Upon ratification of the 2015-17 MOU by both Boards, College of the Redwoods and Mendocino College began collegial good faith discussions to move forward with permanently transferring our Mendocino Service Area from CR to MC effective June 30, 2017. President Reyes, CEO of Mendocino College, and I are sending a transfer of territory resolution and petition to our respective boards for approval that will kick off the transfer process.

Here’s a snapshot of the timeline President Reyes and I plan to follow:

• September and October 2015: Once the resolution and petition are approved by both Boards the documents will be forwarded by both President Reyes and I to the County Superintendents of Schools for Humboldt and Mendocino as lead agencies in the transfer process. The County Superintendents will send a copy of the petition to the Board of Governors and to each county committee. In Mendocino the county committee is the same as the County Board of Education, whereas Humboldt County is one of the counties that use an 11 member commission.

• November, December 2015 and January 2016: The county committees will hold public hearings sometime within 90 days after receipt of the petition.  The county committees will decide during this timeframe whether to hold the public hearings in each county, or jointly in either county. 

• February, March and April 2016: The county committees will send a copy of the petition and the report documents to the Board of Governors and the CR and Mendocino College boards for review.  It’s important to note that the transfer shall not be made unless a majority of the members of Mendocino College’s board sign a statement agreeing to all conditions of the transfer at a public meeting.  Upon completion of the Mendocino College public meeting, the College of the Redwoods board must return the petition and statement of agreement, with a notice of action, to the county committee. 

• May, June and July 2016: The county committees will send an approved petition and any related information or recommendations to the Board of Governors for review. The Board of Governors after providing a hearing on the petition shall give notice of approval or disapproval to the county committees and county office of education superintendents.

• August, 2016: If petition is approved and waiver of election is not approved, notify elections office of placing a territory transfer vote on the November 2016 election ballot.

•  November, 2016: Election