‌University‌ ‌-‌ ‌Bachelors‌ ‌and‌ ‌Tarrant‌ ‌County‌ ‌College‌ ‌alumni,‌ ‌Diamond‌ ‌Hill‌ ‌Jarvis‌ ‌High‌ ‌School‌ ‌(Valedictorian)‌ ‌

Have‌ ‌you‌ ‌run‌ ‌for‌ ‌elected‌ ‌office‌ ‌before?‌ ‌(Please‌ ‌list‌ ‌previous‌ ‌offices‌ ‌

sought)‌ ‌

Tarrant‌ ‌County‌ ‌College‌ ‌Board‌ ‌Trustee‌ ‌-‌ ‌District‌ ‌1‌ ‌(elected‌ ‌2015)‌ ‌

Please‌ ‌list‌ ‌highlights‌ ‌of‌ ‌your‌ ‌civic‌ ‌involvement‌ ‌(for‌ ‌example,‌ ‌service‌ ‌on‌ ‌boards/commissions‌ ‌or‌ ‌leadership‌ ‌positions‌ ‌held):‌ ‌

*‌ ‌Tarrant‌ ‌County‌ ‌College‌ ‌Board‌ ‌of‌ ‌Trustees:‌ ‌ ‌

‌--‌ ‌Vice‌ ‌President‌ ‌(elected‌ ‌by‌ ‌peers),‌ ‌--‌ ‌Chair‌ ‌Audit‌ ‌&‌ ‌Finance‌ ‌Committee‌ ‌(appointed),‌ ‌ ‌

‌--‌ ‌Association‌ ‌of‌ ‌Community‌ ‌College‌ ‌Trustees‌ ‌(member),‌ ‌ ‌

*‌ ‌Executive‌ ‌Council‌ ‌for‌ ‌Read‌ ‌Fort‌ ‌Worth:‌ ‌Governance‌ ‌Committee‌ ‌

*‌ ‌Trinity‌ ‌Metro‌ ‌Board‌ ‌of‌ ‌Directors:‌ ‌ ‌

‌--‌ ‌Chair‌ ‌ACCESS‌ ‌(paratransit)‌ ‌Committee‌ ‌ ‌

*‌ ‌Camp‌ ‌Fire‌ ‌First‌ ‌Texas‌ ‌Board‌ ‌of‌ ‌Directors‌ ‌

*‌ ‌Appointed‌ ‌and‌ ‌served:‌ ‌Commission‌ ‌for‌ ‌Women,‌ ‌Parks‌ ‌and‌ ‌Recreation‌ ‌Advisory‌ ‌Board‌ ‌and‌ ‌Community‌ ‌

Development‌ ‌Council‌ ‌ ‌

Have‌ ‌you‌ ‌ever‌ ‌been‌ ‌arrested,‌ ‌charged‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌crime‌ ‌or‌ ‌otherwise‌ ‌been‌ ‌part‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌criminal‌ ‌proceeding?‌ ‌If‌ ‌yes,‌ ‌please‌ ‌explain:‌ ‌

NA

Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:

NA

Who are your top three campaign contributors?

John Medrano, Macedonio Villarreal, R. Williams

Why are you seeking this office?

As a TCC alumni, former adjunct instructor and now Vice President of the Board as elected by my peers, I know firsthand the value of an education. I am committed to advocate for our families through education. When we educate and empower individuals and impact families, we build stronger communities.

What are the biggest challenges facing your district?

Recovery from Covid including revenues affected by potential changes in appropriations and a slight decrease in enrollment,

Emerging technology,

Student access; retention and completions,

Meeting the growth of the student population while providing and maintaining affordable access to programs, certifications and opportunities

What would your top 3 policy priorities be?

- Broaden access for dual credit programs for high school students,

- Bolster job training and career technical education,

- Establish a dedicated community college vocational training program

Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?

An effective Trustee consistently maintains a pulse of the community, interprets the community to the college and vice versa and advocates for the needs of the community and interests of the college. I have very deep roots in the community, a passion for service, an understanding of complex organizations and a solid record of cultivating relationships. My efforts to advocate for veterans and all students while establishing relationships with industries, ISDs and other organizations to eliminate barriers and create career pathways, align well with the college goals. My vast experience, working in top Fortune companies and my service in the community have positioned me to effectively help students realize their potential and ensure Tarrant County College’s progress.

What’s the best way to help students recover from learning lost to the pandemic?

Student engagement is the key to recovery. A holistic approach includes reviewing data, assessing students and organizing a strategic plan that will reinforce a strong campus community support. Some viable options to explore include measures like direct tutoring, organizing small work groups in key subjects that meet student needs and extending class times.

As the pandemic wanes, how should Tarrant County College use virtual instruction, if at all?

Rated as one of the top online community colleges in the nation, the infrastructure for virtual learning was generally in place prior to the pandemic. Many TCC students were already participating in online instruction. One of the college goals is to be student ready and as the pandemic wanes, the college will need to collect and evaluate data to determine how growing that model meets the goals and mission of the college towards student success.

School/college district taxes are the biggest driver of homeowners’ property taxes. Should the district try to reduce taxes and if so, what would you cut?

Each budgetary season, the board continually evaluates and explores opportunities with staff to streamline, merge and integrate services, programs and resources where feasible.

How would you rate the performance of the chancellor and his leadership team? What changes would you like to see them make?

While the Board’s only employee is the Chancellor and the Board does not evaluate the leadership team, I believe the Chancellor and the Board work together as a cohesive unit to effectively meet the goals, vision and mission of the college for the constituents and students in Tarrant County.

Jeremy Sixtos

Did not respond.