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President/Superintendent's Blog


Update Following the November 6, 2018 Board of Trustees Meeting


Published on 11/3/2018.

I want to start this update by saying that today's meeting was positive and extremely inspiring.

Board Business.

Member Comments: Trustee Biggin reported that she attended the KTIS mid-semester celebration. She mentioned that Professor Sean Thomas' commitment to teach at the KTIS was very appreciated by students and staff.  Trustee Kelley informed the Board that he attended the LS/PS building community visioning meeting.

Board Committee Reports. Trustee Sally Biggin, Chair of the Board’s Ad Hoc Nomination Committee, shared that the Ad Hoc Committee agreed to forward Trustee Bruce Emad as President, Trustee Dr. Colleen Mullery as Vice President, and Trustee Danny Kelley as Clerk as a slate of new officers for the 2019-20 calendar year. The new officers will be formally elected at the December meeting.

Establish Board meeting Dates, Times, and Locations for 2019. The Board approved their meeting dates and locations for the 2019 calendar year. We should have the new calendar uploaded to the Board of Trustees website soon.

Establish 2019 Board Calendar. The Trustees agreed on the Board calendar of agenda items for 2019-2020. I want to point out that we may add or delete items depending on circumstances.

Board Self-Evaluation. The Trustees agreed to discuss some self-evaluation topics and engage in a Board visioning discussion at the Board Workshop in January.  The Trustees want to devote the Workshop to this single topic.

Approve/Ratify Personnel Actions.  The Board ratified all the personnel actions.  I am happy say that Courtney Bishop’s status was changed from Payroll Technician to Enrollment Services Advisor effective October 15, 2018.

The resignations of Beth Crotty as an ECE Assistant II and Shemya Vaughn as an Assistant Professor of Counseling were ratified. Beth’s last day was October 26, 2018. Shemya’s last day will be June 30, 2019.  

Several retirements were also ratified: Joy Bessette, Administrative Office Coordinator, Adult Education & Workforce and Community Education effective October 31, 2018; Elizabeth Buchanan, Instructional Support Specialist III – Math Lab, as of December 30, 2018; Jeff Kelley, Instructional Support Specialist II – DSPS LIGHT Center, as of May 26, 2019; Dennis McCollister, Warehouse/Mailroom Clerk as of April 30, 2019; Thomas Olivares, Gardener, as of January 31, 2019, and Alison Pritchard, Director, Nursing and Health Occupations, effective June 30, 2019. 

Computer Information Systems Professor Chris Romero’s pre-retirement request was also approved by the Board today. Chris will go on 50% load effective for the 2018-19 academic year.

I want to acknowledge the service of our colleagues who elected to resign or retire. Our college community was made richer by having them apart of it. I wish them all well as they move forward in their lives.

Approve Curriculum Changes. The Board approved seven new courses, five course revisions, three degrees and/or certificates, two course replacements, one course inactivation, and two new large format classes. I want to make special mention of the following seven courses:

  • Math 10 Contemporary Mathematics for Career Technical Fields—a new transfer course designed will provide relevant math instruction and satisfy General Education requirements for our students in career education programs;
  • Nursing 3 Nursing Science Practice and Concepts 3 and Nursing 4 Nursing Science Practice and Concepts 4 are two new telepresence courses for our Del Norte students.
  • English 1S Learning Community for Analytical Reading and Writing is a new course created to provide support to students in English 1A and align with AB 705;
  • Math 15S Support for Statistics is a new course designed to provide concurrent support to students in Math 15 and align with AB 705;
  • Math 30S Support for College Algebra is a course created to provide concurrent support to student enrolled in Math 30 and align with AB 705; and
  • PE 28 Pickelball as a new course developed out of community need and departmental dialogue.

Approve Contracts/Agreements/MOUs. The Trustees approved several contracts and agreements. I want make note of a few:

  • CCC Technology Center—This is an agreement with the California Community College Technology Center to provide a single cloud-based library services platform (LSP) to replace the various ILS systems now in use in many of our community college libraries.
  • Planwest Partners, Inc—Planwest Partners will help Kerry Mayer and Angelina Hill assess and gauge the viability, relevance, and demand of our existing Career Education programs, especially those with low enrollment.

First Read of Board Policy. I asked the Board to review Board Policy 1200 as a result of our forward movement to comply with AB 705. The Administration suggested that the words "developmental, career technical, and transfer education" be replaced by "transfer, career and adult education” in the first sentence. The BP will go for a second reading at the December Board meeting.

Second Read of Board Policy and Administrative Procedure. Board Policy 2520 was reviewed by Trustees Emad, Biggin and Kelley (Group 2) and then forwarded to the full Board as a first read item at its October regular meeting. A small non-substantial revision was made to the original Board Policy. California Code of Regulations Section 53206 was added as a reference.  AP 2435 was reviewed as a first read at a past Board meeting. However, the correct AP was not submitted as a second read.  I corrected that oversight by submitting AP 2435 as a second read at this meeting.

The Board approved forwarding the two board policies and one administrative procedure to College Council for constituent review.

Resolution 727. I am proud that the Trustees unanimously approved Resolution 727 declaring the week of November 5-11, 2018 as Veterans Awareness Week. Thank you to all veterans, past and present, for committing their lives to the service to our country.

Monthly Financial Status Report. The Trustees approved the July 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018 monthly financial status report.  We did not make any budget adjustments since the Final Budget was approved. The report showed a projected 2018-19 ending fund balance of 6.3%.

Quarterly Financial Status Report. The quarterly financial report we send to the Chancellor’s Office, CCFS-311Q, was approved by the Trustees. The report provided the trends of revenues, expenditures, fund balances, FTES, and cash balances over a four-year-period.

We had an opportunity to add some narrative to the CCFS-311Q report that outlines the Administration’s view on the budget. We wrote that “We do not have significant fiscal problems that need to be addressed for this year; however the 3-year forecast that was included in the 2018-19 final adopted budget indicates the District could face fiscal challenges in 2019-20.”  

Julia Morrison and I are continuing to refine our budget projections. The projections will change after the auditors submit their final report for 2017-18 fiscal year, the position inventory is updated with the resignations and retirements, and we decide to switch medical providers or not. Julia Morrison and I will discuss the 2018-19 budget and the projections with the college community before the end of the semester. 

Police Academy Training Update. Ron Waters provided a very informative report to the Board about the Police Academy. I want to thank Sheriff Honsal for attending the Board meeting and speaking to the importance of our Police Academy to our community. Take some time to read Ron’s full report. A majority of Ron’s report was imbedded in the background section of the agenda item. What was not included, but discussed with the Trustees was the financial information associated with the Administrative of Justice Program and the Police Academy. I want to share that information with you in this blog.

Looking at the Administration of Justice Program in total, we see that the program is in a positive net position by $38,111.41.  The administrative costs include the annual salary and benefits for Ron Waters, Sandi Peterson and Debbie Topping.

Administration of Justice Financials

Revenue

Instructional Costs

Administrative Costs

Net Total

577,778.00

176,931.43

326,735.16

38,111.41

The Police Academy, taking revenue and instructional/administrative costs into account, nets $206,563.74. The administrative cost includes 100% of Sandi Peterson and 25% of Ron Water’s compensation.

Police Academy

Revenue

Instructional Costs

Administrative Costs

Net Total

431,982.00

95,034.00

130,114.26

206,833.74

 

CR Student Homeless and Food Insecurity Project.  Did you know that the rate of student homelessness in our County is on the rise? According to the Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE)/California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Homeless Data Dashboard, the number of K-12 students facing homelessness increased by 27% between the 2013-14 and 2017-18 school years.  One thousand and twenty-seven (1,027) students identified as homeless in the 2013-14 school year, 1,317 in 2015-16, 1,404 in 2016-17, and 1,571 in 2017-18. 

While these statistics are heartbreaking, they also serve as a call to action for us to do what we can to help our homeless students find their place in higher education.  I am proud and gratified that the Board of Trustees, recognizing that a young person’s housing situation should not limit a student's access to CR, voiced their support for the administration to develop resources and programs that will help our students persist to graduation while battling homelessness.  The Redwoods Room and Board Scholarship fund has been created in answer to the Trustees’ call to action.

The scholarship is an initiative built on the excellent work that Kintay Johnson, Justin Fishman, Dominique Gordon, Alia Dunphy, Ashley Mitchell, Heidi Bareilles, Robin Cardona, Elisa Abelliera, Rianne Connor, Silas Sarvinski, and Rory Johnson have already accomplished by establishing a Food Pantry on the Eureka Campus, providing fresh produce from the CR Farm to the Food Pantry, hiring a Housing Liaison to help our students find off-campus housing, opening our gym showers and the washers and dryers to our homeless students, providing a health clinic and emotional / mental health counseling for our students, offering various forms of financial aid to cover tuition, and covering fees, book costs, bus vouchers for transportation, and loaner laptops. With this scholarship, we want to help homeless and at-risk homeless students persist and graduate; develop financial and life skills; and create a rental and work history.

When our students experiencing homelessness are not given a pathway to success, we deny them the opportunity to make a better life. Our homeless students hold as much promise, and are as much a part of our present and future, as every other student.

Joe Hash, Marty Coelho, Kintay Johnson and Lynette Mullen outlined the specifics of the scholarship initiative and how it will be assessed.  I want to thank Tammy for sharing her story with the Board.  The presentation focused on four important points:

  1. There is a well-documented need among our student body.
  2. This scholarship is a hand-up, not a hand-out. The intent is for this scholarship to be transitional in nature.
  3. The District has made a significant financial contribution to this project.
  4. The long term viability of the scholarship is dependent on continued community financial support. 

I’ve attached a copy of Joe’s presentation to this article.

Capital Projects Update. Steven Roper provided an update on several capital projects. I want summarize his comments:

  • UIR: We’re slightly behind schedule with the modified bid package. We hope to have the bids sent to the State on November 19 and then approved by our Board on December 11.
  • Creative Arts: The seismic studies have been completed. Not surprisingly, three new faults were identified, two of which were not part of the Little Salmon Complex.  Steven and Garry Patrick met with CGS and LACO and agreed on an area to place the new Creative Arts building. Steven and the architectural firm met with faculty and staff to present possibilities for the adjacencies of the new building.  The project is on schedule for a June 2020 completion.
  • Scoreboard: The Inspector of Record signed off on the project as complete. The old scoreboard has been disassembled and removed.
  • Tennis Courts: The new lighting and control panel were installed. The work to resurface the courts was also completed. We still have to construct fencing, install a hydration station, and remove some trees.
  • PE/Gymnasium Complex: We anticipate that the State will fund this project ($55,458,742) in its next budget cycle.  
  • Solar: We are looking at alternative energy sources for the District. To that end, Steven and Garry have met with three potential solar energy providers are looking at hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Organizational Report: Academic Senate.  Academic Senate Co-President Peter Blakemore noted that the Academic Senate and Vice President Hill are working together to revise several administrative procedures. He also mentioned several innovative courses the Senate approved including the drone academy course and the revised English 1A course. The revised English 1A course will allow us to offer the class in the Pelican Bay State Prison.

Organizational Report: CRFO.  CRFO President Michelle Haggerty appreciated the Board's support for the innovative student homelessness scholarship. She also mentioned that negotiations are going well.

Organizational Report: Classified.  CSEA President Tami Engman thanked the Board for approving Resolution 727. She mentioned that her tenure as President of CSEA will sunset on December 31, 2018. Tami also noted that she's going to challenge her classified colleagues to contribute to the student homelessness scholarship program.

Organizational Report: Management Council.  President Brady Reed recognized Kintay Johnson and Ron Waters for their work at the District. Brady also mentioned how proud she is that Tammy (mentioned in the CR Student Homeless and Food Insecurity Project presentation) was one of her TRIO students.

Organizational Report: Student Trustee.  Florentina provided a written report. I attached a copy of her report to this article.

Administrative Report: President/Superintendent Report. I provided a more detailed answer to two contract related questions the Board asked at its October meeting. 

  • Mr. Jack Flynn ($2,800): The College was approached by a local real estate company to offer property management related community education classes. Based on the recommendation from three other community colleges, the Community Education staff elected to contract with Mr. Flynn to write the appropriate curriculum.
  • Woods Pest Control ($3,700): My answer to the Trustee's question when it was asked in October was incomplete. The District did not go out for bid for pest control services and Woods Pest Control was not on a standing approved vendor list. The District has an approved vendor list for construction-type vendors only, i.e. HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, etc. After reviewing the vendor activity for Woods Pest Control, it appears that we have been using Woods Pest Control since early 2012.  We previously used North Coast Exterminators, a locally owned business. However, North Coast Exterminators was sold to Weeds Pest Control out of Redding. We will make sure that we look at companies in Humboldt County and have them provide quotes for services at the beginning of the year.

I also wrote that three public sector agencies have responded to the notice of sale of the sphagnum bog property. Two of the agencies asked for more to time to assess the biological features of the property and solidify funding.  I agreed to their request. So, the soonest I will ask the Board for direction on next steps will be the January Board meeting.

It was with pleasure that I announced via my report, the Administration’s commitment to support the release of Professor Ruth Rhodes’ new book Come to the Edge: Arrival and Survival in Del Norte County. The book, created as part of her sabbatical leave project, illustrates the stories of student’s resilience and personal growth and the larger story of how College of the Redwoods improves student lives and shapes the future of communities. Professor Rhodes will hold a release event in the Del Norte Campus library on Friday, November 30, 2018.

I focused my verbal comments on thanking the Board for their support and leadership in focusing the District on addressing student homelessness, student equity, and access.

Administrative Report: Vice President of Instruction Report. Angelina called attention to the Curriculum Committee’s recent approval of several courses approved at today’s Board meeting. She also wrote about the great work Silas Sarvinski, our manager of the Shively Farm, is doing. Specifically, the You-Pick Event at Shively Farm. An estimated 500 people visited the Shively Farm last month for the event. Silas Sarvinski, Agriculture Program students, and the staff did an amazing job attracting community members to the farm. Proceeds from picking-purchases, which support the ongoing sustainability of the farm, exceeded $6,000.

Administrative Report: Vice President of Administrative Services Report. Julia wrote about the 2017-18 audit in her report. She noted that the audit team from KCOE ISOM visited the Eureka Campus and provided several sample selection lists related to expenditures, accounts payable, payroll, contracts, and student files. Julia noted that the 2017-18 audit should be on time I know that Julia is very thankful to all of the departments who provided information to the auditors.   

This is the fifth year KCOE ISOM has prepared the District's annual financial audit.  As per AP 4600, an auditing firm’s contract shall be for no longer than five years.  An RFP for annual financial audit services will go out in January 2019.

Administrative Report: Vice President of Student Development Report. Joe reprinted an article recently published by the Del Norte Triplicate on October 16, 2018. The article titled "Forum asks for commitment to end homelessness" spoke to the issue of homeless and housing insecurity and how it affected a CR student.  This student--identified as "Koby"--attends classes at the Del Norte Campus.  The story was reprinted in his Board report because of its relevance to the CR homeless student project discussed during this Board meeting. Joe's verbal comments centered on a successful Counselor Day event, the October 31 talent show, and excellent work that Alia Dunphy is doing with the Multicultural and Diversity Center.

Administrative Report: Director of Human Resources. Wendy’s reported that Dustin Schroeder, CEO of Atrium Insurance Company, will meet with employees on November 7, 2018 to discuss possible benefit plan changes.  Dustin will compare the District's current North Coast Schools' Medical Insurance Group plan with the proposed benefit plans offered by Self Insured Schools of California (SISC).  Mr. Schroeder will be accompanied by a representative from SISC who will talk about the SISC JPA and the potential benefits a move from the District's current JPA to SISC would mean for our colleagues.

She also mentioned that HR is actively working on making the position recruitment process more efficient. Wendy is working with the EEO Committee to find creative ways to diversify our applicant pool and find new avenues for recruitment.

Approve a Trustee Request to Place an item on a Future Agenda. The Board reached consensus to explore creating a historical record of the District and to follow-up on how the Police Academy is reaching out Eureka Police Department.

 

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