Aircraft Maintenance Technology Program Suspended for Up to Three Years

"Experiencing Delays" by JohnTaylor Wildfeuer

By Emily Margaretten

Emargar2@mail.ccsf.edu

 

In a unanimous vote, the Board of Trustees at City College approved a motion to suspend the Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) program for up to three years at their June meeting.

 

“Experiencing Delays” by JohnTaylor Wildfeuer

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) accommodated the AMT program on its premises for nearly 50 years, but this arrangement ended in December 2020 when the airport refused to extend the college’s lease.

 

The college proposed to relocate the AMT program to Evans Center although this plan never was finalized. Chancellor David Martin said that significant facility upgrades were needed before the AMT program could be moved to a City College campus.

 

President Brigitte Davila said that she would like “to see the program back in action again” and proposed that it be housed at Evans Center if SFO was not a possibility. She also said that bond money could fund building renovations without elaborating on a timeline or how much would be needed for construction.

 

Trustee Shanell Williams also stated her support for the AMT program to return to City College. She said that San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton and the Bayview-Hunter’s Point community supported the relocation of the program to Evans Center because it offered economic mobility for communities of color.

 

Bayview-Hunter’s Point community members repeatedly expressed their concerns about environmental pollutants and urged the board to consider other options than Evans Center at previous meetings. The trustees and chancellor did not address these concerns directly at the June meeting although the chancellor said that an Environmental Impact Report had been conducted and the college had “clearance” to put the program at Evans Center.

 

Trustee Wong asked what would happen to the two full-time faculty members of the AMT program. The chancellor responded that they would receive priority hiring if the program was revitalized.

 

An automatic email reply from the Chair of the Aeronautics Department, Kenny Verbeckmoes, said he had been laid off and directed all inquiries to Dean David Yee. Dean Yee did not respond to a request for a comment for this story.