When a member of the Gavilan College Board of Trustees retired
last year, members appointed Lucha Ortega. Now the Hollister
resident is vying to win the Area 3 seat outright.
When a member of the Gavilan College Board of Trustees retired last year, members appointed Lucha Ortega. Now the Hollister resident is vying to win the Area 3 seat outright.
Ortega, who worked as an administrator for Gavilan Student Services from 1991-97, is a product of the community college system which vaulted her to achieve a Ph.D in educational leadership where she completed her doctorate work on California community colleges.
“I have a very comprehensive knowledge of the community college system and how it works,” Ortega said. “I’m familiar with the mission, philosophy and values.
“The type of students you find there are predominantly economically and educationally disadvantaged and some older people who have full time jobs and take the weekends or evenings to pursue education. We have a full array of students, all the way from high school graduates to the adult population.”
If re-elected, budget responsibility will be one of Ortega’s priorities.
“At a time where finances to support education is limited, we need to be as efficient as possible to maximize resources,” she said.
Ortega would also like to address the issue of increased access to resources available at the college.
“Though Gavilan classes and services continue to be flexible, that’s becoming more challenging with the limited resources because we depend on the state to give us money,” she said. “It’s expected we have to do more with less. Gavilan Community College has the lowest tuition of any community college in the nation.”
Ortega also wants to focus on the hiring of a new president for the college and establishing good working relationships with the Board and the president.
Also, Gavilan is having troubles serving all of its students, Ortega said.
“Gavilan has more students than the college can service,” she said. “We need to make decisions on upgrading our building and facilities.”
Ortega said she is running because she wants to serve the community of Hollister.
“To me, I’ve always had an interest since I was a teenager in serving the community and I choose the Board because education is my profession,” she said. “This is one of the ways I could best contribute to my community, being a representative for education.”
