Since 2019, City College has faced teacher layoffs and class cuts, leading to hundreds of students being turned away each semester due to limited class availability. According to a press release sent out by the teachers union AFT 2121, for this fall semester alone, 270 students were turned down from English 1A, 200 from Chemistry 32 and approximately 1,700 from English as a Second Language.
In the fiscal year 2021-2022, both faculty and classified workers received “pink slips” as notice of layoff. As departments struggle to maintain certificates, no positions will be reinstated for the foreseeable future.
There are new trustees in town and there are already big expectations for them to make some waves. The three newest board members prepare to action their campaign promises.
A letter from the state’s Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team says that high expenditures on salaries and benefits threaten the college’s ability to stay financially solvent.
San Francisco supervisors expressed support for City College at a hearing on the college’s proposed course cuts and layoffs of over 60% of instructors.
The layoffs, if implemented, would represent a loss of nearly 30% of City College’s 541 full-time teaching staff and 74% of its administrators, part of the five-year budget plan passed by the board in November.
Facing budget constraints and continued accreditation pressures, the College’s Multi-Year Budget and Enrollment Plan outlines steep cuts, including at least 600 fewer class sections.
Since the closure of the Fort Mason Campus, there has been a lot of talk about the disposal of various art supplies that were provided for the students and faculty at the Fort Mason Campus. It’s still a bit unclear of what the Board of Trustees have decided to do, since there has been lots of speculation with the details of their decision.
City College faces an 18 percent decline in enrollment compared to last year. The same situation can be seen in many higher institutions in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic hardships that have followed.
The City College community objects to Mayor London Breed’s efforts to push through a controversial proposal to build 1,100 units of privately held housing on public land in use by the college that would create ongoing traffic congestion and parking issues.
