The June meeting of the SOCCCD BOT: "jackass free"

     [Please see Tere's Board Meeting Highlights.]
     I just entered the "Ronald Reagan" room here at Saddleback College—at pretty close to 6:00—and the meeting seems to have just begun. Evidently, no actions were taken by the board during closed session.
     Bill Jay lays on the religion pretty thick for his invocation. Dave Lang asks the audience to join him in "paying respects" to the flag. Really? To the flag? (Sorry, I'm a philosopher.)

Commendations:

     Right away, Nancy tears into the meeting. "Commendations" commence. Martin Carbone, Saddleback College Emeritus volunteer, comes up to receive recognition.
     Burnett explains that two commendation recipients couldn't attend. The SC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa wasn't present somehow. Also, Andrew Craven isn't present for some reason. I think he's in charge of parking or something. Lots of applause. You know how this goes.
     IVC's Glenn Roquemore comes up, asking that Diane Oaks and her "team" come up. They got some sort of recognition from CC Pro. So this is a case of giving a prize to people for getting a prize. (I don't understand why they stop there; why not give 'em another prize for the prize they just gave em'?) They seem like deserving people, though. They're pretty smiley and happy.
     Glenn asks Officer Tony Mancini to step up. He got an award from the CCUPCA for identifying a suspect, etc.
   
     Public comments: 

     Bob Cosgrove comes up, praises some people re SC's accreditation effort. (It sounds as though there's a dying squirrel in Bob's mike.) Mentions a Saddleback College retreat. Commends various people. Bob's old-fashioned that way. "An excellent presentation" by Todd B, evidently.
     A person named Mark Goodleaf also wants to address the board--re "IVC's ATEP," the purported layoff (an instructor in a particular program) coming up to a vote tonight. If you were to understand the contribution of this program (whatever it is), you wouldn't consider doing this, he says. I don't need to teach there, but I have for years, he says. "That's not why I'm here." Talks about the contribution of the school (program?). And "the youth." I was a little bit afraid of the youth, but...blah, blah, blah. These students are now contributing to the community. They're "positive citizens," fully employed. This wouldn't have happened were it not for ATEP and this particular program!

Board reports:

     Bill Jay: no report

     Tim Jemal: it was a pleasure last month to participate in commencement at IVC. Commends everyone involved. Went off "pretty well," he says. Had an opportunity to be interviewed on TV. A legislative action, TV show--something about Emeritus. Legislation that would throw older folks "under the bus," and he doesn't support it. The budget seems to be stabilizing. FTES equivalent of 1200 elderly students at Saddleback, evidently. Etc.
     Marcia Milchiker: agrees with Tim about the Emeritus Institute (should support it, protect it). Have always fought for these courses, these students. Last meeting, I read a list of the "60 things" I did. This time, commencements. "Can't thank enough" the people responsible. Went to Human Services certificate award ceremony. Marcia says she got a certificate from those people for having always attended.
     Mentions Bob Cosgrove's remark about me (yes me) at the last board meeting (Bob noted my efforts reporting on board meetings). A "Cumbaya" moment, says Marcia: in his report about the last board meeting, Roy Bauer wrote (she reads this):

     Yes folks, here we are yet again for another meeting of the SOCCCD BOT. This is, as I’ve suggested previously, the best BOT the district likely has ever had, which ain’t saying much, I know [big laugh], but it’s a damned good thing nonetheless. Essentially, the board is now jackass-free. [More laughter.] Plus we've got a Chancellor we can work with and trust.

     High praise from Roy Bauer, says Marcia. [Much laughter-like noise. Mostly, I keep my eyes closed, hoping for the moment to pass.] Nancy says something positive. I give her a thumbs up. What did that mean? I don't know. Everybody seems to be in a good mood about this. Well, OK, me too.
     TJ Prendergast: discusses the problem of addiction to prescription drugs. Attended an event about that, wants to spread the word. A disturbing trend.
     Nancy Padberg: she offers a helpful household tip: if you go to your pharmacist, they've got some method to dispose of your old drugs, she says. (You mail 'em somewhere.) Attended this and that. Won some prize somewhere. Mentions retirements: Don B, someone else.
     James Wright: also attended graduation ceremonies, both "wonderful events." Went to retirement dinner for Carl Abrams. Gravely mentions recent tragedy at Santa Monica College.
     [I see that the latest board innovation is a timer, a countdown from 3 minutes or 2 minutes while the person speaks. Nancy is like the Library Cop on Seinfeld.]
     Dave Lang: I also enjoyed both commencement ceremonies. Dave thanks the two Presidents. Participated in the SC golf tournament. "Not a skilled foursome..."
     Student trustee David Robinson: thanked board members for "warm welcome." Condolences and prayers re Santa Monica College tragedy. (Prayers? These kids today!)
     Chancellor's (Gary Poertner's) report: "I have no report this evening."
     IVC President Glenn Roquemore: blah, blah, blah.
     Saddleback College Prez Tod Burnett: introduces Kathy Werle. (Do you suppose she's getting tired of all this attention?) She stands; receives applause. Tod appreciated strong faculty turnout for commencement. Thanked people who helped with the event. Thanked the Ac. Senate for bestowing honorary degree on UCI Chancellor Drake, the keynote speaker. Mentions a successful governance retreat.

Reports requested: 

     TJ Prendergast requests a report of impact on employees (cadillac tax, etc.) of federal health care bill implementation. They vote (to pursue report): unanimous approval. Nancy opines that it seems like a good idea (asking for the report)

Item 4.1 — discussion item — Basic aid allocation recommendation for FY 2013-4

     Deb Fitzsimmons presents.
     Discusses BAARC (Basic Aid Allocation Recommendation Council), "the district wide participatory committee responsible for making recommendations to the Chancellor."
     Outlines BAAARC's activities, timeline. BP3110 was strictly followed. [This concerns an accred recommendation to do budgeting in a less top-down fashion.]
     Net amount available for BAAAARC. Allocation: $52,853,446
     Capital projects: $26 mil. Various others.
     District wide tech projects: $10.8 mil
     Small renovation projects: $ 5.75 mil
     etc.
     ANY QUESTIONS?:

     Prendergast: this is a lot of work; nice to see so many groups involved, making sure that it's not top-down. I hope the groups agree with that. This is a really good thing. (Response to accreditation recommendation.)
     Jemal: echoes Prendergast's comment. Happy about techno investment. There's a lot in here. Asks Bramucci to summarize....
     B: Student Success Dashboard. Everything will be on one page per student. Mostly we're just keeping the lights on, getting things refreshed. Replacing desktops. This dashboard thing is a culmination of lots that we've done.
     Jemal: when will the dashboard be operable? B: was supposed to be a year project. Contingent on ....
     Padberg instructs trustees on how to use the new buttons on their desktop. Lang asks, "Which button?" Confusion. Nancy gives up: "just raise your hand." [Laughter.]
     Lang: congrats to the BAAAAARC. Getting lots of imput from the entire community [as per accred rec]. Also pleased we're making investment in tech. It seems to me that we once had discussion about some of this generating a revenue stream? Any news on that front?
     B: there's some work that needs to take place for that.

Consent calendar. There's a correction. Lang pulls 5.8. Vote: unanimous

     5.8: confused about this item — Brandye comes up to explain about demolishing classroom cluster "building project." She's her usual clear and competent self, it seems.

     6.1: tentative budget. 

     Again, Deb Fitz presents. Shows the usual stats, slides. Again, there seems to be a dying squirrel in her mike. [Meanwhile, the meeting has been plagued with minor problems with the overhead or "computer" system. Nancy is slightly peeved about that.]
     Sorry for my disinclination to follow this presentation. I'm just in no mood to think about numbers, fiscal. Evidently, nothing alarming or surprising is being said. The board exhibits mild interest, perhaps boredom.
     Fitz is talking "liability" and "estimates," etc. Prop 30. Etc.
     Fitz gives her usual evidently clear and competent presentation. On it goes. I always get the feeling that she does a good job with this stuff, but that's an odd coming from someone who neither understands nor seeks to understand fiscal matters. Whatever.
     She continues..... She looks pretty earnest, but everything's OK, I guess. The board seems reasonably pleased. She said something about funds for "scheduled maintenance." The factoid is pleasing, evidently.
     Nancy: we're sticking to our rule about basic aid funds are we? (a reference to the idea that basic aid funds are never for ongoing expenses)? F: yep.
     Student trustee Robinson asks: do you anticipate keeping fee [?] to $40? F: state fees are set by state.
     Prendergast: we're waiting for the Governor to sign the current budget, are we? Good news mostly about amount budgeted? F: very positive for Cal CC system as a whole; very positive for our district in particular. Governor has veto power on certain sections. It'll be interesting to see "which bills pass." P: something about 1.63% growth. Someone comes up to explain some seeming discrepancy, I know not what. Everything is cool, though. Sorry, I don't know what this is about. Half of my brain is on summer holiday.
     Lang: back to comment about deferred maintenance money available at state. What sort of allocation for us? F: It's project based. "About 2% of the total." She gets into the weeds, I'm not following. Blah blah blah. Lang: several of our capital improvement projects involve state monies. How will that be affected by state budget? F: shouldn't be.
     Voting on the item: unanimous approval.

     Tentative student government budget(s).
     SC student Prez (didn't catch his name) presents. (Nice suit, dude.) Goes through process, etc. Pretty halting, awkward. Luckily, everything is projected on screen. His presentation is brief, thank God.
     Lang: I think you did a wonderful job. We're starting the year with pretty healthy beginning fund balance. You're using all of the funds available except for emerg. reserve for the categories you've indicated. So why do you have an ending balance?
     Student: we have a rollover every year. The figure is an estimate based on last year. Lang seems satisfied.
     Next, IVC student gov budget. This time, Jee Chung(?) speaks. Says he wants to be quick and clear. Formal, a bit awkward. Goes through process. Halting, but again, the slides lay out the data. Yadda Yadda. Painful. But no more than usual.
     Jemal: IVC revenue seems higher than Saddleback's, which is odd (Saddleback is much bigger.) To what may this be attributed? Nancy points to Saddleback kid: ASC receives 40% contract revenue, he says. The other 60 not in alignment with "our mission."
     Burnett: the college determined that ASG was being asked to make decisions on ongoing academic matters. Inappropriate. So a change was made, and now ASG sticks to its mission.
     Prendergast: great presentations. In past, we've gotten comparisons of last year with this year. Fitz: yes, that makes sense. That comparison will be included in the final budget.
     Student Trustee Robinson: do you anticipate increase in scholarship allotment? ASG kid says something about $20,000.
     Lang: since we don't have the comparative info now—can you give us idea on what you have emphasized in this budget vs. last year? Answer: our co-curricular programs, he says.
     Wright: do you talk with your colleague at SC? I noticed discrepancies between the two colleges re ASG budget items. (I didn't follow the resolution of this. Too weary.)
     Unanimous approving vote (with Jay out of the room on a bathroom break).

Oscar

6.3: Authorizing design-build procurement for the SC site improvements project
     Brandye D presents.
     Prendergast: do we know when we use this approach--do we have criteria about which (approach) to use when? (Reference to previously customary approach—Lease/leaseback—vs. newer design-build approach)
     B: we have a preference for "design-build." Etc. I didn't follow this, but P seemed satisfied.
     Lang: unfortunate publicity recently surrounding (cc college construction?, overruns?), how still competitively bid? Give us some comfort in this area, says Dave.
     B: some of the controversies you've heard about—these districts use a less stringent approach in bidding. We understand the conservative nature of our board, so we are very conservative in our approach. Current approach mirrors competitive bid process, etc.
     Jemal: follow-up to Lang. Is there a dollar amount minimum (I didn't get this). The answer involved the figure $15,000--that is, the approach in question applies to all projects over that amount (I think). Don't expect that to change, says B. [This issue--the advantages to moving to design-build--was discussed at length previously. As I recall, B and Co. have been very positive about our use of design-build vs. Lease/leaseback. The latter seems inevitably to lead to big problems with sub-contractors, thus contractors. They get locked into prices and then things change, they go belly-up. This new method avoids all that.)
     Jemal: Projects over $15k will be competitively bid then? (The answer seemed to be "sort of" or "yes" but I didn't follow the details.)
     Milchiker: why prefer design-build? Blah blah blah. The board seemed satisfied.

6.4: Board policy revisions. Unanimous approval.

6.5: BPs for review and study.
     Lang: BP164, the first one. This item involves increase in trustee stipend from $400 to $700 per month. There's good justification for that. Has been through shared governance process. Public should be aware of this increase. Nancy: we've been authorized to do this for years, but held back because of budget. Accept for review and study? Unanimous. (This issue last came up four years ago: Trustees to delay 67% pay increase for themselves, Jan 16, 2009; Trustees set to nearly double their monthly stipend, Dec 2, 2008)

6.6: request, rescind sabbatical leave. Unanimously approved
6.7: Academic Personal actions. Unanimous
6.8: Classified Personal actions. Unanimous.
6.9: resolution re classified employee layoff. Revenue not there to continue. Thus lay off recommended.
Prendergast: is the position related to the program the public speaker referred to earlier?
     Bugay: yes. It's categorically funded.
     Roquemore: we've lost the (something). Grants involved. Coming to an end without any replacement funds. The funds are drying up. Unanimous approval of rec. layoff.
7.1: info item about speakers.
. . .

8.0: reports from shared governance groups. 

     I'll just mention highlights here, if any occur.
     SC academic senate guy (unfamiliar to me). Echoed Bob's comments. Mentions retreat. "Collegial and informative experience." A "palpable sense of comaraderie in the room." 1st Senate meeting: new degrees approved. (Boy does this guy have lots to say. But he does a good job.)
     There is now a site for "History of Saddleback College." Professor Cobos' website. 1967-68, oral histories. "Making history, the first years of Saddleback College."
     Faculty union: negotiation team.
     No rep for IVC Ac. Senate.
     Peebles: no report beyond written.
     Bramucci: blah blah blah about technology
     Bugay: something about training deans, coming from ACCA. Local personages involved.
     Fitzsimmons: [The timer's working!] Blah blah blah. Awesome fiscal team, etc.
     IVC classified ac senate, Dennis Gordon: conference, etc. End of year celebration. My last meeting: appreciate this opportunity. Board meetings: "A refreshing change from how it's been in the past."
. . .
    Wright: Adjourned meeting in memory of Steve Sworder, who recently passed away.
    The meeting ends before 8:00 p.m. Pretty dang efficient.