Special Report to the Public:
Geysil Arroyo
Trustee Geysil Arroyo thanked those who attended the meeting and provided public comment, as well as those who came to the Board’s open-door session ahead of the campus meeting.
Mariah Jameson
Trustee Mariah Jameson stated that she is looking forward to the April 17 Black Student Success Week Summit, where she will provide the welcome, along with Chancellor Gregory Smith.
Dr. Marichu Magaña
Trustee Marichu Magaña stated that she is looking forward to the upcoming commencement and awards ceremonies.
Craig Milgrim
Trustee Craig Milgrim recognized faculty for providing opportunities for student research presentations, including the April 16 conference at City College and the upcoming May 8 conference at Mesa College.
Dr. Maria Nieto Senour
Trustee Maria Nieto Senour thanked those who presented at College of Continuing Education ‘s campus meeting for sharing their stories, sentiments that were echoed by the rest of the Board members.
Gregory Smith
Chancellor Gregory Smith thanked those who presented for allowing him to be here in community with them, and for centering the work that still needs to be done in such a moving way. He reported that there are currently six bills making their way through legislation that address community college baccalaureate programs, including a Nursing baccalaureate (Soria), which Governor Gavin Newsom had twice vetoed, and two that limit duplication considerations from California State Universities (Alvarez and Cabaldon), and that the District awaits the May revision of the governor’s budget proposal. He said the House of Representatives passed a bill with bipartisan support that would extend temporary status for Haitian migrants for three years, which he said likely would not pass in the Senate; that the Department of Homeland Security does not have an appropriations bill, and that the District will continue to watch how workers are paid in the absence of the bill as well as the potential inclusion of the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act; and that President Donald Trump delivered his budget proposal to Congress, which notably was without potential cuts to the Pell Grant program including the number of units required to receive a grant and what a maximum award would require.
Chancellor Smith stated that he attended the Community College League of California's CEO Symposium in San Diego, where he heard from colleagues from across the state about how they are addressing similar issues facing SDCCD. Chancellor Smith also stated he attended the American Association of Community Colleges annual conference in Seattle, where he was inspired by sessions that focused on supporting student parents and integrating cocurricular activities into entry-level math and English courses. Chancellor Smith also stated that he will attend the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) conference in Washington, D.C., where the focus will be on Hispanic and Minority Serving Institutions designations. Chancellor Smith thanked the Operations, Enterprise Services, and Facilities department for hosting him on April 16, and noted that a lesson learned from the visit was realizing the District has a culture of being responsive even without adequate funding, staffing, and processes, and that those practices are not sustainable and need to be addressed and reviewed. Chancellor Smith also took a moment to express his sincere gratitude to Malia Kunst for her dedicated service to the District as the executive assistant to Miramar College President Wes Lundburg and Miramar College Classified Senate President, and to offer his warmest wishes as she prepares for her next chapter.
Yahir Melendez
Student Trustee Yahir Melendez reported that City College will host an April 28 border resistance breakfast to encourage student political engagement; Mesa College held student advocacy events between March 23 and 25; Miramar College Associated Student Government will hold student elections beginning April 27; and the College of Continuing Education Associated Students was a sponsor of a resolution for equal resource access for noncredit students.
BOARD ACTIONS
At its regular meeting of April 16, 2026, which was conducted in-person, with online participation available, the Board of Trustees:
- Announced the following actions from Closed Session: the Board denied the appeal of an Administrative Determination of a Title 5 Complaint; and approved the written settlement agreement.
- Conducted a campus meeting in a hybrid format with College of Continuing Education that included remarks from President Tina M. King and presentations focused on the theme "My Story is Not Your Story" by Classified Senate President Esther Anthony-Thomas, professors Terry Sivers and Sarah Boswell, administrators Roberta Krauss and Bita Bookman, and students Idil Hassan, Spencer Love, Judith Marcelin, Dabens Durronne, Graffira Simon, Yodlin Morency, Danny Essix, Nida Pierre, Nigena Azimi, Ha Thi Thu Huynh, and a performance by Wesley Thomas.
- Heard public comment from Corazon Garawan, Rachelle Sy, Arch Sy, and Gloria Aspiras who spoke on a closed session item; Courtney McClair who spoke on behalf of the Management Association; Marc Grabiel, Annette DeLozier, Kristin Krogh, Brian Mackus, and Jennifer Chavero who spoke on behalf of Supervisor and Professional Administrators Association in support of a long term shift to a 36-hour workweek; Irena Stojimirovic, Pablo Martin, Christina Crosby, Constantina Cano, Norell Martinez, Annette Miner (for anonymous), Marian Mena, and Mona Alsoraimi-Espiritu who spoke about faculty pay; and Sydney Mechean, Serena Pelka, Jim Miller, Moses Love Rico, Kelly Mayhew, and Cristina Marquez who addressed the Board in support of the electrification resolution. City College Academic Senate (AS) President Mona Alsoraimi-Espiritu applauded the College of Continuing Education for its presentation and said the AS passed two resolutions: one pertaining to housing insecurity, the other to collaboration between the district and colleges on counseling. She reported on two Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) events she recently attended, including a conversation on Artificial Intelligence, the additional work it has created for faculty, the appropriateness of its use in the classroom, and the lack of professional development compensation. Mesa College AS past president Andrew Hoffman shared that Edeama Onwuchekwa Jonah won the Regina Standback Stoud Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Antiracism, and Accessibility award from ASCCC. He shared several resolutions that the ASCCC passed. He announced that Kaitlin Choi will succeed Mary Gwin as the AS President in 2027, that Black Student Success Week is April 20-24, and the 33rd annual Scholarship Awards is May 9. He said April 15 was the Festival of Colors, which is part of Cultural Unity Week. Miramar College AS President Rodrigo Gomez complimented the College of Continuing Education and its students on the stories shared earlier in the meeting. He said he was happy to have supported the resolution at ASCCC about Ethnic Studies. The AS asked him to communicate to the Board its openness to naming the campus previously known as Cesar Chavez for Dolores Huerta, despite concerns about naming a campus after an individual. College of Continuing Education AS President Richard Weinroth said he was proud of the college and its students for their presentation and thanked President Tina M. King for providing funding to allow the DEI committee to have a book group for employees. He shared a few resolutions including one on the importance of noncredit as critically important as a pathway to credit programs, on the integrity of distance education including fraudulent use of AI, on secure technology solutions championed by the state chancellor’s office, support for expansion of accessible baccalaureate programs, protection of high-cost Career Technical Education (CTE) programs, and support for International Women’s Day as an official state holiday on March 8.
- Adopted revisions to Chapter 3 – General Institution, Chapter 4 – Instructional Services, and Chapter 6 – Business and Financial Services board policies.
- Approved the nomination of Trustees Roberto Rodriguez, Palomar CCD; Rachel Rosenthal, Sierra Joint CCD; Suzanne Lee Chan, Ohlone CCD; Crystal Jackson, West Hills CCD; Barbara Dunsheath, North Orange County CCD; Carlos Guerrero, Santa Clarita CCD; Deana Olivares-Lambert, Chaffey CCD; Jonathan Abboud, Santa Barbara CCD; Judy Chen Haggerty, Mt. San Antonio CCD to the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) Board of Directors of the Community College League of California (CCLC).
- Adopted resolutions proclaiming the week of May 17-23, 2026, as Classified Professionals Week; declaring May 2026 as Jewish-American Heritage Month; Mental Health Awareness Month; National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and National Military Appreciation Month; committing to eliminating fossil fuel use throughout the San Diego Community College District by 2035; and in support of the continuation of the Office of Child and Youth Success in San Diego.
- Authorized agreements with healthcare agencies for the use of clinical facilities by students enrolled in District health occupation programs.
- Approved the 2026-27 Student Fee Schedule.
- Accepted grants from the California Department of Education for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity (WIOA), Act Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act at College of Continuing Education; and from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) for Credit for Prior Learning Funding.
- Entered into agreements with Jobs for the Future, Inc. for the Unlocking Economic Mobility for Adult Learners project at Mesa College; with the Foundation for Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges for Strong Workforce funding for Miramar College biotechnology and College of Continuing Education Healthcare Careers; and with the California Department of Social Services for the Child Development Centers at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges.
- Awarded amendments to Astute Business Solutions for the PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Module Implementation, and Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services.
- Ratified a special services agreement with Mindset Labs Inc to ensure continuity of services related to the Basic Needs Centers.
- Adopted the Resource Allocation Formula (RAF) 2026 salary schedule for the Management Association; and approved two Supervisory & Professional Administrators Association (SPAA) unit employee sabbaticals for 2026-27.
- Awarded a cooperative agreement with ACCO Engineered Services to procure materials and provide labor for the New HVAC Units at Police Academy Building A2 at Miramar College; a bid to Universal Coatings, Inc., for City College LRC Building Fluid Applied Roofing Project; and amended a contract with Helix Systems dba Helix Computer Systems for the provision of special services related to the development of the SDCCD-owned Simplifier software.
- Approved the additional project scope and/or approved change order for the following Measure HH projects: the City College “A” Building Expansion, the Athletic Complex Project at Mesa College, the Mesa College Performing Arts Center/Administration & Parking Structure Project, the Miramar College Montgomery Field Aviation Instructional Center Project, the Miramar College Early Education Center Project; the Miramar College Performing Arts Center/English/Gallery Building Project, and the ECC Theatre Renovation.
- Reviewed and ratified Emergency Actions taken to repair the baseball outfield fence and netting at Mesa College, the York Chiller at the Miramar College central plant; to repair a transformer providing power to the Learning Resource Center (LRC), M Building, and I-Building at Miramar College; and to repair a damaged sewer line at the College of Continuing Education’s Educational Cultural Complex.
- Approved purchase orders and contracts completed during March 2026; new or revised courses and programs; the transfer of funds between budget expenditure accounts in the 2025-26 General Fund/Unrestricted Budget; Measure HH Project Updates, notices to proceed, notices of completion, and change orders completed during February 2026; and various personnel actions including the certification of short-term personnel service effective on or after April 17, 2026.