Summary of the May 5, 2026 Board of Trustees Meeting
Published on May 5 2026Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that College of the Redwoods is located on the unceded territory of the Wiyot, Hupa, Karuk, Mattole, Tolowa, Wailaki, and Yurok people where they have resided from time immemorial. We encourage all to gain a deeper understanding of their history and thriving culture. As an expression of our gratitude, we are genuinely committed to developing trusting, reciprocal, and long lasting partnerships with the Wiyot people as well as all of our neighboring tribes.
Consent Calendar Action Items
I want to thank the Board for approving or ratifying several personnel-related actions at this meeting. I am incredibly pleased that Macy Thomas will serve as our halftime (.5 FTE) Assistant Director of Athletics effective May 18, 2026. She agreed to take on this role while continuing to serve as the head coach of our women’s volleyball team. I want to share a little bit about Macy for those of you who are not familiar with her. Macy holds a BS in Business Administration as well as a Master of Business Administration from Cal Poly Humboldt. She has been our Head Volleyball Coach since 2025. She was a five-year volleyball student athlete and three-year team captain at Cal Poly Humboldt and an All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year. Macy was also elected President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and appointed to serve on Emeritus Cal Poly Humboldt President Jackson’s Cabinet.
We also welcome Marcel van Dissel to our college community as our Information Technology Project Manager effective May 26, 2026. Marcel will take the reins of our IT department when Tom Cossey retires from the District to pursue his dreams. Marcel has a BS in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Cal Poly Humboldt. He has served as the Director of Information Technology with Eureka City Schools since 2005. His core competencies include project and program management, cybersecurity and risk management, disaster recovery and business continuity planning, and cross-departmental collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
Four of our colleagues had their employee change of status approved at this Board meeting. Bryan Dunn will move from Gardener I .5 FTE to Instructional Support Specialist II .5 FTE effective May 6, 2026. Dr. Alan Price’s and Dr. Rebecca Robertson’s dean positions will move from 11month to 12 months effective May 15, 2026. Iris Vasquez will move from Academic Advisor, Special Programs .44 FTE to Academic Advisor, Special Programs .58 FTE effective May 6, 2026.
The Board of Trustees unanimously approved a curriculum recommendation that included thirty-eight new courses, two new degrees/certificates, and revisions to eighty-seven courses and ten degrees/certificates. I join the Trustees in thanking the members of the Curriculum Committee for their tireless effort and dedication to the success of our District. Their hard work sets a standard for all of us.
The Trustees ratified my decision to appoint Jose Serrano as the District’s chief negotiator with CSEA effective May 5, 2026. I want to thank Dr. Crystal Morse for serving in this role in the meantime.
The Board took action to approve our Measure I Bond Project Status Report. Several projects are currently slated to be funded by the bond are the Eureka Campus Student Housing Project, the Del Norte Healthcare and Revitalization Project, the demolition of the Old Administration/Forum Buildings, a geotechnical analysis to determine a location to install a baseball/softball field on the Eureka Campus, and the Community Stadium Upgrade Phase II. So far $2,411,105 of our bond funds have been expensed on Student Housing, Del Norte Health Care and Revitalization, and Old Admin/Forum Building Demolition projects with $77,588,895 remaining of the initial $80 million issuance. When factoring in the $28.4 million from the State for the Student Housing project, the balance is $105,988,895.
Thanks to Board’s action today, we took another significant step forward in the construction of the Eureka Campus Student Housing Complex and Del Norte Healthcare Training Center. The Board approved the recommendations to publish Requests for Proposal for Special Testing and Inspection Services to invite proposals from qualified firms to provide special testing and inspection services for the Student Housing and Del Norte Healthcare Training projects.
Action/Discussion Items
The Board approved our monthly financial status report. The report showed that we increased the Capital Outlay expense to $350,000 to account for actual activity to date, our revenues and expenditures were higher than last year, and our projected 2025-26 Unrestricted General Fund ending fund balance of $6,666,594, or 13.2% of Unrestricted General Fund expenditures.
The Board also approved our Quarterly Financial Status Report (311Q) ending March 31, 2026. In the report, we noted four fiscal challenges we could face next year.
- We must continue to recover and retain FTES to meet the FTES and revenue targets. This is critical to ensure revenues exceed operational expenses.
- Our reliance on State funding with a fluctuating economy is a challenge. In some years, the State experiences large surpluses, while in other years the budget reflects significant deficits. We may have to compensate for apportionment deficits and deferrals due to the lack of financial resources at the State level.
- We are experiencing growth this academic year, and we are expecting to continue growing in 2026-27 and 2027-28 to prevent a structural budget imbalance in the future. And we rely on the State's ability to fund enrollment growth throughout our system. However, the State has not been able to fully fund enrollment for community colleges experiencing growth.
- We will be challenged by the impact of actions taken by the Federal government.
By Board action, the new salary schedules for our administrators, managers, and confidential staff that reflect the projected 2.41% COLA were approved. I wanted to bring this item to the Board before faculty leave for the summer. I will send revised salary schedules to the Board in June or July if the COLA included in the final State budget differs from the 2.41% assumed by the Legislature and Legislative Analysist Office.
Informational Reports
In the Recognition Report, I recognized Professors Valerie Elder and Madeleine Lopez for their outstanding leadership of the Forestry Department, Sky Kirsch and Tim Wolcott for developing and maintaining the Institutional Research Warehouse, and Dr. Amy Moffat for her leadership in planning and implementing Assesstivus 2026. I also recognized Professor Kelly Scott and Dean Jessica Howard for exceeding the established minimum Outcome threshold of 70% noted in the Committee on Accreditation for the EMS Professions 2024 Annual Report.
Outcome 2023 2024
Retention 85.2% 85.7%
NREMT or State Cognitive Exam 87.0% 88.9%
Placement 95.7% 94.4%
In addition to my written recognition, I acknowledged Dr. Rebecca Robertson’s birthday and Professor Maria Morrow’s participation in Humboldt Roller Derby. I also acknowledged the three CR baseball players for receiving all-conference recognition. Javier Mesa was named to the second team as a utility player, while Xavier La Pena was named to the second team as an infielder, and pitcher Tristen Valenzuela received an honorable mention.
Organizational and Administrative Reports
In her written report Academic Senate President Bernadette Johnson mentioned that the Academic Senate approved the committee chairs appointments for 2026–2028, the Canvas auto-publish proposal, and a plan for clear communication with faculty. She also noted that the Senate will host an All-Faculty Meeting on May 8th via ZOOM to celebrate the successes of the year and look ahead to the 2026-27 year.
Interim CRFO President Erik Kramer thanked the Board for the action at their April meeting that acknowledged the prior qualifying faculty service for certain faculty members. He also noted that we all should treat the newly tenured faculty just the same as any other tenured faculty. Regardless of how the process happened, they earned it with their service. I deeply appreciate Erik’s report, especially the statement that “Our institution prides itself on being inclusive of all humans, those who study and learn here, as well as those who work here.” His report also touched on academic freedom. He wrote that the CBA clearly defines that academic freedom entails the rights to teaching without censorship or interference, examining controversial or unpopular ideas, selecting instructional materials including readings or textbooks, engaging in pedagogical experimentation, and expressing differences of opinion on academic matters, college plans or policies, and administrative decisions. I want to state unequivocally that Erik’s report resonated deeply with me.
CSEA President Rachel Warze thanked the Board for their support of CSEA. She also informed the Board that the Classified School Employees Week (CSEW) is May 17-23, 2026.
Management Council President Leigh Dooley’s written report noted that the Staff Appreciation luncheon will take place in mid-May and Management Council members Morgan Stanley, Montel Vanderhorck, and Amber Cavanaugh attended the California Community College Association for Occupational Education conference.
In my administrative report, I touched on the Assesstivus 2026 program that featured presentations highlighting innovative approaches to assessment across instructional programs and student services. Assesstivus continues to strengthen collaboration between College of the Redwoods and Cal Poly Humboldt, and the event reminds us that assessment does not have to be just compliance—it can be meaningful, collaborative, and even a little enjoyable. Topics included course redesign through the Shortened Courses Project (Dean Rebecca Robertson), alternative grading practices in Botany (Professor Maria Morrow), program-level assessment in Film, and data-informed student support strategies within Educational Opportunity Programs at Cal Poly Humboldt. Through sessions, presenters demonstrated how assessment results are being used to refine curriculum, improve teaching practices, and respond to evolving student needs. The event also included recognition of exemplary programs from both institutions. College of the Redwoods award recipients included Misty Knight, Pakunihanich Martin, Pyuwa Bommelyn, Chwakin Latham, Matthew McKindley, and Tim Wolcott (Leading from the Middle Project); Sheila Hall and Angela Stewart (Counseling Services); Dr. Matthew Hough (Music); Alissa Sarvinski (Agriculture); and Dr. Stacey Salinas (Ethnic Studies and History). A key highlight of the event was a virtual presentation by Dr. Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) at Indiana University. Dr. Kinzie’s session, “Doing Assessment that Matters to Teaching, Learning, and Student Success,” focused on clarifying the underlying philosophies that shape assessment work. Through an interactive activity, participants reflected on four “schools of thought” in assessment: Teaching and Learning, Measurement, Compliance/Reporting, and Student-Centered approaches. Dr. Kinzie guided participants through an activity to reflect on their own assumptions about assessment and to better understand how differing perspectives can shape assessment practices and conversations.
My verbal comments included recognition that Mental Health Awareness Month is observed every May to promote wellness and connect people with resources for mental health support. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, research shows that mental illness is common in the US, affecting 24% of our adult population with young adults aged 18-25 experiencing the highest rates. Estimates suggest that only half of people with mental illness received treatment. This is a chance to focus on the everyday moments of our families and our work colleagues.
In Julia Morrison’s written report, she shared that she attended the ACBO Spring 2026 Conference last month. Conference sessions covered information such as: Artificial Intelligence for Administrative Services; Leadership in Motion-Shifting Style and Presence; Managing Sexual Assault Risk; Governmental Accounting Standard Board (GASB) 103 and Other Audit Updates; Fifty Percent Law in Practice; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II Essentials; and Taxonomy of Programs (TOPs) to Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code Transition. Julia commented that per GASB 103 there will be some changes in how financial information is organized in the next financial audit report. Most notably the financial information in the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) section will be organized differently, and the MD&A may contain different discussion points than what has been historically represented.”
Dr. Crystal Morse provided a wonderful update on the College of the Redwoods Indigenous Language Institute (CRILI). She noted that CRILI held its first workshop on April 13, 2026 where approximately thirty participants representing numerous Northern California Indigenous communities and languages came together to discuss how we can strengthen Indigenous language teaching and instructional strategies. Included in the update was planning is underway for a three-day Summer Institute scheduled for August 2026, an Indigenous Language Teaching Certificate is currently in development, and a tenure-track faculty position for NAS/CRILI to serve as CRILI’s faculty director (beginning Fall 2026) has been approved. This report clearly demonstrates CR’s ongoing institutional commitment to Indigenous language revitalization and program sustainability.
In Marty Coelho’s written report noted that he presented to the Soroptimists of Eel River in Fortuna and the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary on April 20 and the Innovation Grants Committee met and reviewed seven grant requests. He also wrote that the Foundation hosted its annual scholarship reception on April 23 where more than forty students received recognition. The Foundation will also recognize scholarship recipients at the Crescent City Campus end-of-year party on May 8 from 3 to 6 p.m.