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President/Superintendent's Blog


Summary of the July 6, 2021 Board of Trustees Meeting


Published on 7/6/2021.

Comments/Board Business

Land Acknowledgement:  President of the Board Danny Kelley read a formal statement that recognizes and respects the Indigenous Peoples as the original stewards of the land that College of the Redwoods occupies. 

We acknowledge that the land on which we are gathered today is unceded territory of the Wiyot people who continue to live and thrive on this land today. It is surrounded by the traditional, ancestral, and present homeland of several indigenous nations including the Hupa, Karuk, Mattole, Tolowa, Wailaki, and Yurok that make up Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.

Swear in Student Trustee:  I am happy to announce that we have a new Student Trustee! President of the Board Kelley administered the oath of office to Brianna Rimmey as our new Student Trustee. Brianna is a second year student athlete studying Plant Science. She currently plays soccer and serves as the Executive Vice President of ASCR. She graduated from Ferndale High School in 2020 where she served in various leadership positions and competed on several sports teams.

Member Comments: Trustee Biggin mentioned that she attended the CCCT meeting.

Board Committee Reports: Vice President Mathews noted that the draft Board goals would be discussed later in the agenda.  

Oral Recommendation Regarding Salary of the President/Superintendent: The Trustees and I discussed my employment contract as part of the President/Superintendent evaluation process. The evaluation process culminated in a proposed revision to the term of my contract (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2025) and my compensation ($245,000).

Approve President/Superintendent Employment Agreement: The Trustees approved my revised employment agreement.

Approve Trustee Travel to the ACCT Leadership Congress in San Diego, CA October 13-16, 2021: The continued professional development of our Trustees ensures that the Board operates according to the accreditation standards. It also contributes to the long-term organizational health of the District. To that end, the Board approved trustee travel to the ACCT conference.

Approve Student Trustee attendance at the August 12-13 Virtual CCLC Student Trustee Workshop: The Board agreed to have our newly sworn in Student Trustee participate in the virtual CCLC Student Trustee Workshop on August 12-13. If you’re interested, you can find the workshop schedule at this link 2021 Student Trustees Workshop | The League (ccleague.org)

Consent Calendar Action Items

Approve/Ratify Personnel Actions:  Please join me in welcoming the following classified staff to our college community: Katrina Hanson, Interim Administrative Secretary II; William Madaras, Instructional Support Specialist III – Woodshop; Chinghoua Anissa Vang, Student Services Specialist II; Scarlet Arris Weaver, Interim Administrative Secretary II; Joseph Burrell, Interim Public Safety Officer – Del Norte; Lisa Ross, Administrative Office Assistant II – Career Center; Ranae Liles, ECE Assistant II; and Chia Hinchliff, Student Development Advisor.

We also have five associate faculty joining our faculty ranks: Daniel Doble – Medical Assisting; Sophie Ell – English; Natalie Giannini – English; Melanie Johnson – Communication Studies; and Heather King – G.R.O.V.E Faculty Counselor.

By Board action, we have several staff and faculty who have been granted a change in their employee status:

  • Amber Atkins, Administrative Secretary II, Range 115, Step 7 to Interim Administrative Assistant – Confidential, Office of Instruction, Range 121, Step 3 effective June 21, 2021 – June 30, 2022 (General Fund)
  • Jessica Frint, Administrative Secretary II, Range 115, Step 6, 1.0 FTE to Administrative Secretary II, Range 115, Step 6, .865 FTE effective July 1, 2021 (General Fund)
  • Julia Morrison, Vice President, Administrative Services, Range 136, Step 3 to Vice President, Administrative Services, Range 136, Step 5 effective July 1, 2021 (General Fund)
  • Melody Pope, Professor, Nursing – Del Norte, Class IV, Step 21 to Professor, Nursing – Eureka, Class IV, Step 21 effective August 1, 2021 (General Fund)
  • Rodney Bethune, Student Services Specialist II, Range 113, Step 12, .87 FTE to Student Services Specialist II, Range 113, Step 12, 1.0 FTE effective July 1, 2021 (Categorical/Other Fund)

Lastly, the Board ratified my acceptance of the resignation of Lauren Larsen, Schedule and Assessment Support Specialist. Her last day of employment will be July 13, 2021.

Approve/Ratify Contracts, Agreements, MOUs:  The Board approved my recommendation to approve or ratify several contracts and agreements. I want to provide a brief explanation of the amended contract with John Craven for $98,726.95.

John’s original contract amount, and the scope of work, was determined several months ago by a previous project management firm.  We had to redesign the architectural drawings of the new water tanks when the firm was released from their contract with the District. The release necessitated that John Craven spend additional time fulfilling the responsibilities of the project’s Inspector of Record.  The new contract amount takes into account the additional time needed to complete all phases of the project through close out.

Approve Request for Proposals for Special Testing and Inspection Services for the Creative Arts Drop and Replace Project: The construction process for the new Creative Arts Drop and Replace project is under way.  An important part of the construction process involves hiring an independent inspector to provide special testing and inspection services. The Board approved my recommendation to invite proposals from qualified firms to provide special testing and inspection services for the project.

Approve Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Portable Building and the Construction Related Set-up Tasks:  I requested approval to publish a RFP to identify qualified vendors to assemble a new portable building to provide additional classroom or office space to support physical distancing efforts for the Academy of the Redwoods. We will also be able to use the building for other instructional purposes.  Although physical distancing has been relaxed, a new portable building will help us manage another surge of COVID-19 or address an outbreak on the Eureka Campus.

Action/Discussion Items

Monthly Financial Status Report:  We presented the standard monthly financial status report to the Board that covered the period of July 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021. Here are a few takeaways from the report:

  • Overall, revenues are less than at this point in time last year.
  • Expenses are coming in slightly under budget and lower than at this point in time than the prior year.
  • Other Operating expenses are less than at this point in time last year and are nearly 50% under budget.
  • The monthly financial status report shows a projected 2020-21 ending fund balance of 10.5%, or $3,287,334.  
  • Our planned transfers out remain:
  •   $90,000         Child Development Center
  •   $46,711         Shively Farm
  • $645,000         OPEB fund
  • $781,711         Total
  • Revenue contingent transfers out are comprised of the following:
  • $1,500,000      OPEB fund
  •    $500,000      Pension Contribution fund
  • $2,000,000      Total

Second Read: The Board reviewed BP 1200 District Mission as a first read at a previous meeting. I made the changes requested by the Board when they completed a first read of the BP. The Board approved BP 1200. The new Mission Statement (below) will be reflected on the website and on all printed material.

“College of the Redwoods puts the success of every student first while providing accessible and relevant transfer, career and adult education of the highest quality. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment that promotes and values diversity, equity, and inclusion among students, faculty, and staff. We partner with the community to contribute to the economic vitality and lifelong learning needs of our District. We continually assess student learning and institutional performance which leads directly to the continuous improvement of our curriculum, programs and services. To achieve its mission, the Redwoods Community College District follows the mission of the California Community College System as determined by the State Legislature.

The District’s mission is evaluated and revised on an annual basis.”

Informational Reports

Recognition of CR Student Athletes: We provided an informational report highlighting the achievements of our student athletes. The report highlighted that:

  • Fifty-five student athletes participated in “Opt In” sports of Cross Country, Track & Field, Baseball, and Softball. I am happy to share that the cumulative grade point average (GPA) for the Cross County/Track team was 3.21 (19 students participating), Baseball was 2.91 (24 students participating), and Softball was 3.14 (12 students participating)
  • We anticipate holding full schedules for all sports in 2021-2022 including for the new Women's Tennis team in spring of 2022. 
  • The Athletic Department set a goal of having 200 student athletes enrolled fulltime next year. So far, we have 187 student athletes committed to play for the College (119 male and 68 female). I am happy to report that of the 187 committed student athletes, 135 or 72% are from the Humboldt and Del Norte County areas.

Administrative Visit to Pelican Bay State Prison:  The importance of our Pelican Bay Scholars Program was evidenced again on Friday, June 25 when Kerry Mayer, George Potamianos, Peter Blakemore, Mike Haley, Rory Johnson, Prudence Ratliff, and Tory Eagles spoke with several of our Pelican Bay Prison Scholars on a recent visit to the prison.  I want to thank the prison administration for allowing Pelican Bay Scholars Thabiti Wilson, Pharaoh Amun-Edwards (Larry Vickers), Jesus Murillo, Jaime Navarro, and Adrian Mariscal to speak with our colleagues.  Kerry and the staff who accompanied her to the prison, made it very clear how impactful and transformative our prison education initiative has been on the lives of our Pelican Bay Scholars. I attached a copy of a card the scholars sent to me after the visit.

Administrative Reports

President/Superintendent's Report: My written report mentioned mental health services we are offering to our students and that we are hoping to take down the Life Science and Physical Science buildings in the Eureka Campus by October 2021. I informed the Board that I approved CR to be a 4-day polling location for the California special election. The County will use our Eureka Campus fieldhouse from Friday, September 10th through Wednesday, September 15th to allow set up and breakdown.

Interim Vice President of Instruction Report: Kerry’s written report noted that Professor Philip Mancus worked with Associate Faculty members Celia Perez and Ian MacKelvie to develop the program requirements and course curriculum for an associate's degree in Social Work and Human Services. By Fall of 2020, all required program and course approvals were secured and we began offering students an educational pathway in Social Work and Human Services that would lead them to an associate's degree and would also prepare them for transfer to a four-year college or university.

According to data from our Institutional Research Office, 188 students have currently declared Social Work and Human Services program as their major.

Vice President of Administrative Services Report: Julia’s administrative report highlighted the work that8 our Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) accomplished last year.

  • The 2020-21 BAC Budget Calendar was revised with realistic expectations and is now more in line with the District’s budgeting process.
  • The BAC finalized the Annual Budget Outlook Statement 2020-21 which includes recommended budgetary goals for the 2021-22 budget as well as a summary budget outlook statement. The Annual Budget Outlook Statement was used to develop the recommended budget priorities that helped inform the budget assumptions.
  • The Program Audit form was used successfully to audit the Humanities, Math and Paramedics programs.  The audits used prior-year program revenue and expense information to assess how well the program was operating.
  • The Program Budget Recommendations form was developed.  In addition to creating budget priorities recommendations, the document also includes high-level program budget information that is reviewed in order to inform any specific program spending recommendations and identify budgetary barriers for student success and institutional effectiveness.
  • The BAC members finalized the Budget Advisory Committee Program Budget Recommendations Form for 2021-2022. 
  • The 2021-22 Preliminary Budget and budget assumptions were reviewed at the April 26, 2021 meeting.   It was evidenced that the Preliminary Budget is tied to planning.  One example of this is the planned transfer out of $1 million dollars to help fund technology replacement and deferred maintenance, which ties directly to a goal in the 2020-21 Annual Plan.
  • The committee held its final meeting of the 2020-21 year in May 2021 and selected three programs for next year’s audit cycle - Library, RN, and if time allows Physical Science programs.

Vice President of Human Resources Report: Angelina noted that we will have a comprehensive virtual professional development platform—customized for all employee groups—to allow employees to request professional development opportunities. She also mentioned that the negotiation process for a successor agreement with CSEA for a three-year contract (2021-2024) has begun and we have reached out to the State Mediation and Conciliation Service for joint interest-based bargaining training with CSEA related to future layoff and reduction in hours discussions.

Executive Director of Foundation Report: Marty noted that he and Sheila are working on plans for the launch of CR's new Finish Line Scholarship Program, fundraising plans to support our football program is underway, and the Foundation’s Del Norte Committee is discussing various versions of a 2nd Chance Scholarship to pilot for fall semester.

Interim Vice President of Student Services: Alia noted that EOPS awarded the first California Community College EOPS Association (CCCEOPSA) Scholarship of $750.00 to Nikolas Mussmann and our Multicultural and Diversity Center provided a letter of support for the Yurok Tribal Court Reentry program. Nikolas is an outstanding student who has actively participated in EOPS at CR since 2019. Nikolas completed his final semester at C.R. with a 3.7 GPA and has applied to continue his education at HSU.

Approve a Trustee Request to Place an Item on a Future Agenda or Direct Staff to Give a Regular Report:  The Board asked for status updates on the Del Norte Science Building, staffing levels at KT, and Garberville Funding Priorities.

Closed Session

The Board discussed my draft 2021-23 goals and received an update on the District’s negotiations with CRFO and CSEA.

Documents to download

  • PB(.png, 682.29 KB) - 201 download(s)
  • DOC064(.pdf, 35.17 KB) - 132 download(s)
  • DOC065(.pdf, 61.17 KB) - 160 download(s)
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