Uncertainty for top community college contract and west Fresno campus moves forward
Trustees were split on approving employment contracts for State Center Community College presidents and vice-chancellors on Tuesday night. Notably, the district leader’s contract was not put up for a vote.
Trustees voted 4-3 to approve the contracts, but Chancellor Paul Parnell chose not to ask for an extension, according to State Center spokesperson Lucy Ruiz. She did not elaborate on the decision.
Parnell has a rolling contract, which runs until 2023, so the chancellor could still return to the board and ask for an extension in the future. Several trustee seats are up for reelection in 2020, which could factor into his decision.
The board was initially set to vote on all the contracts at the August meeting but ended up tabling them without public explanation after returning from a closed session.
That decision came after dissatisfaction from college presidents Carole Goldsmith (Fresno City College), Angel Reyna (Madera Community College), Jerry Buckley (Reedley College), Lori Bennett (Clovis Community College), and district vice-chancellors Christine Miktarian and Jerome Countee.
In an email obtained by The Bee, the group requested removing a clause that they alleged would strip them of their litigation rights if they were terminated without cause.
Parnell maintained that the clause was “consistent with the law and provides employees the option to accept a severance pay while also protecting the District.”
Tuesday’s approved contracts still contain similar language that would prohibit the employee from getting severance money if they do not sign an agreement that releases “all known and unknown claims against the district and all of its current and former trustees, officers, employees, agents, and representatives ...”
Now that the contracts are approved, employees can choose to either sign them or not.
Trustees Richard Caglia, Magdelena Gomez, and Annalisa Perea voted not to approve the contracts and wanted to wait to discuss several issues, including the severance pay.
“My opinion was that we were going to have more of a policy discussion before we had a motion for decision tonight,” Caglia said before casting his no vote.
All the approved contracts were for three years and included a vehicle allowance of $400 a month plus health care and benefits. The only rise in salary would come from a step increase, which is a pay increase based on the number of years an employee is with the district.
West Fresno Campus bid
Also on Tuesday, the board awarded a construction contract for the new west Fresno Campus to Harris Construction, which submitted the lowest bid, at $66 million, for the project that will sit at Church and Walnut avenues. It is expected to be finished by 2022.
The work will be done under a project labor agreement, a controversial hiring practice that ensures union labor is used. Opponents say it is costly and anti-competitive. Under the district’s contract, State Center construction students and graduates get hiring priority.
Trustee Eric Payne, who grew up in west Fresno, said the new campus would be a “game-changer” for generations to come.
“I know what this means to the people that live, work, play and worship here,” he said after the meeting.
“I’m excited that Harris Construction, a local business here in the Valley, will be part of this historic moment as we build the future of the Valley together.”
Trustee Annalisa Perea called it a “win-win for our local economy, our student graduates, and a long-overdue education investment for the West Fresno community.”
The west Fresno campus will house the Automotive Technology and Automotive Collision programs, the Career and Technology Center, and the Medical Assistant program. It will also hold space for student services and general education classes for graduation or transfer.
Described as an “urban forest,” the site will hold a two-story 32,000 square foot building with a science lab, library, administrative space, and two group areas.
Another 75,000 square foot building will house the automotive technology facility, with 64 auto bays, six classrooms, and a large yard. A ceramic tile art mural and a walk-under water feature will also be built, along with “extensive parking,” according to the district.
Measure C and E, along with $16.5 million from a California Strategic Growth Council award, allowed the project to grow from its initial $10 million bond funding.
State Center also announced Tuesday it was refinancing prior bonds — saving taxpayers $1.15 million. Dropping interest rates set the stage for the change, the district said in a news release.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab here.