San Diego Community College District

Special Report to the Public:

Geysil Arroyo

Trustee Geysil Arroyo thanked Mesa College and AS President Natalia Trinh for an excellent presentation. She shared that she participated in her first Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) National Congress held in San Diego October 13-16 and thanked Trustee Bernie Rhinerson for introducing her to many of her peers from around the country. She also reported that she, along with Chancellor Cortez and Trustees Senour and Graham, participated in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Annual Conference held virtually October 25-27, as well as part of the October 28 Hermanos Unidos/Brothers United (HUBU) Conference which she described as powerful and moving. She shared that the Board subcommittee on redistricting is continuing its work and hopes to soon have more information for the public. She also thanked those who shared public comments.

Mary Graham

Trustee Mary Graham reported that she had the opportunity to attend many of the same events as her colleagues. She also thanked those who provided public comments and encouraged everyone districtwide to practice civility when discussing these topics.

Bernie Rhinerson

Trustee Bernie Rhinerson also thanked Mesa College for its presentation. He has been working with Trustee Geysil Arroyo on the redistricting effort and said that adjustments to existing trustee areas would be minor. The District is planning a public forum and two public hearings and that the Board will submit approved trustee-area maps following its December 16 meeting. More information will follow.

Dr. Maria Nieto Senour

Trustee Maria Nieto Senour also attended many of the same events including the HUBU Conference where she provided welcome remarks. She was very impressed by the event, which featured Dr. Cornel West and several other excellent speakers.

Dr. Carlos O. Turner Cortez

Chancellor Carlos Cortez reported that the Department of Finance released their monthly Finance Bulletin, which again indicated good news on the budget front. According to their report, when combining last fiscal year with the revenues thus far from the current fiscal year, the state has received over $14 billion above budget projections. A meeting is being scheduled with Chris Ferguson from the Governor’s Budget Office to discuss the possibility of changing the apportionment formula for noncredit. The District is optimistic it can get a bill that would allow the Census Date to be used for certain noncredit courses approved during the 2022 legislative year. Legislative priorities for the District this year will include: student and employee housing; funding to implement alternative models of college policing; and expansion of the Cal Grant. The District’s four colleges continue to distribute HEERF funding to students in the form of direct cash awards of $1,000. In total, SDCCD will distribute approximately $50 million by the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. As of November 1st, 3,673 employees have provided their vaccination status with 87.8% (3,224) being fully vaccinated. One thousand forty-four employees still need to submit evidence of vaccination or request an exemption. By classification, 2 administrators, 74 classified professionals, 600 adjunct faculty, 87 contract faculty, 259 NANCE, 11 POA, and 11 SPAA employees must comply with District policy or may be placed on unpaid leave. To be clear, the science and the law support this policy. Similar policies at other educational institutions have been upheld consistently by both state and federal courts and found not to be in conflict with civil rights or liberties. Employees may apply for a religious or medical exemption. Priority Registration began this week for SDCCD’s intercession and spring 2022 semester. Last week, Mesa President Pam Luster was alerted that Mesa College is one of 10 finalists for two Bellwether Awards for their “ The Journey to Completion” project and Business program completions. Both Mesa and Miramar College were named 2021 Equity Champions of Higher Education for exemplary work in awarding Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) to Latinx students. The honor was bestowed upon the College by the Campaign for College Opportunity. City College submitted an application for SB 169 student housing funding. Vice President John Parker led the development of the proposal for funding for both planning and construction. City College’s HUBU Conference demonstrates the District’s commitment to supporting the success of Latinx and African American male students. Special thanks to Vice President Marciano Perez and Dean Nesha Savage for their leadership. Next week, Miramar College will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Emergency Vehicle Operations Center (EVOC). Some may recall that the District included $5 million for the EVOC, which is located in Otay Mesa, in its Propositions S and N bond construction campaign in exchange for a 50-year lease with priority scheduling to accommodate training needs for Miramar College’s School of Public Safety. This week, the District is sponsoring the History of Education Society’s national conference in San Diego, where Chancellor Cortez will present on the history of noncredit in the California community college system with Vice President Michelle Fischthal and Dean Jessica Leudtke from the College of Continuing Education. This historical survey was recently published in A College for All: A History of the California Community Colleges, which was released last week. This anthology was edited by George Boggs, former Palomar College president and chief executive officer for the American Association of Community Colleges, and Larry Galizio, chief operating officer for the Community College League of California. On October 7, 2021, the CCCCO released a memorandum that allows districts and colleges to revise their distance education (credit) FTES on the 2020-2021 recalculation report. Districts like the SDCCD that utilizes a compressed calendar can use a term-length multiplier (TLM) of 17.5 to calculate distance education FTES that utilizes the alternative attendance accounting method. The SDCCD will gain approximately 1,460 FTES due to this revision on the 2020-2021 recalculation report. This is a 6% increase in FTES. As of the recalculation, the District reported 35,318 FTES, which is 100.2% of the annual target.

Natalia Trinh

Student Trustee Natalia Trinh reported that the City College ASG is looking forward to returning to campus for its meetings and office hours. They are still holding officer hours via Zoom. Miramar’s ASG is partnering with EOPS to provide students with food baskets for the holidays. The college also held Club Rush and a Día de los Muertos celebration. Miramar’s ASG has convened a task force to address the cost of textbooks at the college. The college is promoting mental health awareness and will host a workshop series at the start of the Spring semester. She also reported that the Miramar ASG’s hybrid meetings are working out well. At Mesa College the AS is advocating for an Asian Pacific Islander curriculum and faculty member. The college is also hosting a Hunger and Homelessness Week and celebrating Homecoming events this week. The deadline for students to apply for HEERF funding is November 16. She reported that this weekend was Mesa’s Homecoming football game. She concluded by calling attention to a joint letter by the three student body presidents regarding vaccines and mask wearing.

Board Actions

At its regular meeting of November 4, 2021, which was conducted in a virtual format, the Board of Trustees:

- Announced the following action from Closed Session: unanimously denied an appeal of the administrative determination of a Title 5 Investigation.

- Announced the following actions from Closed Session: the Board scheduled a special meeting regarding redistricting and the transition to “by-trustee area” elections pursuant to the California Voting Rights Act for the following date: December 6, 2021; and approved the Chancellor’s Annual Evaluation Process and Timeline.

- Held a campus meeting with Mesa College that included welcome remarks from President Pamela T. Luster, Basic Needs Coordinator Johanna Aleman, Dean of Student Development Ailene Crakes, Veterans Services Supervisor Vicki Hernandez, NextUp and EOPS Counselor Markus Berrien, Dean of Learning Resources & Academic Support Dean Andy MacNeill, Honors Coordinators Ranmali Rodrigo and Rosiangela Escamilla, Events & Operations Administrator Jacqueline Collins, Academic Senate President John Crocitti, Classified Senate President Eva Parrill and Associated Students President Natalia Trinh; a presentation on Roadmap to Mesa2030: Five-Year Strategic Plan from Dean of Institutional Effectiveness Bridget Herrin and Associated Students President Natalia Trinh; a presentation on Completion and Community from Vice President, Student Services Ashanti Hands and Dean of Student Success & Equity Larry Maxey; a presentation on Scholarship and Stewardship from Vice President, Instruction Isabel O’Connor, and faculty members Gina Abbiate, Christina Crosby, and Danica Moore; and a presentation on Pathways & Partnerships from Internship Coordinator Pavel Consuegra, Work-based Learning Coordinator Katlin Choi, and Mesa Alumni, LEAD, CTE Student graduate Kevin Hazel.

- Heard public comment from Daniel Villegas about the Miramar Music program; and from Samantha Young, Marie McMahon, Jacqueline Clark, and Phillip Williams regarding vaccine mandates. City College Academic Senate (AS) President Darius Spearman shared that the Academic Senate Fall Plenary Session started today, that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is doing a student listening tour and will visit City College on December 6. He also congratulated Mesa College on its presentation.

- Adopted resolutions allowing for virtual meetings pursuant to Government Code section 54953(e), as amended (AB 361); authorizing a Districtwide closure on November 24, 2021; and excusing Trustee Mary Graham from attendance at the October 21, 2021, Board Retreat and Trustee Craig Milgrim from attendance at the November 4, 2021, Board Meeting due to illness.

- Adopted the 2021-22 First Quarter Financial Report.

- Approved a Districtwide Infrastructure project relating to Propositions S and N that will address districtwide needs, including minor construction, safety and code requirements, infrastructure, and equipment.

- Entered into an agreement with J.E. Moore for program management services for Propositions S and N projects between January 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.
Heard a report on food and housing insecurities from Vice Chancellor of Educational Services Susan Topham and Presidents Ricky Shabazz, Pam Luster, Wes Lundburg, and Kay Faulconer Boger.

- Approved the appointment of Becky Phillpott (nominated by Trustee Bernie Rhinerson) to the Trustee Advisory Council (TAC).

- Accepted grants from the U.S. Department of Education for the Title III – Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at City and Mesa Colleges, following comments by Presidents Ricky Shabazz and Pam Luster; for the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program at Miramar College; and for the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program at Mesa College.

- Accepted grants from the California Student Aid Commission for the Cal Grant Baccalaureate program at Mesa College; and from the San Diego County Office of Education for the Child Development Center at Miramar College.

- Entered into agreements with health care agencies for use of clinical facilities by students enrolled in District health occupations programs; with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) for the Middle College High School program partnership between East Village Middle College High School and City College; and with the California Department of Education for Child Development programs at City, Mesa and Miramar colleges.

- Authorized an amendment to the Master Service Agreement with Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and Miramar College to increase the contract amount and extend the contract until August 31, 2022.

- Accepted a stipend from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), as allocated by Assembly Bill 131, for expenses associated with the coronavirus pandemic incurred by the Child Development Centers at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges.

- Accepted revisions to the 2021 Family Handbook for Child Development Centers at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges.

- Authorized the renewal of agreements with City College and apprenticeship-sponsoring organizations for providing related and supplemental education, including San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), Associated General Contractors San Diego and Riverside Centers, and the Black Contractors Association Inc.; and travel of students from Mesa College to attend the Women’s Wear Daily MAGIC Conference in Las Vegas from February 13-16, 2021.

- Approved the reorganization of staffing and services for the SDCCD Parking Services program in order to increase parking and security services at College of Continuing Education campuses.

- Approved purchase orders completed during September 2021; new or revised courses and programs; and various personnel actions including the certification of short-term personnel service effective on or after November 5, 2021.