Antonio Ayub
Antonio Ayub was an at-large member of the Socorro Independent School District school board in Texas. Ayub assumed office in 2008. Ayub left office in 2019.
Ayub ran for election to the Socorro Independent School District school board to represent District 1 in Texas. Ayub lost in the general election on May 6, 2023.
Ayub participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates, in which he stated that "closing the achievement gap" would be his top priority, if re-elected. In a 2015 candidate questionnaire, Ayub emphasized the district's accomplishment of the goals set out in its 2011 bond issue, its graduation rates and its STAAR test performance as evidence that the board had been successful during his tenure. He also discussed student safety, which was a recent topic of interest at one high school in particular.[1]
Biography
Ayub earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Texas at El Paso. He worked as El Paso's deputy chief of EMS until 1999. As of 2013, he was employed as the coordinator of the EMS-P program and as an instructor at El Paso Community College. When he served on the school board, Ayub was married and had two children who graduated from Montwood High School.[2][3]
Ayub graduated from the Leadership El Paso Class and the Leadership TASB Master Trustee 2014. He also became FEMA certified in multi-hazard planning for schools.[3]
Elections
2023
See also: Socorro Independent School District, Texas, elections (2023)
General election
General election for Socorro Independent School District, District 1
Alice Gardea defeated incumbent Eduardo Mena and Antonio Ayub in the general election for Socorro Independent School District, District 1 on May 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Alice Gardea (Nonpartisan) | 36.6 | 1,124 | |
| Eduardo Mena (Nonpartisan) | 32.5 | 997 | ||
 | Antonio Ayub (Nonpartisan) | 30.8 | 946 | |
| Total votes: 3,067 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2019
See also: Socorro Independent School District, Texas, elections (2019)
General election
General election for Socorro Independent School District, At-large (2 seats)
David Morales and Paul Garcia defeated incumbent Michael Najera, incumbent Antonio Ayub, and Derek Hernandez in the general election for Socorro Independent School District, At-large on May 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Morales (Nonpartisan) | 25.7 | 1,211 |
| ✔ | Paul Garcia (Nonpartisan) | 24.6 | 1,158 | |
 | Michael Najera (Nonpartisan) | 20.8 | 978 | |
| Antonio Ayub (Nonpartisan) | 20.7 | 972 | |
| Derek Hernandez (Nonpartisan) | 8.2 | 388 | ||
| Total votes: 4,707 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2015
Opposition
Three of the seven seats on the Socorro ISD Board of Trustees were up for election on May 9, 2015. District 1 incumbent Hector Gonzalez won re-election unopposed. The two at-large incumbents, Antonio Ayub and Michael Najera, faced challengers Frank Del Toro and Kenneth Gezelius. Both incumbents won re-election.[4]
Results
| Socorro Independent School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Michael Najera Incumbent |
40.1% | 2,938 | |
| Nonpartisan | Antonio Ayub Incumbent |
30% | 2,196 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frank Del Toro | 19.9% | 1,460 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kenneth Gezelius | 10% | 729 | |
| Total Votes | 7,323 | |||
| Source: El Paso County Elections, "Final Election Results," accessed May 26, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Ayub reported no contributions or expenditures to the Texas Ethics Commission as of April 9, 2015.[5] The next filing deadline was May 1, 2015.
Endorsements
Ayub was endorsed by the Socorro Education Association and the El Paso Times.[6][7]
2011
The 2011 election for two at-large seats was canceled as incumbents Antonio Ayub and Michael Najera were the only two candidates to file for the race.[8]
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Antonio Ayub did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
has not yet completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Ayub participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Continue to work on closing the achievement gap.[9] | ” |
| —Tony Ayub (2015)[10] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Texas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "They should not be implemented." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "By investing time in assessing individual student needs and finding ways to meet their unique needs through a variety of programs." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "Additional resources should be allocated by the administration. Including assigning additional staff to that school for an extended period in order to assist both students and staff to move forward together." | |
| "No." | |
| "Assess why the teacher is underperforming and set up an improvement plan." | |
| "Regularly scheduled district sponsored community meetings." |
Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce questionnaire
Ayub participated in a candidate questionnaire from the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. The questions and his responses are below:
| “ | 1. What experiences in leadership do you have that qualify you to serve as a school trustee?
I have had the honor of serving as a Board Trustee-at-Large for Socorro ISD for the past 7 years. I have served as a board member, secretary and board president. I am currently the board secretary. I have been a member of the finance, curriculum and instruction, facilities, human resources and executive committees. Involved in the successful 2011 bond election as board president. Our pledge to the community is “promises made, promises kept”. At this time every project that was requested on the bond election is being completed, on time and under budget. I am a UTEP graduate employed by EPCC as a college professor for EMSP and assigned as Program Coordinator for 15 years. Prior to my current employment I retired from the City of El Paso as Deputy Chief of EMS where I received the Conquistador Award. 2. What is motivating you to run for a school board trustee seat? I was originally motivated to run for SISD’s board hoping to be part of a positive influence to our school district. During my 7 years of service I have come to understand the needs of our district much more comprehensively. I am driven by providing students with a safe learning environment (Now = Police monitored cameras at every campus, Traffic and safety cameras on every bus being installed, Computer scanning of all visitors to campus), providing opportunities for our students to pursue both careers and/or college. I am highly committed to student academics, career and technical, Fine Arts and Athletics. Consequently, we have a strong Academic Student achievement (Past year all 17 STAAR test PASSED, outperformed region, STEM, Health Professions Academy, IB, AP and Dual Credit programs growing). I FEEL WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. 3. Describe the impact you expect to make on the strategic direction of the school board and how does your specific personal experience support that expectation? I hope to continue to work with this very professional team of 8 in accomplishing future victories for our students. Working with the rest of the board as well as the Superintendent, cabinet, campus administrators, staff, teachers, and especially our students we can continue to provide a solid and meaningful curriculum to them. I am involved in discussions about child nutrition and school safety aside from my regular duties as a board member. SISD has been recognized for our advances with breakfast in the classroom and breakfast for all programs. We are currently in discussions to make all our meals healthier and more nutritious. I participated as part of a district team that attended FEMA training in Maryland in an effort to update and improve our planning and response multi-hazard situations at Socorro ISD. 4. Trustees, as elected by specific district, must act and govern for the entire school district, not just advocate for the schools within their particular geography. Describe a time when you had to balance potentially conflicting priorities with multiple stakeholders, and how did you determine how to allocate resources and investment to meet the needs of all? I have always felt my responsibility was for the entire almost 45,000 students in SISD and not just a few. Being a board member at-large makes that perspective easy to visualize. However, the entire SISD board has always understood our responsibilities for ALL the children. From time to time it is difficult to balance multiple conflicting priorities from various areas of our community. For example, there is never enough money, so difficult decisions must be made as to available resources. However, the magic about working at SISD is that every employee ALWAYS will put the needs of the students first. The way I determine how to allocate resources to meet the needs of all; is by addressing classroom needs FIRST. 5. The role and responsibility of a Trustee is governance, oversight, and setting policy. Tell us about your experience in honoring the scope of responsibility in a past role? How did you make sure you did not cross over into the tactical execution of another person’s responsibility in the organization? Be specific in your response. I have substantial experience in this area since I have served on the board for 7 years. I have attended a number of TASB conferences and local continuing education sessions that address the best practices for board and superintendent relationships. In that time I was been involved in the evaluation and hiring of two full-time superintendents (Dr. De La Torre and Dr. Espinoza –current). The entire process is board driven and is a model process. Currently under Dr. Espinoza’s direction the students are achieving academically. SISD has the highest graduation rate 89.8% in the City, Region and State). As a team of 8, it is clear we each understand our roles and responsibilities. I will work closely with the team of 8 to continuously improve in this area. 6. Attracting and retaining top talented educators is critical to the success of a healthy school district. This includes supporting a school district-created ‘Human Capital Strategy’ designed to attract and retain top-notch quality reading, math, and science educators to build strong STEM programs. Describe your past experience as a leader supporting the broad strategy of identifying, selecting, and retaining top talent. The board is always involved in the school district’s budget oversight and approval. The largest percentage of the budget, is salaries (human capital) and benefits. Every year the budget is scrutinized and through very careful and hard work of the financial staff salaries are assessed. SISD has been able to provide modest increases in salaries for the past 7 years. In addition, we commission a salary study by TASB in order to assess the market value of all our salaries and are in the process of reviewing this study to address salaries of non-certified staff (not teachers). Teachers are assessed on a different scale. We are incentivizing teachers that are interested in Dual Credit instruction also. In addition to salaries it is important for SISD to maintain a positive working environment for all its employees. We are always discussing ways to improve the working environment to attract and retain top educators and staff. 7. Financial management and investment strategy is an important component of Trustee capability. Describe your experience in identifying opportunities for superior financial performance. In your response please include your outlook on incremental expense versus incremental investment, and how you differentiate between the two. I am actively involved in discussing the district’s financial health. By participating in the districts finance committee I am able discuss all financial transactions in detail. Over the last 7 years we have only raised taxes once with the exception of the voter approved bond in 2011. In the 2012-2013 school year, the state greatly underfunded public education. At SISD we lost millions of dollars of state revenue. We scrutinized employee vacancies, made cuts where ever possible (except classrooms) and finally were forced to raise taxes in order to make ends meet. That is once in 7 years. We watch our incremental expenses vary carefully especially in staffing and supplies. We make sure it is proportional to student enrollment. In reference to our incremental investment we continue to monitor or capital acquisitions also. We also monitor our district’s investments very carefully. 8. There are a number of training tools available to school board trustees, not all of which are required. Specifically describe your past utilization of available versus required training materials for a new role that you occupied. How did you decide to commit your time and explore new means and methods to obtain valued skills? I routinely attend TASB training conferences and at the state level, to obtain up-to-date information. I have completed several online board training modules. Periodically, I attend TASBO conferences. Last year, I attended FEMA training at Emergency Medical Institute in Maryland for Multi-hazard situations in schools, along with administrative staff members. I graduated from the Leadership TASB program in 2014, a yearlong state program addressing a multitude of school education, curriculum, funding, administrative and school board challenges statewide. I also attend local training sessions and meetings hosted by Region 19, West Texas School Board Association and TASB Legal and Legislative updates. 9. If elected, would you have any potential conflicts of interest that you are aware of that would impair your ability to serve as a school board trustee? Please explain. None. 10. If elected a school board trustee, will you uphold the following ethical standards? (Click here to see TASB School Board Code of Ethics) I will follow these ethical standards and more. 11. Do you have other remarks you would like to share about your candidacy? During my tenure on the Socorro ISD board, I have been proud to be a contributing member of the board. The school district has experience unprecedented student achievement. Our team of 8 as well as the administrators, staff, teachers and students are engaged in tremendous forward thinking behaviors to benefit our students now and forever. Our 2013 graduation rate is higher than the region and the state. We are the only district locally that passed all 17 STAAR tests this past year. We fulfilled all the 2011 bond promises to our community in budget and on time. We have enhance student safety and security. There has been minimal tax increase in 7 years. These are just a few of the achievements that SISD has accomplished. These accomplishments can only happen by working as a team. At SISD, everyone is locked onto a common vision. The heart of SISD is our community. I feel that I have been an active contributing member of this board and have utilized my leadership whenever possible. I would like to continue serving as SOCORRO ISD BOARD of TRUSTEE MEMBER At-Large. Thank you.[9] |
” |
| —Antonio Ayub (2015)[1] | ||
Campaign website
Ayub provided the following statements on his campaign website:
| “ | Objective:
To continue to build on the success of our current school board, administration, teachers and students. The future continues to provide critical challenges to the public education system, among them is adequate funding, enrollment/facility management and student achievement. It requires a knowledgeable and watchful eye in order to maximize resources for all curricular and extra-curricular activities in an equitable manner. I hope to continue to serve as SISD Board Trustee at Large in order to help find positive solutions to these challenges in a transparent and fiscally sound manner. Accomplishment - Promises Made, Promises Kept Safe Student Learning Environment
College and Career Readiness
Highly Qualified, Effective Faculty and Staff
Home, School, Community Partnerships
Accountability For ALL
|
” |
| —Antonio Ayub's campaign website (2015)[11] | ||
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, "2015 El Paso County Election Voter's Guide," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ Socorro Independent School District, "Antonio Ayub," October 15, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Re-Elect Tony Ayub, "About," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Lupe Alvarez, Executive Assistant, Office of the Superintendent, Socorro ISD," March 3, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Search Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 10, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Socorro Education Association: Timeline Photo," March 25, 2015
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Editorial: Socorro ISD incumbents earn re-election," April 24, 2015
- ↑ El Paso County Elections, "Socorro Independent School District Bond Election: May 14, 2011, Sample Ballot," April 5, 2011
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Antonio Ayub's responses," April 6, 2015
- ↑ Re-Elect Tony Ayub, "Accomplishments/Objectives," accessed April 2, 2015
