Grant funds BOT training program

 

By Marco Siler-Gonzales
The Guardsman

Reinstating City College’s democratically elected Board of Trustees moved one-step closer to reality with the attainment of a $200,000 grant to fund board training.

Chancellor Arthur Tyler made the announced at the Jan. 22 meeting of the board headed by Special Trustee Robert Agrella. The grant from the Haas Jr. Foundation supports a six-phase training program aimed at seating the board no later than July 1, 2016.

In October 2013 the California Community Colleges Board of Governors suspended the board following a threat by the Accrediting Commission for Junior and Community Colleges to de-accredit City College. It then appointed Agrella as Special Trustee with Extraordinary Powers to run the college.

At the meeting, Board member Rafael Mandelman raised concerns about the vague and open-ended time frame for this reinstatement plan.

“I think it is important that we devise milestones and come up with something a little more definite for us and others.,” Mandelman said. “We’re clearly in phase one, and I think it would comfort people to know how were going to move through the next phases.”

Student Trustee Shanell Williams called for student involvement during this process. “I think it’s really critical for the design and agenda of this training to include student listening sessions focused on their expectations are for the board because there’s 75,000 students here that really need their voices heard.”

“I know there are speakers here that want to discuss bringing the board back,” Agrella said. “I can assure you that no one wants to bring the board back more than me.”