Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

Making Waves gets $45 million in support from Supervisors for charter school

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By Daniel Borsuk

Up to $45 million in tax-exempt California Municipal Finance Authority revenue bonds aimed at renovating three existing buildings and constructing five academic buildings for the nonprofit Making Waves Academy in Richmond sailed through the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

As a consent item, supervisors voted 3-0 to approve the issuance of non-public, tax-exempt bonds for the big charter school project.

Supervisors John Gioia of Richmond and Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill were absent.

The big charter school project will renovate and add up 204,500 square of space for the school that was founded in 1989 to enroll students in the West Contra Costa Unified School District into an accelerated academic program designed to boost students’ admission to four-year colleges.

“Ninety percent our graduates go onto college,” Making Waves Academy Chief Operating Officer Steven Roth told the Contra Costa Herald.

Some 400 Making Wave Academy graduates have gone on to college, he said.  Graduates have gone on to the University of California, California State University, Stanford University, Ivy League schools and other prominent four-year institutions of higher education.

With 780 students now enrolled in grades eight through 12, Roth could not estimate how much enrollment will increase with the expanded campus.

Roth expects ground to be broken for the first phase of construction sometime next year.  The project is planned to be completed by 2019 or 2020.

The Contra Costa County Office of Education that has served as the charter school authorizer since 2007 recently reauthorized the academy’s charter for an additional five years with the California Department of Education.

Before the charter school can proceed on the construction, the Contra Costa County Board of Education must also sign off on the project since the county office is the school’s charter school authorizer, said Terry Koehne, chief communications officer for the county office of education.  The county board is expected to take up the Making Waves expansion in ensuing months.

“We issued a letter of support to the board of supervisors,” Koehne said.  “Making Waves has met and exceeded its fiscal and academic requirements.”

“The board of supervisors’ action means that the county is off the hook,” said Anthony Stubbs, a CMFA advisor.  Since the funds backing the bonds are from the private market, the supervisors’ action clarifies no public funds are at risk in connection with the Making Waves project.

“The county served as the official hearing body for the nonprofit school for its CMFA application,” said Kristen Lackey of the Contra Costa County Conservation and Development Department.

“Our function is pretty limited to holding public hearings on this project,” Lackey said.  “No one showed up for the March 6 public hearing that we conducted.”

The charter school project involves the renovation of three existing school buildings at 4123 Lakeside Dr., the construction of a 47,000-square foot, two-story building, a 21,500-square foot one story gymnasium building and a new sports field adjacent to the Making Waves Academy at 4075 and 4123 Lakeside Dr.

The academy plans to erect two new two-story middle school buildings, one a 72,000 -square foot structure at 2925, 2930, and 2975 Technology Court and a 39,000-square foot building along with a one- story gymnasium building with 25,000 square feet at 4301 and 4175 to 4197 Lakeside Dr.

The charter school also plans to construct and equip a new sports complex at 2600 Hilltop Dr.  The complex will consist of 13 acres with a swimming pool, sports fields and baseball fields.

Adult Literacy Grant Approved

Also at the meeting, the Supervisors flashed the green light for Contra Costa County Librarian Melinda Cervantes to apply for a California State Library Grant of up to $80,000 to fund the library’s adult literacy program, Project Second Chance, from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.  Since its launch in 1984, PSC has helped more than 5,600 county residents to learn to read.

Supervisors also approved a $73,173 contract with the city of Pleasant Hill for the county Health Services Department to provide homeless outreach services from March 1 2017 through June 30, 2018.

Deer Valley High student wins county “Poetry Out Loud” contest, again

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Kiara Chapman with her winner’s certificate.

Kiara Chatman advances to state finals in competition that emphasizes language skill and public speaking

In a remarkable achievement, Kiara Chatman, a senior at Deer Valley High in Antioch, took first place in the Contra Costa County “Poetry Out Loud” competition for the second year in a row. The event was held in the lovely Las Lomas High School Theatre in Walnut Creek on February 11th.  The Runner-up position went to senior Camila Morales-Jimenez from El Cerrito High in El Cerrito, and Third Place to sophomore Wesley Little from Monte Vista High in Danville.

The three were among thousands of students across the state to participate in the national recitation contest, a program started by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and run by the California Arts Council and locally by the Arts & Culture Commission of Contra Costa County (AC5) to engage high-school students in the presentation of poetry through memorization and performance.  Chatman advances to the California state finals in Sacramento on March 12 & 13. At stake are hundreds of dollars on the state competition level and thousands at the national finals of Poetry Out Loud.

This is Contra Costa’s tenth year of Poetry Out Loud competition, and many attendees commented that the recitations just keep getting better and better.  Among the many fine recitations, Ms. Chatman’s “The Gaffe” by C.K. Williams, Ms. Morales-Jimenez’s “One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII” by Pablo Neruda and Mr. Little’s “Cartoon Physics, part 1” by Nick Flynn helped secure the final outcome.

The very competitive pool of finalists included students from eleven county high schools: College Park High in Pleasant Hill, Deer Valley High in Antioch, El Cerrito High in El Cerrito, Independence High in Brentwood, Las Lomas High in Walnut Creek, Monte Vista High in Danville, Northgate High in Walnut Creek, Pinole Valley High in Pinole, Truthtrackers Co-Op in Walnut Creek and Making Waves Academy and Salesian College Preparatory, both in Richmond.  Countywide, over 2500 students memorized a poem for the program this year.

“To learn a great poem by heart is to make a friend for life,” said John Barr, president of the Poetry Foundation. “The national recitation program brings fresh energy to an ancient art form by returning it to the classrooms of America.”

The Poetry Out Loud program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry: recitation and performance. Poetry Out Loud competitions start in the classroom, then at the school, region, state, and national finals, similar to the structure of the spelling bee. The national initiative is part of an attempt to bring literary arts to students, a critical need in U.S. schools, according to a 2004 NEA report Reading at Risk that found a dramatic decline in literary reading, especially among younger readers.

More information can be found at http://www.cac.ca.gov/initiatives/pol.php and www.poetryoutloud.org.

Glazer introduces $2 billion bond bill to improve facilities at CSU, UC campuses

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Sacramento, CA – For the first time in more than a decade, California voters would have the opportunity to approve higher education bonds to improve facilities on California State University and University of California campuses under legislation introduced Thursday by joint authors Sens. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, and Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica.

The bill, SB 483, would authorize the statewide sale of $2 billion in general obligation bonds earmarked for higher education facilities at CSU and UC campuses. The bonds would go before voters in the 2018 general election.

“For many generations, California taxpayers have been proud supporters of the greatest higher education system in America,” Glazer said. “Unfortunately, we have allowed classrooms and libraries to deteriorate, affecting our ability to educate our students. Without public support, the burden of financing facilities will be borne by students and their families through higher tuition and fees.

The most recent such bond, which provided $1.6 billion to improve higher education facilities at CSU and UC, was approved by voters in 2006. All those funds have since been depleted. The last higher education-specific bond was passed in 1994.

“California’s public colleges and universities are a source of great pride to our state, but unfortunately we’ve allowed their physical facilities to fall into disrepair,” said Allen, who chairs the Senate Education Committee. “This bond measure will provide a much-needed and overdue investment in our higher education infrastructure.”

According to CSU and UC, the two systems have capital needs of $7 billion and $10 billion, respectively, for short-term and long-term projects. The CSU and UC are able to provide their own funding for some construction programs through system-wide revenue bonds, though only half of their capital needs are met.

“We appreciate Senator Glazer’s work to secure funding for necessary repair and replacement of aging higher education buildings and infrastructure,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. “More than $2 billion in deferred maintenance – due to lack of investment during the previous recession – left our campuses vulnerable to potential failures of critical systems. Safe and up-to-date classrooms, research labs and work spaces are essential to the success of our students, faculty and staff.”

SB 483 would require universities or colleges to submit five-year capital outlay plans that prioritize seismic retrofitting needed to reduce seismic hazards in buildings identified as high priority.

David Lopez, president of the California State Student Association, said the legislation addresses the issues about needed classroom repairs that students have been talking about for years.

“We keep hearing stories of students in classrooms that need major repair,” Lopez said. “Buildings that need to be closed for safety reasons. Our campus infrastructure needs have never been greater than they are today.”

Spending choices will emerge through recommendations from governing boards for both CSU and UC systems and will be reviewed in public hearings during the legislative process, Glazer said.

“The state has failed to provide the funds needed for public higher education faculty, student services and infrastructure,” said Mel Levine, Co-chair of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education. “We can’t take in more California students without restoring and improving our classrooms and labs.”

Last November, voters approved Proposition 51, a $9 billion education facilities bond, but did not include any money for the CSU or UC.

“This measure provides important financial backing for critical upgrades to our libraries and classrooms on college campuses,” Glazer added. “And I believe voters should be given a chance to continue the proud legacy of supporting our universities and colleges.”

A December 2016 survey on higher education by Public Policy Institute of California showed broad support – 65 percent – for higher education construction projects. It represented an 11 percentage point increase in support since December, 2014 and was the highest level of support since PPIC first began asking the question in 2007. http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/survey/S_1216MBS.pdf

Richmond teacher convicted on 87 counts, including forcible child molestation, kidnap

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By Office of the Contra Costa County District Attorney

Justice was served on January 12, 2017 when a jury returned guilty verdicts in the case against Ronald David Guinto.  Guinto, a former sixth grade science and math teacher at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, was charged with 90 counts related to repeated and long term child molestation of 13 charged and two uncharged victims between 2002-2013.  The jury found the defendant guilty as charged on 87 counts and hung on three counts.

In 2002, Guinto enticed his first victim through an AOL chat room to sneak out of his house and with Guinto in order to molest thethen 12-year-old boy.  The molestation occurred on multiple occasions, in both Santa Clara and Solano Counties.  Defendant was convicted of twenty nine counts of child molestation and kidnapfor acts committed with this victim.

Between 2008 and 2009, Ronald Guinto participated as a Cub Scout Pack Leader and Camp Counselor for summer camps and local Cub Scout troops in the greater San Jose area where he groomed and molested multiple victims.  Through Guinto’s contacts with the Boy Scouts, Guinto gained access to a church in San Jose where he kidnapped and took one of the charged victimsand molest him and showed him pornography.  Defendant was convicted of three counts related to the kidnap and molestation of this boy, also twelve.  Defendant also molested multiple uncharged victims from his Cub Scout Pack in his home and on camping trips.

In 2009, Ronald Guinto created a camp he called, “Camp Epic” as a project in his Master’s Program at Tuoro University.  In 2012, Guinto graduated from Tuoro University and began teaching at Making Waves Academy as a full time teacher.Ronald Guinto invited students at the school to join “Camp Epic,”and attend camping trips, adventure trips to amusement parks, and other overnight trips.  Ronald Guinto persuaded parents to allow these children to go with him alone overnight.  At the trips, Guinto molested children in tents, showed them pornography, and encouraged sexualized conversations.

The camping trips spanned multiple counties across Northern California, including, El Dorado, Placer, Mariposa, Santa Clara, Marin, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, Napa, and Solano.  Guinto committed dozens of acts of sexual assault inside the tents during these camping trips on multiple victims.  Ronald Guinto had victims spend the night at his home, molested them and showed them pornography during his brief employment at Making Waves Academy between 2012-2013.

Deputy District Attorney Alison Chandler, the prosecutor on this case said,”The jury delivered verdicts of justice for all the victims in this case.  The courage and perseverance of these survivors inspires me.  I am proud of them.”

Ygnacio Valley High Health Science Academy named Distinguished California Partnership Academy

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Among final seven honorees from 409 nominations

WHAT:  The Health Science Academy at Ygnacio Valley High School (YVHS) in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) has been named by the California Department of Education (CDE) as a California Partnership Academies (CPA) Distinguished California Partnership Academy. YVHS is one of seven to be conferred with the award from a field of 409 nominees and 14 finalists.

WHEN:  Honored academies will be recognized at the CDE’s 30th annual CPA conference in March.

WHERE:  Ygnacio Valley High School, 755 Oak Grove Rd., Concord 94519 (Directions)

BACKGROUND: 

The California Partnership Academies (CPAs) were established to prepare high school students to succeed in both college and careers. Each CPA frames its curriculum around one of the 15 industry fields established for Career-Technical Education by the CDE. Each year students take classes together, including core academic subjects and at least one career-technical course related to the academy’s career theme. A team of teachers works with the same group of students over their high school years, linking instruction across disciplines and over time. Employers provide internships and other opportunities for students to learn outside the classroom. Career academies have become an important part of the current Linked Learning initiative in California.

“Distinguished Academies” have earned this title by surviving a rigorous multi-round audit of all program components required by California Education Code. The audit includes site visits by CPA state leadership and extensive documentation.  In its notification to YVHS of the nomination and subsequent award for the school’s Health Science Academy, the CPA state leadership stated the honor was “bestowed based on very clear criteria, including strict adherence to the CPA model, implementation of all components of the model and known best practices, and providing opportunities for your students which go above and beyond those required by statute.”  The notification goes on to state that the Health Science Academy program has “consistently shown itself to be exemplary in intent and implementation.”

Ygnacio Valley High School was notified recently that its Careers in Education Academy has been nominated as a Distinguished  Academy for next year; it is now preparing for the audit and site visits associated with that nomination.

To visit Ygnacio Valley High School, please contact Principal Efa Huckaby, (925) 685-8414, huckabye@mdusd.org, or Communications Specialist Ursula Leimbach, (760) 705-6919 (cell), or communications@mdusd.org.

Mt. Diablo Unified, located in Contra Costa County, is honored to serve approximately 32,000 students at one of more than 50 school sites in the cities of Clayton, Concord, Pleasant Hill; portions of Martinez, Pittsburg and Walnut Creek; and the unincorporated communities of Bay Point, Lafayette, and Pacheco. As part of a richly diverse community, MDUSD families represent numerous ethnic groups, speaking nearly 50 different languages and dialects. We are proud of our award-winning staff and extensive honors and recognitions for our innovative programs in Career Technical Education; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); extensive visual and performing arts programs; and rich foreign language and dual immersion offerings. MDUSD is also pleased to have launched its first middle college program, College Now, and is planning to open its first International Baccalaureate program in 2017.  Extensive student support services help ensure an inclusive culture of excellence and achievement for all students to help them prepare for success in college, career, and life. Learn more at http://www.mdusd.org/

DeSaulnier announces Danville student as winner of the “2016 Congressional App Challenge” for Contra Costa County

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Congressman DeSaulnier (middle) with 2016 Congressional App Challenge participants (from left to right) Ray Altenberg, Ross Altenberg, Jasmine Steele, and Michael Chou.

Congressman DeSaulnier (middle) with 2016 Congressional App Challenge participants (from left to right) Ray Altenberg, Ross Altenberg, Jasmine Steele, and Michael Chou.

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D, CA-11) announced Jasmine Steele of Danville as the winner of the 2016 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 11th District. Jasmine Steele, a student at San Ramon Valley High School, designed and created “Allergy Blast,” an app that provides a platform to easily and quickly share allergy and medication information. The app is meant to help children, seniors, or those with special needs who may wish to inform schools or caregivers of this important information.

“I am proud of the innovative young programmers in our district who participated in this year’s app challenge. I congratulate Jasmine on the design of her creative and potentially lifesaving app, and look forward to seeing ‘Allergy Blast’ represent Contra Costa County on display in the United States Capitol,” said Congressman DeSaulnier.

The runners-up included Matt Moss of Alamo, Michael Chou of Danville, and Ray and Ross Altenberg of Moraga with their teammate Alan Brilliant from San Mateo.

The panel of judges for the competition were: Muktesh Mishra, Senior Software Engineer, Capital One; Shaun Webb, Product and POC management, Capital One and Sudha Jamthe, Part-Time Instructor, Stanford Continuing Studies, Technology.

The Congressional App Challenge is a competition aimed at encouraging U.S. students to learn how to code by creating their own applications to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. This is the second year DeSaulnier has hosted the Congressional App Challenge for the Eleventh District. More information about the Congressional App Challenge can be found here.

Antioch man appointed to Contra Costa Community College Board to fill the late John Nejedly’s Ward IV seat

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Gary Walker-Roberts in a screenshot from a video on the CCCCD website.

Gary Walker-Roberts in a screenshot from a video on the CCCCD website.

MARTINEZ, CA – At their November 29, 2016, special meeting, the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board unanimously approved the provisional appointment of Gary Walker-Roberts of Antioch to represent Ward IV.  This appointment, in accordance with California Education Code 5091, is being made due to the vacancy created by the unfortunate passing of Governing Board member John T. Nejedly last month. Ward IV includes the communities of Blackhawk, Byron, Danville, Diablo, Discovery Bay, San Ramon, and parts of Alamo, Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, and Concord.

Walker-Roberts will be seated at the next regular Governing Board meeting on Wednesday, December 14, 2016, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Walker-Roberts is an alum of Los Medanos College where he graduated Suma Cum Laude in 2013 with an A.A. in Behavioral Science and Social Science. Then he graduated again from LMC with an A.A. in Arts & Humanities in 2015. He served on the community college board as a student trustee this past school year, was student body president of LMC in 2014-15, student representative to the United Faculty, and was instrumental in the formation and opening of the Veterans Resource Center at LMC, earlier this year.

Walker-Roberts also graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. degree in Ethnic Studies: Gender & Sexuality from Cal State East Bay in 2015 and with a Masters degree in English from Arizona State University, this year.

His public service has included working on Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson’s reelection campaign, this year and as a volunteer and mentor for foster youth with Contra Costa County Children & Family Services.

With his application, Walker-Roberts submitted letters of support from both Wilson and State Assemblyman Jim Frazier.

He works in retail as a Fragrance Expert/Trainer for Louis Vuitton, USA in San Francisco and has worked in the field of skin care and cosmetics since 2005.

When reached for comment, Walker-Roberts said, “I’m looking forward to serving Ward IV from East Contra Costa County all the way around Mt. Diablo to southern Contra Costa County. I appreciate that the trustees feel I can handle the position of trustee.”

Asked what his plans are in the new position, he stated, “I want to continue to represent under-represented minority students’ needs and also continue to develop the Veterans Resource Centers throughout the district. We’re working with the Sentinels of Freedom to open one at each of the three college campuses.”

Other applicants considered for the provisional appointment were non-profit manager and educator Carl Nichols, litigation attorney Jerome Pandell and barber college owner Frank Quattro, all of Danville, and Director of the STEM-Workforce Initiative of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership, April Treece of Clayton. To see the application from and letters of support for each candidate, click here.

Unless a petition calling for a special election, containing a sufficient number of signatures, is filed in the Office of County Superintendent of Schools within 30 days of the date of the provisional appointment, the provisional appointment shall become an effective appointment until the next regularly scheduled election for Governing Board members in November 2018.

For more details on the petition process, visit the District website at www.4cd.edu.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Op-Ed: Pittsburg Unified fails students over anti-Trump protest

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By Fernando Navarro

On Thursday, November 10, an incident took place in Pittsburg and Antioch which illustrated a major failing of our public education system.  Hundreds of Pittsburg High School students, apparently protesting the results of the presidential election, walked out of their classes, off campus, and made their way to Antioch. During their journey, some of them committed acts of violence which resulted in three arrests…and a strain on police resources for both cities, as 23 police officers (15 from Antioch and 8 from Pittsburg) had to be called out to deal with the situation.

Statements by some officers indicated that the PHS principal, Todd Whitmire, joined students in the protest.  This has been disputed by Whitmire and Pittsburg Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Janet Schulze, who claim Whitmire was with the protesters only to make sure they were safe.

Neither story speaks well of the PUSD leadership.  The first would indicate that PUSD administrators are actively working to incite students away from learning and discourse and toward yelling and violence.  The second would indicate that PUSD administrators have lost control of their school, and that student whims rule the day.

What we witnessed didn’t come out of nowhere, and didn’t come about because the, “election has been especially emotional,” as a statement by Schulze said.  This is the result of years of inept classroom management, which has led to a lack of respect for authority.  It comes about because, as with English and math, students don’t appear to be learning basic civics.

I recently lost my bid for election to the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Trustees.  That doesn’t mean I’ll be silent, though.  I’ll continue to advocate for the change that’s needed to turn our schools around and deliver better educational, and life-choice, outcomes for our students.  And I’ll be encouraging parents to educate themselves about school policies, and to make sure their voices are heard.  But I’ll be doing so by speaking and writing in the appropriate forums, not by disrupting traffic, disrupting classes, or by otherwise impinging on the rights of my fellow citizens.

Finally, I applaud Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando for speaking out about this incident at the PUSD School Board meeting.  I applaud AUSD Superintendent Stephanie Anello and Antioch High School Principal Louis Rocha for taking swift action to prevent similar disruptions in Antioch schools.

Now, let’s all come together to provide our students with the educations they deserve.

Navarro is a member of the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees

Contra Costa College dedicates new Veterans Resource Center, Thursday

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photo courtesy of CCCC District

photo courtesy of CCCC District

Contra Costa College (CCC) held a ceremonial ribbon cutting to commemorate the grand opening of their new Veteran Resource Center (VRC) located in the Student and Administration Building. Over 100 people attended the event including community leaders, elected officials, veteran’s organizations, and District and college employees. The Sentinels of Freedom, a national non-profit organization assisting veteran’s transition back to civilian life, collaborated with CCC and its veterans club to create a space on campus for veterans to receive support, study and network with other veterans.

“It was important for CCC to create the VRC for a couple of reasons,” said dean of Enrollment Services Dennis Franco. “First, to have a private, centralized location that veterans could congregate in.  Second, to provide a space that veterans could receive counseling, benefit assistance, and also assistance from outside agencies like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Concord Vet Center, and more.”

Veterans now have a home on campus where they can study, network, and support each other. Veterans will also have access to Admissions and Records staff to guide them through the enrollment process and a certifying official to assist them in using their veteran benefits.

“The joining of two communities, the Veterans and the campus of Contra Costa College, working together, the mission at hand, is to support Active Duty, National Guard, Reservist, spouses, dependents and the veterans, to being successful in obtaining higher education,” said CCC veterans club president Leon Watkins.

Today’s ribbon cutting ceremony completes the goal of establishing veteran centers at all three campuses in the Contra Costa Community District.

Contra Costa College is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District and currently serves almost 11,000 students (unduplicated head county) annually.  Since 1948, CCC has provided exemplary educational services to hundreds of thousands of residents from the greater West County area, and is proud of its diverse student body and commitment to individual student success.  Excellent programs such as the Center for Science Excellence, The Advocate newspaper, the green Automotive Services program, Middle College High School, the Nursing program, and the Culinary Arts program are known through the state and the nation.  A model of excellence, Contra Costa College prides itself on being one of the finest community colleges in the country.

The Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) is one of the largest multi- college community college districts in California. The CCCCD serves a population of 1,019,640 people, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734-square-mile land area of Contra Costa County. The District is home to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, as well as educational centers in Brentwood and San Ramon.  The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez. For more information visit www.4cd.edu .

 

Responding to anonymous criticism, community college board president says chancellor selection process participatory, fair

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By Allen Payton

An anonymous email on Tuesday morning, November 8th, with the signature line reading “Voiceless Employees of the Contra Costa Community College District,” took the Board of Governors to task for a “Lack of Transparency in Chancellor Selection Process,” as was written in the subject line of the email message. Board President Vicki Gordon disputes that and says the process was participatory and fair.

The email message read as follows:

“To Whom it May Concern,

We write to you today sharing the voices of many within the Contra Costa Community College District whom believe the existing Contra Costa Community College District Board of Trustees has, with malicious intent, manipulated the recent search process that led to the selection of Dr. Fred Wood for Chancellor of the district.

The Board selected its own Board President, Vicki Gordon, to serve as chair of the search committee. Board policy (BP 2057) outlines that the Board is to appoint a chair of the committee, not to appoint itself as the chair of the committee. This unprecedented move to have a Board member, no less the sitting Board President, serve as the chair of the initial screening interview process and then as Chair of the final interview process eliminated the opportunity for district employees, through their representation on the search committee, to have a true voice in the process.

Board President Vicki Gordon then violated the intent and practice of the Brown Act, calling a special meeting of the Board to announce its decision, without providing the normal 72 hour public notification. While it is understood that Special Meetings are allowed with only one day’s notice, the rush to announce a selection was unnecessary, as a regular Board meeting is scheduled to take place on November 9th. Both Vicki Gorgon and Greg Enholm are up for re-election on November 8th.

The Board interviewed the final candidates and did not consult with the screening interview committee regarding the committee’s feedback on the finalists. These committee members all serve as representative voices of the various governance and labor groups within the district. Instead, the Board relied entirely on Board President Vicki Gordon’s account, whom again placed herself at both levels of the interview process, as Chair of the committees.

IF the Board had held a transparent evaluation of the final candidates, it would have become clear that there remained significant concerns about the qualifications of Dr. Wood:

– Dr. Wood has never worked within the California Community College system, except for a brief graduate teaching assignment over 30 years ago. Dr. Wood has never served in any post-graduate administration or faculty role within any community college.

– Dr. Wood has never served as a President of any community college.

– Dr. Wood currently serves as Chancellor, which is a President level position in California, at a rural four year institution in Minnesota that serves 1,800 students, 900 of which are online students. In comparison the Contra Costa Community College District serves over 50,000 students and has more employees than the institution Dr. Wood currently serves.

– Dr. Wood was forced out of his position as Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at UC Davis after the infamous pepper spray incident in 2011/12 and proceeding fall out, yet no reference or any background checks on this situation were conducted.

The Contra Costa Community College District, despite the incompetence of its current Board of Trustees, continues to be one of the most successful and well respected community college districts within California. It is appalling that the Board would manipulate the Chancellor selection process to hire an individual that should have never even been in consideration as a finalist. Dr. Wood may be a qualified leader in the world of four year higher education, but his experience is not a match for the needs and complexity of the Contra Costa Community College District.

Sincerely,
Voiceless Employees of the Contra Costa Community College District”

A reply message to the email address of origin from @guerrilamail.com, asking for the identity of the senders, did not receive a response. That’s because Guerrilla Mail is a “Disposal Temporary Email Address” as it describes itself on the website. It offers the promotional message of, “Don’t want to give them your real email? Use a temporary email. No registration, lasts 60 mins. Protection from Spam.”

When reached for comment, Board President Vicki Gordon said, the college district has “participatory governance, which means everyone has the opportunity to participate, our students, our faculty and staff, the community and the process was really, really open.”

“The passage of AB1725 gives all constituent groups a role in the governance of higher education,” she explained. “I have been reaching out to all of the groups who are concerned and talking with them about the process. But reaching out has been taking longer than I thought.”

Asked if faculty and staff participated in the process, Gordon replied “They did.”

“We held public forums which were announced in local media,” she stated. “We had a search committee, following our policy, comprised of faculty and staff, and two college presidents, and community members. That got us to the three final candidates.”

“Each candidate participated in four forums. So we had 12 forums scheduled,” Gordon continued. “We also videotaped the forums at Contra Costa College and played those live and recorded them so people could go to the website and view them. And people did and made comments and we collected that input, as well.”

She said the Board did follow the state’s open meeting law, known as the Brown Act.

“As the Board President and Chair of the committee, I worked very hard to ensure inclusion, to ensure the process was true, ensure all voices were heard and that it was fair,” she stated. “I’m ecstatic with the results and happy with the Board. We had a difficult time making this decision. We talked about it extensively at the Board level. I’m very proud of our Board members for putting in the time and energy.”

“Dr. Fred Wood brings not only a new, fresh outside look, but a hometown view as well,” Gordon said of the new chancellor, who not only attended Diablo Valley College as a student, he graduated from College Park High School in Pleasant Hill. “He walked the path that many of our college students are following and working to accomplish. We look forward to having him on board, soon.”

Dr. Wood is expected to start his new position in January.