As summer classes kick off at Peralta Community College District (PCCD), the PCCD Board of Trustees tied up loose ends in its last meeting for the fiscal year, held June 25.

The meeting included a status update on Peralta’s bonds — Measure A and Measure G — and the wide array of construction projects they fund.

Board gets update to $945 million bond program 

Sharon Serrano, a representative from infrastructure management firm AECOM, presented a  brief update to Peralta’s $945 million bond program, which funds repairs and construction for the four colleges.

Progress has been made on many construction projects for the district, but some at Laney College are on hold, due to delays in state approvals for designs of Laney’s new fire alarm system.

These include Laney’s Locker Room Project and Theater Modernization Project. The hope is that the fire alarm project will be approved in August, according to Serrano.

READ FULL STORY: Peralta needs new facilities. How’s it going?

New student trustee sworn in, Masand leaves vacant seat

Sophia Parmigiani, PCCD’s new student trustee, was sworn onto the board at the meeting. Parmigiani is a biology major at BCC and a former senator for the Associated Students of Berkeley City College.

Student Trustees Naomi Vasquez and Natasha Masand graduated from Berkeley City College (BCC) in May. They were honored for their leadership at the board meeting, which marked their last meeting as student trustees.

Masand is set to transfer to UC Berkeley, according to a statement from BCC President Denise Richardson during the college’s commencement ceremony. She was re-elected to the student trustee seat by PCCD students in April. The district is working on filling her seat.

PCCD has received 22 applications for the vacant seat, according to an emailed statement from PCCD communications director Mark Johnson.

Student government officers will meet at Laney College on Aug. 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to interview the applicants, according to Johnson.

READ MORE:

• Student Trustee Naomi Vasquez aims to empower students
• Student Trustee Natasha Masand finds her voice

Trustees approve big leadership hires

Trustees approved two key leadership appointments: Greg Nelson, Deputy Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, and Abdul Pridgen, Interim Executive Director of Public Safety.

Both were appointed to two year terms beginning July 1.

Nelson will receive a $261,879 annual salary, while Pridgen’s salary is set for $196,060.

District gets $8 million IT upgrade

An $8 million upgrade to the district’s network infrastructure has been completed, reported Chancellor Gilkerson.

That means better wifi and cell coverage district-wide, as well as backup power in case of an emergency, Gilkerson said.

81 Cisco switches, 440 wireless access points, 50 uninterrupted power supply units, and over 25,000 feet of fiber optic cable were installed, according to Gilkerson.

From the consent calendar

The “consent calendar” is a group of items on the meeting’s agenda that is typically approved in one motion without discussion. Trustees may pull items from the consent calendar to discuss and vote individually.

This week’s consent calendar was unanimously approved with zero items pulled for discussion.

Oakland School for the Arts gets dual enrollment

Students at the Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) will soon be able to dual enroll in PCCD classes, thanks to the approval of a PCCD’s new dual enrollment agreement with OSA. OSA Executive Director Mike Oz could not be reached for comment or further information.

New agreement for Laney blue phones

Bhogal Brothers Construction, Inc., received a $200,000 contract to install four new blue phones as well as electrical equipment to support Laney’s exterior security cameras.

“Security cameras throughout the Laney College Campus have inadequate electrical power at exterior lighting poles due to disrepair, theft, and vandalism of the exterior electrical panels, conduits, and light poles, rendering them inoperable,” a description of the agenda item states.

Marina gets $430,700 amendment to security contract 

The board ratified the sixth amendment to Marina Security Services’ original contract, which ended Feb. 28.

The $430,693.51 amendment accounts for “supplemental services,” including security for “special events held on each campus and at sporting events,” a description of the agenda item states. It brings the total value of the contract to about $15.5 million over three years.

Marina’s subsequent $6 million contract, approved in February for a one-year term, remains unchanged.

Slew of administrative appointments approved

Trustees approved 11 administrative appointments on the consent calendar, including Pridgen and Nelson. These include eight temporary appointments.

District: Natasha Spivey was appointed Interim Director of Human Resources for a one year term starting July 1. She has served in the role since April 1 as an acting appointment and receives $161,049 annually.

The appointment of Marla Williams-Powell as Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance was extended by another year at $210,065.

Maria Terencia Antonio, Acting Director of Payroll Services, received an extended appointment through Sep. 30.

BCC: Nghiem Thai, a former Merritt librarian, was appointed Interim Dean of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Berkeley City College for a six month term at a $161,049 annual salary.

CoA: Natalie Rodriguez, Interim Dean of Enrollment Services at the College of Alameda received an extended appointment through Dec. 31 at $161,049 annually.

Eva Jennings was appointed Interim Vice President of Instruction at CoA for a six-month term starting July 1, at $196,060 annually. She formerly served as CoA’s Dean of Career Tech Education, Workforce and Contract Education.

William Ramos-Ochoa was appointed Acting Dean of Career Technical Education, Workforce and Contract Education at CoA for a six-month term starting July 1 at $168,051 annually.

Laney: Lorena Lopez was appointed to Dean of Enrollment Services for a two year term starting July 1 at $175,054 annually.

Merritt: Lisa Cook was hired as Vice President of Instruction for a two year term starting June 26 at $196,060 annually. She has been serving in the role as a temporary appointment since July 2023.