On March 9, the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees gathered via Zoom to discuss the most recent business and affairs orbiting the Peralta Community College District.
Before the open session began, the board formally recognized six newly tenured faculty members from Berkeley City College and the College of Alameda with a tenure reception. Shortly after the newly tenured faculty were celebrated, during the open session, Trustee Withrow pulled the agenda item about new faculty for discussion, mentioning he was concerned about “fixed costs” associated with hiring full time faculty. Trustee Linda Handy echoed his concerns with her statements.
“Was it necessary for that process [tenure of faculty] to happen right now then later at the end of the year perhaps when we start coming out of this decline and start building up more students?” Handy said.
“Everyone is singing rosy praises, but it’s not a rosy praise time for Peralta right now.”
Interim Chancellor Carla Walter (who is set to resign April 15) and the four college presidents discussed the previous week’s site visits from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). Walter said that the ACCJC teams found that Berkeley City college, College of Alameda, Laney College and Merritt College had no compliance recommendations , and while there was a celebratory tone, Board President Cindi Napoli-Abella Reiss acknowledged there was still work to be done.
The board also debated the approval of the education protection account funding and expenditures and how that money will be spent, with questions for Adil Ahmed, the district’s Acting Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration, who told the trustees these funds would not be used for administrative or classified expenses.
Next, David Robydek of Clifton Larson Allen presented the district’s annual audit report. Robydek explained that CLA’s findings of Peralta’s finances were “clean” with details about an increase in Peralta’s revenue, but also an increase in liability with overall “incremental improvements.” Trustee Julina Bonilla questioned why some of the findings in the audit report had not changed during her time on the board and abstained from voting on the item.
“It is concerning for me when I start to see some of the same issues arise through this audit that were raised in a FCMAT study two years ago” Bonilla said.
During discussion for the $8.4 million Design and Construction Services of Laney College’s Title IX Locker Room Renovation Project, trustees seemed confused at first about the cost and phase of the project, pointing to paperwork they received in their packet.
Acting Vice Chancellor Atheria Smith quickly pointed out to Trustee Bonilla that the information was spread across two action items. Smith then referred to Stan Wong, project manager with Swinerton Builders, to explain the project timeline for the locker room renovation. Wong stated that architectural and design plans would likely be completed by July 2021, with demolition and construction beginning “sometime around October” to be completed by the end of 2022. “This is all outlined in the bond spending program that the bond manager has put together,” Wong said.
Bill Withrow motioned for more information about the project after discussing a potential to delay the approval until the next board meeting. The project was approved, but trustees asked the administration to come back with contextual information to show a complete picture of the project from start to finish with cost information, a timeline with milestones for completion, Office of Civil Rights Reports, and status of where they are at compliance-wise for this project.
The board of trustees meet next at 7 p.m. on March 23.
