President's Report

Hello Faculty, and thank you to everyone who helped make the CCFT/Faculty Senate Forum on Quality Community College Education a success. The lively discussion among students, faculty and community members highlighted changes in the college system and efforts to respond to those changes.

A big concern is how to address the new limits on repeatability and how they affect access to classes, especially in the arts, kinesiology, and for some basic skills students. Many competencies require multiple repetitions, such as gaining mastery of an instrument, polishing acting skills, understanding how to use math, or reaching excellence in a new sport.

Faculty and students expressed concerns about plans to shift arts classes to the new Cabrillo Extension and Community Education Center. From a CCFT perspective, the immediate consequence is to move instructors out of the bargaining unit where the protections of tenure, assignment preference, retirement security and health benefits do not exist. Moving courses to the Extension, while attempting to meet community demand for instruction, undermines the power of union solidarity to determine the compensation and working conditions for a segment of the faculty community. This potential conflict of interest makes faculty very wary of these plans. Students and faculty are concerned that the quality of instruction may suffer if the dedication, professionalism and mentoring provided by the current, longtime faculty are lost. These transitions will require much thoughtful consideration.

On a brighter note, it was exhilarating to attend the Faculty and Staff Grant Awards ceremony this week. In all, $86,987 was awarded for forty-four different projects. Big thanks to the Cabrillo Foundation, the donors and the committee members who took the time to read and assess all the proposals. This week, College Planning Council also forwarded recommendations for one-time instructional spending of $300,000 to meet program needs.

 

by Debora Bone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructional Technology funds have also been allocated to upgrade our aging computer infrastructure. There is no doubt that with adequate resources, everyday miracles can happen in classrooms, labs and offices all over campus! Probably the most important decisions that our shared governance bodies make are the deliberations over priorities for resource allocation. After so many years of cuts, it is incredibly satisfying to be talking about purchasing needed equipment and addressing a host of unmet needs. Alas, like the early rains that are finally nourishing our parched gardens and forests, so much more is needed.

The allocation of a mere four new contract faculty for next year is sorely inadequate to repair weakened programs after so many retirement positions have gone unfilled in recent years. The classified infrastructure is struggling as well with far too few people managing an ever-increasing workload. As state revenues increase, bringing in more full time faculty and filling classified positions must be a high priority.

Fortunately, the Legislative Analyst’s Office is predicting improved revenues for the State over the next few years. Capital gains taxes on an increasing stock market are pouring in to Sacramento. There may be as much as $4.4 billion available to pay down the $11 billion of statewide deferrals and unpaid claims.

CCFT remains committed to negotiate a strong compensation package for next year. Whether state revenues come in the form of restoration funding (enrollment dependent), COLA, or other improvements, it is a clear priority for all faculty to convert to ongoing the one-time component of this year’s improved salary schedules and move towards further salary improvements. With appropriate compensation and adequate resources, we have a foundation for working together to determine exactly what student success and quality education should look like here at Cabrillo.