we're going to go ahead and call this meeting to order it is 4 p.m. and I would like to ask truste Williams to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance America and to the republ for it stands one nation God indivisible with libery and justice for all thank you for that we're excited to have a house full in the middle of summer I think it's a officially 103 degrees so here we go we are on to item number two which is public comments on agenda and non-agenda it items these either on an agenda item or on other matters of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the board and before any board action is taken comments must be limited to 3 minutes per speaker and 20 minutes on the same or substantially similar subject unless majority of the board votes to extend the time limit as a matter of policy members of the board may not discuss or respond to matters raised during public comment unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion or action in Open Session if you have questions about access or if you require accommodation to participate in the public meeting please contact the Chancellor's office at 909 38869 3 as far in advance of the board meeting as possible so with that do we have any public comments yes we do okay so we are going to start with Dr Judy White in cabinet my name is Dr Judy White I'm a retired Riverside County Superintendent of Schools and former marinal Valley superintendent and also former deputy superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified School District I stand here tonight to say thank you for all that you do for this community I have a special note of gratitude as you allowed me to address your team during your retreat engaged in unity while still appreciating the diversity of thought you embrac the professional development on appreciating each other as human beings focusing on our joint humanity and engaging in real dialogue about race and unity I was so impressed with your transparency and vulnerability you are to be commended for the programs that you have here on the campuses you the programs that you have started the ones you have continued and the ones that you continue to accelerate you have model professionalism and respect I would like to remind you that racial healing inclusivity and a pursuit of unity is ongoing we never arrive as you welcome your new board members you must speak to yourself self am I Fair self am I kind self will I learn story choose the best and choose to be the best I would like to leave each of you the board members with a copy of my book called we and this is just to reaffirm the things that we discussed and I I appreciate chairwoman of the board Stephanie Houston and the very wise fellow trustees along with taner Rodriguez the other cabinet members you know how to find Amazon but I'm leav but I'm leaving I'll leave one with Heather before I before I leave and uh this book will remind you that intentionally removing blind spots and negative labels take us on the Journey of honoring one another just because we exist I thank you for choosing to be the role models of fairness who love and we talked about this in the retreat the love the L stands for listening the O stands for remaining optimistic and the v stands for valuing one another and the E stands for engaging one another I leave you with this quote by Mother Teresa only humility will lead us to Unity and unity to peace if we have no peace is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other thank [Applause] you thank you next up is Sith L Santana good afternoon members of the board my name is sitali Santana and I'm currently co-chair of the Latino faculty and staff Association and I'm here to read a letter that was sent to you all via email on behalf of the Latino faculty and staff Association Board of the North Orange County Community College District we are writing to you in strong support of one of our strongest leaders and friend Dr Gil we heard about individuals who recently made allegations against Dr contas both by email and during the board College Community District these same individuals made similar slanderous attacks during the board of Tristy meetings at the North Orange County Community College District and our members and board also supported and defended him then we strongly believe he has been wrongfully accused and unfairly portrayed furthermore due process must be taken when dealing with issues of such gravity as sexual harassment Etc it is important to recognize that allegations alone do not constitute guilt in the current climate where accusations can spread quickly and turn reputations irreparably it is essential to uphold the principles of due process and fairness Dr conas deserves the opportunity to defend himself against these allegations and to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise in this letter we want to highlight some of the multiple contributions Dr contas has made both to nocccd and our community please know the list is only a synopsis of many ways he has transformed our students collaboration through calling in not calling out and true sense of community and belonging he has led the efforts to name the 200 building after Justice Koso and the planning committee inauguration fundraising efforts Etc the diversity advisory committee adops of community agreements active member and contributing to organization of all events and efforts of lfsa he's been an organizer and leader of cruising back to college the first latinx summit 2022 and the art mural by Jose supporter of the study of broad wine pairing fundraising Riser raising over 16,000 for marginalized students he's been appointed program leader and Mentor for many years he's established a number of scholarships including the Lup Lupa scholarship founder Los Amigos of Orange County honored him and have always shown his support eops a to amend student Charter went the program Community Civic group activity supporter of umojo program and the kadat center Legacy program at Cyprus we have worked with Dr conteras at this district for almost two decades and he has always LED with integrity and love the recent El ations are entirely inconsistent with this character as we know it and some seem to have happened over 30 years ago we would like you to consider the potential consequences of session relasing over unverified allegations thank you thank you next up is Vincent raso hi good evening chair Houston Rodriguez and members of the board Vincent Roso with the campaign for college opportunity it's such a pleasure to be back thank you guys all for having me I join you today with excitement for the incredible happenings across the district first and foremost I a little bit late but wanted to congratulate the class of 2024 at Crafton Hills and sardino Valley colleges for their accomplishments I also welcome our new student trustees um har Nur and NVA Ruiz Martinez and wish you well as you Elevate student voice to the board throughout your terms as an organization that Prides ourselves on College access Student Success and racial Equity advocacy the campaign is committed to the regional success of the Inland Empire because of the incredible diversity yet alarming disparities that exist for our students and our communities our Inland Empire higher education Equity Hub which is a coalition of remarkable College access and has worked diligently to elevate the I e voice to our state policy makers and system College leaders this includes our 2024 sponsored legislation AB 2057 which seeks to streamline ADT Pathways for stem students as recommended by the ab928 inter segmental imple implementation committee this would greatly benefit community college students of color across the Inland Empire who are seeking to transfer to four-year stem degree programs thank you to sbccd for being incredible Partners in the work to advance equity and I especially want to congratulate Dr Gilbert condas the newly appointed president at sanino Valley College we're hopeful that the campus will continue to make strides in leadership and advocacy especially for our black and latinx student communities and look forward to your Dynamic leadership thank you to Chancellor Rodriguez and the board for leading a national search involving students faculty and a diverse range of stakeholders at the table we're confident in your continued ability to propel students to new heights and higher diverse leadership through key policies and transfer affordability Equitable placement and completion thank you for your time thank you next up is Ray Culberson good afternoon board members um you guys all survive the heat I want to thank you guys very much for being here Mr betters I just wanted to say congratulations to you and all of those things all the others John Longville I've seeing you and you all the other people battles are Beyond everything else struggles of morale defeat is inevitable as soon as the hope of conquering ceases to exist success comes not to him who suffers least but to him whose will is firmer and morale strongest so many times we go through this city and um we see so many battles taking place and our kids are being lost in the middle of it I don't know all the battles I'm a guy who's been under Fire more than anybody else in this city probably almost fired 13 times multiple ways and it never stopped me because I never counted on those people I counted on what my mission was my mission from the man above was to help as many kids as possible that that came across my path I did that I did it I survived and I move on to the next battle the next battle is how do we get everybody in this community to come together how do we get people to join together there there are many things that happen this man I don't know him but I'm going to know him I'm going to spend the time to find out about this particular person I wore cow colors because he went to cow and so there's another man that went to cow Don English but he's a different sort but my whole point in coming here is and I'll be going to other places talking about that I'm tired of all of the nonsense that goes along with so many different things whatever it is we have to get to the point of where the students are first let's get that done let's make sure that wees in in Valley College whatever the college is we have to find a way to get past those things there are always going to be multiple things and like I said I know nothing but I do know this that our kids are suffering and they don't care about what everything else is going on they care about how they survive and how they get through so I'm asking everyone here do your due diligence figure out whatever the strategies are but let's make sure that we put the kids first and let's get this thing done as best we can and let's just move forward and uh move on from there and Ferdinand ful was the General who said that in World War I and they defeated the I was going to say Nazis but it wasn't Nazis whoever they defeated in World War I they defeated them so anyway just want to say that and I'm congratulations to all you guys you guys are all talented and I just hope every everybody just works together in the spirit of studenthood thank you thank you next up is Deno hello good afternoon uh members of the board Chancellor Rodriguez and distinguished guests my name is Denise Fiero um and I um also here in support of Dr Gilbert conas I've had the pleasure of working him with him for several years at flon college and I feel the need to to come here and support him um and and voice my sincerest admiration and support after hearing the falsehoods attempting to tarnish his impeccable reputation as an incredible leader um Dr contas is a man of integrity and I'm honored to speak on his behalf as a colleague and a friend I am one of many aspiring leaders of color that has been mentored by Dr contas I had the pleasure of interacting with him very regularly and I'm lucky I was lucky to even have him as an immediate supervisor for several years and um when I first started the community college system I was a teacher in the p12 system for over 10 years I was lost and because of his support and his guidance um you know I'm now I'm a director of eops care cow works at FSI and it's been and it's been thanks to that kind of support and guidance from Dr contas um also as a first generation you know college student Latina with immigrant parents um I was very intimidated in the role but his role modeling and frequent check-ins made it possible for for myself to thrive as as well as others in our um in our district and in our community he was one of the first ones to step up when we needed mentors for students when we needed mentors for um community members that were asking how to advocate for our students and for our staff members as well um he also I had the pleasure of meeting his family and his wife and kids because they were always on campus he's always makes it a point to bring them and be part of the community and that's what makes them stand out as a leader um I could go on forever about his character and how how much of an amazing leader he is how hardworking he has been I mean you've heard some of the accolades he had he's had so I'm not going to name them all but um I definitely want to make sure that um you understand that it saddens me and as an individual comes and tries to take his character these accusations are baseless and unjustified um Dr contas will continue to transform institutions and Lead teams to empower students and like he has his entire career and so frankly I just I I think we need more leaders like him and it would be a shame to not have I mean it was very sad to see him go but um the students of this community need need leaders like him in this in these positions and I hope that you understand and that we were here in support of him and we understand we've been with him for several years alongside the work um and we we know how he is as an individual and as a leader and we hope that you you hear us and and take that into account when thank you so much your turn is complete thank you next up is uh graciella gavz good afternoon Board of Trustees my name is gracela galavis I have known Dr Gilbert contas for over nine years I first met Dr contas at ceros College while working in the office of student conduct and Grievances and again at Fullerton College within the office of the vice president of student services Dr contas has demonstrated his impactful professionalism and dedication to success Student Success over the years while I worked with Dr contas at seros College it became apparent that he cared for our students overall well-being for example when we met with students who were potentially in violation of the code of conduct Dr gas made it a point to First learn about the students academic Journey their personal challenges and academic goals to meet with the dean is terrifying enough to any student however Dr contas ensured that the student conduct process was a learning opportunity and never a punitive approach Dr contas demonstrated care and dedication to serving the students while upholding our community standards throughout the time that I have worked with alongside Dr gas he has led many initiatives including the creation of our student support resource team and the implementation of our maxian database software at team is dedicated to ensuring the safety of all students staff and community members this team is the core to of making sure that students can receive support before a crisis escalates the staff and students making sure that they receive support oh hold on I RR that line the staff and students are overwhelmingly appreciative of the work this team has done however we would not be able to manage the case load without the implementation of this online database we are able to serve an increasing over time Dr contas saw the trend of increasing cases for mental health concerns Financial instability and food and home insecurity and advocated for the care of students and contined to meet our student needs Dr contas is well qualified and passionate about Student Success his engagement with the students in Campus Community has always been positive caring and professional at times Dr gas would take a call in the student quad and still never failed to smile or wave at someone and ask how they were doing he is at San Bernardino Valley College because he is a leader he is dedicated to serving students he listens to the community and approaches their concerns in a caring manner throughout the his leadership in higher education Dr contas has always LED with love and the goal was always to serve our students I am fortunate enough to have worked alongside Dr gas for over 9 years I am continually impressed by his professionalism character and dedication to Student Success the community of San Bernardino college is extremely lucky to land your turn is complete thank you thank you next up is Dolores Coro good afternoon Chancellor and Board of Trustees my name is dores Coro and I'm here to share inside on Dr Gilbert gas's character both personally and professionally over the past eight years he has served admirably as vice president of student services at Fullerton College earning the deepest respect and admiration of um for his exceptional leadership Gil leads with love compassion and steadfast commitment of being student centered he's championed he's a champion of student um of the interest of students supports faculty uplifts classified and extends genuine friendship to all well Dr con's outstanding achievements and higher education are well known to this board as they have rightfully chosen him as the 15th San ber Ali College president person experience skills unwavering in my life I'm in I'm in professional struggles my family faced profound difficulties with fertility feeling safe I confided in Gil and I found imense solace and his empathy and support and then in 2022 I prepared to deliver my first child his joy for my family was helpable tragically that Elan turned into sorrow with the loss of my son at Birth this was a devast devastating experience beyond words during those darkest chapters in my life it was his caring support of my colleagues and leaderships at work including Gil that sustained me even now as I teares my wonderful daughter Gil continues to check in on me and my family and our journey this demonstration G is is someone who takes time to truly understand and care for those who he works alongside he nurtures both professional and personal well-being this is the character of the leader of whom I believe I can you can confidently UST the welfare of your students staff facult faculty and management as team I thank you for your time thank you next up is Nick Arman good afternoon board president Dr Houston members of the Board of Trustees chancel Rodriguez and distinct guests my name is Nick armman I'm a tenard counselor and coordinator of the veterans Resource Center at fton college today I have the pleasure of sharing my deep admiration and unwavering support for Dr Gilbert contras newly appointed president of San bero Valley College having known Dr contras for eight remarkable years I can personally attest to his exceptional character dedication and transformative leadership Dr contus embodies altruism servant leadership his kindheart and commitment to helping others have left a lasting impression on every institution he has served if I were to describe his Hallmark at Fon College it would be his leading with love approach and implementing a student and employee centered philosophy that has brought about many significant positive changes throughout his time at FC Dr keris beheaded many initiatives many you've heard tonight um which has impacted both students and the community he established programs Behavioral Health Services the tuition free promise program dedicated Cultural Center he helped establish veterans Golf Classic Tournament which has raised over $150,000 for our student veterans and he ALS also established institutional anti-racism statement these initiatives reflect his Visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to fostering supportive environment when faced with personal challenges such as battling with cancer Dr Ker's dedicated dedication to helping others never wavered upon his return He established the fight cancer scholarship to support students confronting this disease again showing his unconditional support and and love for his students Dr con's passion for Student Success combined with his extensive experience and innovating approach to leadership make him an exceptional choice for president of Vino Valley College on making the right decision on hiring Dr keris as your 15th President Margaret weely once said there is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about Dr coner has not only discovered what he cares about but has also inspired entire communities to care and act in ways that promote Equity inclusion and compassion I want to close by saying that samber new Valley College is incredibly fortunate to have Dr conteras as its new president under his guidance and Leadership I'm confident the sanino Valley College will Thrive and continue to set new standards of excellence and higher education got 28 seconds so I'm going to say Dr C if if I may you left rather large shoes to fill both figuratively and literally um thank you for your years of service at Fulton college and the North Orange County Community College District your leadership compassion support mentorship and friendship I'm excited for you about this new opportunity and honestly can't wait things that will in your leadership and your new chapter in your life your turn is complete thank you next up is Dana timmermans good afternoon s berino County Community College District Board of Trustees District Representatives College representatives and community members my name is Dana timbermans I am the former director of Behavioral Health Services for Fullerton College during my seven years at Fon College I worked under the leadership of Dr Gil contras both directly and indirectly I am here to tell you of the Gil contus that I know but first please know that I have worked in many in many different positions with many leaders over the last 40 years and I've been the military officer I've worked in hospitals major hospitals fortune five companies uh County of Orange the state of California and I was a civilian contractor with the Department of Defense and I worked for two community colleges which is more important while in the military one of my responsibilities was to evaluate service members for Fitness of Duty as a part of my interview ID asked them how they felt about their leadership how they felt about their commanders many reported frustration indifference some spoke with admiration of their leaders and told me that they would follow that leader into hell that may seem odd to non-service members but and Dr contras is such a leader I have had the honor of working with Dr contras a dedicated servant leader focused on Student Success and Excellence his principled and fair a creative Visionary leader skilled in managing motivating and getting things done under his Leadership foron College developed countless success stories if you heard some of them already today programs have become models for the rest of the state when times are difficult he was there to lead he encouraged and rolled up his sleeves when necessary we felt safe because we were safe when I learned Dr contas was leaving flon College I knew it was time for me to retire from higher education San berardino Valley College is fortunate to have Dr Gil keres as their president and I count myself blessed for having him as a manager a leader thank you for your time thank you this concludes our public comment so at this time we're moving on to agenda item three three which is our clar clarification section do we have any clarification from staff no clarifications Madam okay so now we're on to item number four which is exciting our oath of office so we are going to have Dr betters come up and come forward to uh uh receive the oath of office and then we'll ask for Senator rosalis aoo to also come up to administer the oath right up front is that sure and all the people Dr betters has requested that if all of our elected officials join her or do I say stand with her as she takes the oath of office so we welcome you to come to the to the front of the room as well you know she's going to make y all so come on standing this way oh thank you heather come on y'all come on come in come close come close come close is this close enough I'm ready wrong get close and share it I don't need the mic you don't need it I shireena betters do solemnly affirm do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States against all enemies against all enemies foreign and domestic foreign and domestic that I will bear true faith and allegiance that I will bear true Faith truth faith United States to the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the State of California and the constitution of the State of California that I take this obligation freely that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation without mental reservation or purpose of evasion or purpose of evasion and that I will well and that I will well and faith and Faithfully discharge the duties of duties upon which I'm about to which I'm about to enter thank you thank you thank you thank you I love this is why I'm not married I I it started feeling like vows I I couldn't do it CL you want to give this mic to somebody thank you thank you absolutely absolutely thank you e e e e e e e e e yeah yep yep nobody showed up for me I mean I have my f well and go that me to okay e e e okay we're going to call the meeting back to order and with that return to the dis trustee betters will return to the dis as we go on to item five of the agenda which is approval of the minutes we have three sets of minutes so from June 13th 2024 and the the regular meeting and then June 24 244 and June 25 24 which was our Retreat do I have a motion and a second do we have any discussion okay hearing none we're going to start with our student trustee advisory vote electronically which we will show there we go and now we will all the rest of us vote okay voting is closed motion carries we are now on to item six which is recognition and celebrations uh we will show the Applause cards and let's recognize with Applause the recipients for extending extra effort [Applause] okay summer summer months summer month yes little less effort during the summer okay so now this time I'm going to turn it over to Chancellor Rodriguez who will recognize our retirements thank you chair Houston so um this month we have um been noticed that we have one individual retiring Elaine Acres from the health services coordinator at um San berino Valley College after 20 years of academic contract Service with the district elain has submitted her letter of intent to retire effective December 31st 2024 Lan began her began her employment with the district as a health services coordinator a position that she has held her entire professional career we truly appreciate all of the work that she has done and especially appreciate the care that she has provided for all of our students not only at San beradino Valley college but across the district and across the community we thank her for her service all right thank you for that okay so now we are on to our provisional appointment for trustee area 5 and our candidate interviews so pursuant to Education Code 5091 on May May 23rd 2024 the Board of Trustees voted to accept the resignation of trustee Gloria msas Harrison effective June 30 2024 and to fill the vacancy by provisional appointment the person appointed shall hold office until the next regularly scheduled election for District board members and shall be afforded all the powers and duties of a board member upon appointment also pursuant to Education Code 351 78 a member of the governing board of a school district who has tendered a resignation with a a deferred effective date per pursuant to section 5090 shall until the effective date of the resignation continue to have uh the right and exercise the powers of any member of the governing board except they shall not have the right to vote for their successor okay so at this time uh we are going to begin our interviews we have an interview process uh and this is how it's going to go we each have a ranking sheet uh there will be two rounds of ranking round one and round two each round will eliminate two candidates the board will have further discussion on the top two candidates before a motion is made to select the provisional appointment appointment is not successful meaning with a vote of four trustees the position will stay vacant until the next election so at this time let's see we I think are ready for our first candidate oh you're here okay so this is Carlos aqu um oh gosh Aguilera okay thank you uh so we you will have 10 minutes so the timer is on all of the screens so do you see the timer all the screens okay so it will start after I ask you we have one question for you and once I ask the question the timer will start and you will have 10 minutes sounds good are you ready yes okay here we go so please provide a brief introduction of yourself relevant to the application and reflecting on your application responses to the 11 questions please summarize your key ideas and explain how they will help Advance the mission and vision of the Community College District your time starts now thank you first and foremost thank you to the outgoing trustee board members with much respect thank you for all your years of service and dedication to our community I wish each of you the best health and success moving forward hola Buenas it's an honor and privilege to be here my name is Carlos agilera as a resident of the San berino mountains I'm excited to share my qualifications and becoming the area 5 trustee I'm the oldest son of working-class immigrants I grew up in the San berino Community College District area near Crafton Hills graduated yukai bahai after working hard and graduating from college I started my career in public service working in the city of Rialto giving back to the IE I continued my career in policy by working at the state level for various agencies and earned a masters of public administration from the University of Southern California working for the Governor's Administration in Sacramento I learned the importance of balancing various policy priorities under understanding that there's limited resources and there's a lot of budget priorities that we need to address also worked with diverse stakeholders such as elected officials and Community Advocates at the height of the covid-19 pandemic I led a 1 billion initiative working with leaders to address recovery needs in the Health and Human Services sector I'm comfortable with making tough policy decisions analyzing issues looking at the costs and benefits and understanding there's always constraints and priorities I testified before the assembly and Senate committees um including the assembly committee on Appropriations as as part of the governor's Administration working on the California Budget most recently while pursuing my PhD in political science at Howard University I gained experience while at the federal government understanding how to improve and address government inefficiencies I'm currently the Civic engagement director for the California Primary Care association with we collaborate with community health centers across the state and help over 7 million patients as a also as a professor of public policy at the University of Redland it's been a joy to give back to the community that has helped me the most working with the students I learned from them what their needs are and how the community colleges can also be uh first and foremost of service to them I've have seen firsthand myself as I attended Crafton Hills College Community College and know the value of local institutions in our community actually it's funny Crafton was the first college institution I ever St I was shock and on and I knew that was for me I have spent over a decade in public service focused on advocating for policies and laws to uplift our communities I bring a unique experience of having grown up in the area but also gained policy skills at the highest levels of government I'm incredibly passionate about the IE the place that I call home I believe education is fundamental and Central to our future I know my wife and I look forward to one day raising our kids here and seeing them Prosper being a trustee aligns with my goals as I'm passionate about improving education this is my why I remember myself as a young boy in ESL classes and Head Start and know how education access can really help you out and set you up for a career in the future I have witnessed our region struggle but my dream is to see our region Thrive by educating residents and providing quality career opportunities community colleges are at the center of creating a strong economic ecosystem in the area as a resident of San berino mountains we will work together to ensure we can best serve all of area 5 especially it's especially important toties community colleges serve people from all walks of life and are fundamental pillars in the area the IE will only continue to grow as we've seen in many reports and we need to be prepared as we have seen even San Marino Valley college has experienced a significant enrollment increase in the spring semester of 20124 this just demonstrates an appetite for Education although we're not still we're not yet at the numbers of preco we will continue to grow the mission of the Community College District is to positively impact the lives and careers of our students through excellence in Education and Training opportunities 66.9% of IE adults do not have an associates degree and there is a qualifications Gap here but I believe the Community College District can address this community colleges play a crucial role in equipping students with the skills knowledge needed to succeed in their careers and contribute positively to the community ities as a professor I see the value as community colleges are part of the educational pipeline for a 4-year University students for Life as we know not all students want to go to a four-year University however we need to be there as the fundamental institution to help them gain the skills that are needed I can attribute that community colleges have been critical in my life they have not just helped myself but have helped my family I recall in 2008 when my father lost his job du due to the economic downturn he was able to go back to communion College learn skills and get a new career it's also helped my youngest brother with dual enrollment which I believe is a critical program that helps students to get a foot in the door and also learn about universities and colleges community colleges can be more responsive and flexible to our Region's needs my commitment to our colleges and districts is rooted in my dedication to public service and equity in the fall of 2022 semester 82 .3% of the sanino County uh Community College District student population were from historic historically underrepresented groups I'm dedicated to making sure that we serve our students and help uplift the region samarino Valley College and Crafton Hills College play an essential role in educating residents to meet our economic needs together we can Inspire possibilities for Bright Futures a prosperous Community which is the Community College District's Vision I see the need for students to receive quality education that's connected to real world applications I'm also dedicated to enhancing the curriculum so we can ensure that people have what they need for the evolving job market while working closely with the Chancellor's office faculty and other to Foster an environment of innovation continuous Improvement where new ideas and approaches are embraced to better serve our students one thing that I admire is the commitment to access and affordability as we know that college and education needs to be accessible to all focus on serving diverse and underrepresented communities is what creates a vibrant learning environment that reflects the div the diversity of the region continuing education and lifelong learning opportunities are also a Hallmark of the Community College District allowing me explore new interests and pursue personal enrichment enhancing Partnerships with local businesses and Community organizations is something we need to continue to do I know there's a program called the Inland Regional energy Network which is right here in our backyard that accepts that is a good paying job for students with just an associates degree however most recently out of 500 plus applicants only about 20 were from the Inland Empire which is saying a lot because we need to make sure our know that these programs exist for them Outreach will only continue to help our efforts and help raise awareness of the programs and opportunities available as board members I hope if given the opportunity to ensure I have a collaborative relationship with each and every single one of you I hope to learn from you all and I hope we can lean on each other for help as a board our responsibility is with the community and we must work together and not as individuals I believe trust is the most important and key to success to build trust you need what I call the three C's communication collaboration and consistency that is the secret Ro is is Set uh is to set in overall direction and policies for the college while we need to work with the Chancellor's office as they are the responsible for implementing those policies and managing operations while the board and Chancellor have distinct roles the relationship is collaborative and is and is critical in servicing our students board members should provide strategic Direction and oversight while supporting the Chancellor's office and its overall responsibilities I believe for all the I am the most qualified to repres I am available for any questions okay thank you we'll go ahead and we don't we we were not doing questions so that was your that was your your opportunity so at this time we are going to break and or transition to the next candidate not sure and I just want to say that there was a Q and not a g on my script I know how to say the name it was just there was a typo that threw me off so okay so uh James Albert is here okay so we're going to go ahead and bring James Albert up in [Music] over okay James you have 10 minutes the timers are on all of the screens so do you see the timer uh there's there there there you're probably not going to look behind you but just in case you decide to speak to the audience there is one behind you as well okay all right as soon as I there's one question you'll have 10 minutes the entire 10 minutes as soon as I stop talking the timer will start and the time will be yours okay so here we go uh you ready okay please provide a brief introduction of yourself relevant to the application and reflecting on your applic please summarize your key ideas and explain how they help Advance the mission and vision of the Community College District your time starts now thank you thank you so much and pleasure to be with you all my name is James Albert uh I've lived in the city of San berardino um since 2000 we um my family my parents and I I'm an only child uh we moved from La in 200000 um and uh we we've called this place home pretty much ever since um I went to Parkside Elementary School graduated aquinus high school in 2009 um in the midst of the financial crash I know it's kind of hard to believe now but aquinus high school was on the brink of closure um when I was graduating um and I'm fortunate um to say that um when I when I was growing up I was a competitive athlete um I played I played junior golf I played uh competitive basketball at a very young age um and but I was always kind of leaning towards my golf um career I I was really passionate about it I traveled throughout the State playing competitive junior golf tournaments um and I thought that was going to be my My Life um and about uh about Middle School um I decided to start taking basketball a little bit more seriously I transferred to aquinus high school um and we had a we had a team that wasn't necessarily known for its basketball culture um and we were always kind of ranking towards the bottom of the the this the uh of the of the field and we were able with that serious commitment we were able to turn around our our um our basketball team from essentially seller dwellers uh to League champions three years in a row um and I credit that experience as the experience of being able to adapt from different um changing environments and cultures from B from golf to basketball and what it enabled me because the plan was essentially to um get a golf scholarship but with the with the financial crash um that adaptability was able to actually afford me the opportunity to get a basketball scholarship to calate Monterey Bay as well as a pel grant where I was able to study years being a student athlete theology um in that support that I had as a student athlete I I had a wonderful time and experience graduated in four years and it's something that I definitely think of as a privilege but I don't I want it my my privilege is to not be an exception but the norm for everyone and I know that there's plenty of barriers in our district that are preventing people from from achieving opportunity and loocking our full potential and that's why I'm here is that I I believe that our community college district is that resource um to unlocking not only individual lives but also the full potential definely believe um that you know it's going to be our community college system that helps people connect with quality jobs here in our area um with the with family supporting um benefits and I I definitely think that um although I didn't go to the community college system and went straight into CSU I definitely think it's that accessibility that pathway that people can afford and um I want to just say that in terms of the issues that are definitely a priority to me um I definitely want to take advantage of um expanding dual uh dual enroll making sure that we're achieving our state goals as afforded by the state Chancellor saying that we need to expand it to folks that are as early as nth grade um and essentially um reaching the credits that they need to to high school to hopefully bridge that that partnership um with our K through2 system and expand that to Opportunities whether they want to advance to a four-year degree whether we should explore the collaboration and opportunities that exist with our um Community College baloria Programs to provide even more affordable pathway I'm certainly um open to it um one of the things also that also drives me um to this community college system especially Our Community College District is kvcr um I've actually been a regular Avid um uh listener to kbcr in the in the years that I've been here um and I think that it's a source of U deep enrichment for for our communities in terms of that we're seeing on a daily basis at the national level and the local level in terms of the disinformation and misinformation that exists I truly believe kbcr is not only going to also in helping inform and Empower our communities so that they can be more civically engaged and empowered in the process um to again hopefully um reach our full potential as someone who's been the city of San Rino for over 23 years I I always come across folks that are saying you know sanin the reason why I Stay is I I believe San Rino you know has such great potential and if we're truly going to make that a reality I think it's really incumbent on the people that are going to start this is our is San berino Community College District and that's why I'm here um over the over since graduating from Cal State Monterey Bay I've been involved in several public service oriented uh organizations employers from doing a a survey on the American housing survey through the Census Bureau um actually scheduling vaccination appointments here in our community um with folks so I I definitely understand the barriers that exist and are and are essentially trapping folks in in a constant state of poverty and I I definitely believe that the community college system is the way that we can um make sure that opportunity extends to everyone and not um over the last couple years uh I've actually been working with the county um through multiple departments but I'm happy to say I'm at the public defender office downtown again another privileged experience living in San berino and working in San berardino I definitely see that my privilege it shouldn't definitely shouldn't shouldn't be hoarded by the few but it should be extended to everyone um and I definitely again go back to how our community college system plays a role um in that as someone who actually went through Cal State um Monterey Bay I um was actually placed in U what was then referred to as a remedial education uh writing class and something that I evely wanted to put have a point of emphasis on is making sure that we're Equitable in mind and practice in terms of how we're placing our students in programs where they can obviously earn credit while they do it but also receive the support that they need I definitely believe in and having high expectations but also High support um for those expectations to improve our student outcomes I think it's also one of the biggest priorities is obviously our region has hit been hardest um by the rising cost of living more so than any other metro area in the nation and I think it's important that we be be really clear about trying to meet our needs of our students and our faculty that I think go hand inand in terms of Student Success and so I'm think when I'm thinking about how obviously providing affordable Pathway to higher education but how how can we meet the needs of our students and I thank you Chancellor for being a leader on that and and connecting folks with um in security um and also how can we continue to expand the conversation about providing affordable uh housing uh essentially for uh also affordable child care with our San berino Valley College Resource Center definitely want to see how we can expand on that and also Transportation which I think are the three biggest expenses that come across with workingclass families uh and again I think um if we're going to be a quality job center I think our district needs to be become a model employer and and making sure that every employee in our district from the chancellor on [Music] down a livable wage and benefits and we do so in a sustainable manner in terms of the values that I think that I align with in terms of our community college system I think I talked a little bit about it already accessibility um inclusion um is is critical uh in Integrity I'm definitely someone who's been out in in the community um through community- based organizations uh been involved one of the things I'm most proud actually of is through a local board we we've done a lot of Civic present civic education presentations uh in the high schools actually um and one of the things I'm most proud of is that I kind of recognized even being 10 years removed from my bachelor's degree I'm not as in tune with what students are actually going through on a regular basis as of right now and so one of the things that I implemented actually was actually training the students to Le themselves which really and successful outcomes in terms of registering over two to 3,000 high school students U to vote uh here in this area and expanding um uh Civic literacy throughout throughout the region which I'm really proud of one of the things I'm also proud about is actually engaging with the the former student leadership preo um and working with them to actually um uh adopt resolutions in support of getting more funding uh for our schools community colleges and local governments um through the uh schools and communties first Campaign which I'm proud that this District actually uh supported that resolution and supported that campaign although we came up short we definitely um promoted a viable solution to our volatile state tax system that I think that we uh need to be very clear about in terms of how we can provide a more stable funding mechanism so that we can better set long-term goals to uh help uh promote Student Success and uh thank you for your time I appreciate it and I'll yield the rest of my time for any questions okay you have the whole 10 minutes so thank you if you're finished thank you very much appreciate it thanks okay at this time we I think we're on to candidate number three so Pam Montana come on up all right so you're G to have 10 minutes okay I'll let you get yourself settled in there if you look at the monitors there are four monitors two in the front uh so in the event you want I need to put my glasses on right so the timer once we start the timer will start once I stop talking the timer will start so we have one question for you and you'll have the entire 10 minutes to address the question are you ready yes so have 10 minutes for all of these questions no for one qu one question that I'm going to ask right now okay okay are you ready yes okay so here is the question you'll have 10 minutes for please provide a brief introduction of yourself relevant to the application and reflecting on your application responses to the 11 question please summarize your key ideas and explain how they will help Advance the mission and vision of the Community College District so your time starts now okay well first I want to say hello to everyone and again my name is Pam Montana and thank you for thank you for being here um to hear what I have to say um so first of all um I just kind of went blank on everything you know that I just um so let let me give you a a brief just a the my background and where I come from and why I feel that this that this position is my calling this is where I feel that I should be back when I was I can't even tell you how old I was but I was a young girl and at first I always thought I was going to be a sports broadcaster because I loved Sports so much and my dad taught me everything but secretly I knew I wanted to be a teacher so I would teach my sister and my brother and I would write and I would play school and I remember I I didn't have at that time I didn't have a chalkboard or a whiteboard and so I would ride on my walls and I was able to hide it from my parents for so long because I just kept the door closed until finally my mom my mom caught me and I was busted with that but that was that was the that was the opening for me that was I knew was my calling so I started off as a classroom teacher and and I absolutely loved it um I moved on from the classroom and I was in another capacity but still with children working with children so now I work with Foster Youth and helping them navigate through the educational system and so it can be challenging but it's also rewarding and so I'm here today because you know I really started to think about you know education isn't for everybody or being an educ a isn't for everyone and I was recently at a conference and there was this one of the keynote speakers and he said something so profoundly just it it affected me profoundly and what he said was that not everyone is made out and pretty much not and this is how I took it not everyone is made out to be an educator and that doesn't make you a bad person it just means that that's is not your calling and that's when it really resonated with me that this is where I'm supposed to be and so I you know I San Bernardino is is my home I know it's home to a lot of people it's been my calling to remain here to help the students flourish to help them navigate through the educational system and so then that way that they know that we can eliminate the barriers that are here in our city I am tired of hearing so much negativity about San Bernardino or I'm tired about hearing some of our students that we lose we need to retain and to keep our students here we have really good students and I I push for Valley College I'm going to say Valley College because I I'm from San Bernardino I've remained in the city but also because I I did graduate my roots are here and I see it as it's there's no better place you can it's it's affordable I know that for foster youth we have the guardian Scholars Program which I definitely tell our foster youth you know so many of our foster Youth and I'm going to talk about them because that's currently who I work with but I tell them I'm go to a community college's nothing wrong with going to Valley College or if you want to go to Crafton it's affordable you know so many of our students you know their first instinct is they they want to move away and they want to go somewhere else we have so much to offer here I've mentored with young girls from middle college and this is what I tell them Civic engagement is key get involved in your city get to know people I REM I I Mentor I advise them and and I tell them because there are so many people here that can help you and I'm going to use myself as an example I was recruited to join a service group and I'm going to say kaanas of Greater San Bernardino because that is the group that I belong to and I knew nothing about it just that you know you ate at meatless every Tuesday so I was like hey I'm in um but I met some fantastic people that helped navigate the way for me to where I needed to go um and I can honestly say we had trustee Gloria msas Harrison who is a member former president Dr Luis Gomez these are people that come with the wealth of knowledge for our young students and we're Los we're not we're not engaging our students with that with these with Service Groups with these people that offer so much expertise and let me tell you once you get them talking know went to stop and the best thing about it is they offer free advice and so I would really encourage our students to get involved in our city and if not with Kanas there are other groups um I also am involved with I'm muscle chair for women United which is right which is under the it's the umbrella it's a professional group Under the Umbrella of Arrowhead United Way and we work with young women and I can kick myself in the in the behind because I'm going to tell you it was really hard to navigate things during a pandemic but we were able to we were able to still because what I want to what I wanted to do was I wanted to bring Community leaders and that is what I want for our students I want students to be able to look at you and know I can be you one day because I tell my I tell young people we're not going to be here forever it is up for it is up to us to to plant that that seed so that they can carry on the work that we're doing united we work with young girls to be able to help them in education in health and financial stability two years ago we I brought in it was through Zoom but I still had Majority Leader aloise Gomez Reyes speak Chancellor Rodriguez Senator Ooa bog and I can say that this past year we had the pleasure of the distinct pleasure of having miss Connie Mrs Connie Lea speak to us about kvc I want to bring be able to bring our college students we have such a rich and diverse culture here that we need to show our kids that this is who this is these are the kind of programs these are the kind of people that we have and it's a perfect way for them to communicate with us to network with us us and for us to show them because if we're not doing that for our youth then we are doing a disservice to them um I'm trying to think of what else um I am involved in so I'm passionate about education I'm passionate about what we can do for our youth and I feel that being in this role will although I've never sat on a community college but I have attended Community College I work with young people and I feel that although I am not an expert in everything and I don't know everything but I'm a connector and if I can't find it if I can't find where to find if I can't provide them the answer the resources I definitely will go to someone who can and so I feel that is what I can bring to the table to make it we need to cultivate at and nourish a positive culture for our students so that we engaged them we support them most of all we celebrate them and so I I am excited about whatever I can do and whatever the outcome is it is not going to stop me from being who I am and working with the youth or doing the things that I do because when we do this and like the keynote speaker said you know it's just it's just innate it's just in you to do it it's because you have this spark and this fire to do it and we don't do it to be you know we're humble about it and so you know I want to be able to work together with our community members for the better better good of our students and so I'm trying to think of what else Miss Houston you were asking me because I just kind of just I could I can repeat the question if you'd like sure sure so introduction of yourself um uh reflecting on your application responses to the 11 questions please summarize your key ideas and explain how they will help Advance the mission and vision of the Community College District 20 seconds okay 20 seconds and eliminate barriers you know having um affordable um college for our students the books you know being able I know that we have um books that are affordable that are students can rent so to continue to keep that up and number one to invest in our students your turn is complete okay well thank you thank you thank you all right we are on to candidate number four who appears to be here James Morris okay so we have a 10-minute timer for you there are timers on each of the four screens two in front of you two behind you in case you want to turn around uh and once I stop talking and finish asking there's one question and you'll have the entire 10 minutes to address the question great are you ready oh yeah okay here we go so please provide a brief introduction of yourself relevant to the application and reflecting on your application responses to the 11 questions please summarize your key ideas and explain how they will help Advance the mission and vision of the Community College District so your time starts now great well good evening trustees uh and Chancellor Rodriguez my name is Jim Morris it's an honor to be with you this evening and to have this opportunity trustey betters uh congratulations and welcome you are an absolutely outstanding addition to the board you've got a tough decision tonight trustees um there are some very well-qualified and compelling applicants from which to choose which is a great sign for the district and its leadership I want to start with telling you a bit about my origin story focused on my educational Journey as it's played a fundamental role in shaping who I am today and why I think I'm an excellent fit for representing the trust area 5 and the wide array of constituents and interests across our entire Community College District I was born raised and educated in San berino my primary education began at a pivotal moment in San bino's history when our schools finally began the critical work of desegregation and integration inadequate progress by our school board in the 1950s and 60s to address the impacts of dour and deao segregational equality resulted in the N NAACP successfully suing our schools and in 19 1976 just before I started the third grade the judge handed down the decision from in the case and I was put on a bus and shipped to across town uh with about 25 other kids to a highly segregated Elementary School in San berino every year thereafter it was a different school and a different learning experience about diversity and integration about how to embrace and love our differences while building on the Common Ground we all found in the dreams we shared the things that made us laugh the games we played on the playground the music we listened to and the ideas that sparked our imaginations I went on to Golden Valley Junior High School in kahone High K High School in sanino where there was student bodies that were very diverse but still struggling with integration and with racial and ethnic conflicts on the campus for me blessed with my Early Educational journey I was prepared to thrive in these environments as ASB presidents on the sports teams and out in the quad as a bridge builder in a highly diverse student body still figuring out how to understand respect and form genuine bonds across our differences in short growing up in San berino in the 1970s and 80s taught me how to listen to understand be friends and to who have a different lived experience from me people who are from different cultures ethnicities races and socioeconomic backgrounds from me it cemented in me a lifelong commitment to help to work towards realizing that vision of a beautifully diverse inclusive fair and Equitable Society for college however I decided to go as far away from home as I could uh to seek new challenges at Dartmouth College back in New Hampshire initially I really struggled I was a complete Fish Out of Water a middle class kid from San berino at an Ivy League school in the 1980s almost all the students came from some uh privileged backgrounds they went to East Coast private schools uh and often were from families of significant means so once again I had to learn how to reach out across and relate to and befriend people from very different socioeconomic backgrounds only this time it fixed within me a real pass which I began to realize then and still believe today is the biggest threat to that goal of a diverse inclusive fair and Equitable Society after college I worked for several years in the California state senate then got disillusioned with State politics returned home to S radino to help start the County's first Coalition on homelessness eventually I found my way back to school at UCLA for both a law degree and a masters in urban planning with a mountainous a student debt I was really tempted to accept a job with a downtown corporate La Law Firm but I knew my passion was working in my home region of the Inland Empire and especially with public agencies which I perceive then and still today as the true engines that can drive us towards that beautiful vision for our society so I returned to my community bought a small home in North San berino where I still live today got married and made a commitment with my wife to raise our two boys and educate them in the same community that shaped my character my values and my walk in life hoping it would impart to them similar important lessons and understandings of the world and the commitments to Civic engagement and the common good and it has their lived experience in San berino and its schools has delivered again a beautifully unique and healthy foundation for their future growth and Journeys I'm immensely proud to be from sanino and to continue to live here and work here I deeply believe in our children who are educated and raised here I want to help prepare them for the widest and most ambitious of opportunities that lead to lifelong well-being for them and their families at the heart of that belief and hope is the critical success of our k16 education system and that's why I'm here this evening seeking your appointment to be part of stewarding that educational success for our students at our two community colleges so why Jim Morris as I've stated you've got some very compelling applicants before you tonight so why me you have now some of my foundational makings my lived educational experience you also have my written application in your board packet that details my careful reflection on the strengths of our two community colleges and the challenges ahead so with my remaining time I would like to tell you about my distinct and specific professional experience and expertise and my Civic and educational engagements over the past 30 years that I believe uniquely prepare me to immediately add strong value as your colleague On The Board of Trustees for almost three decades I have worked with it worked with and advised public agencies the elected boards and the executive leadership in multiple capacities legally financially administratively and politically I began my career as a public law attorney with best best and creger in Riverside serving as legal Council to multiple public agencies throughout the Inland imp with the city of San berino first in the mayor's office then in the city manager's office on economic development infrastructure opportunities in our city and in this most recent decade I've worked as a Public Finance adviser to cities throughout California wrestling with their long-term Financial viability and sustainability civically and educationally here's a few of my most recent engagements in 2008 I was instrumental in helping bring the Lewis Center for educational research to San Bernardino to and still is a very novel and ambitious 90% Spanish dual immersion language program at the Norton science and Language Academy subsequently our two boys went there and I served on the governing board as we built and opened the new campus on North on Waterman just up the street I've also served for the last seven years on the making hope happen Foundation as a founding member working to help the vision for the uplip sardino initiative that's focused on building the next generation of su in our Inland Empire region finally I'm deeply involved as a volunteer with the life skills program at sanino high school through which we help students build critical communication proficiencies socio emotional intelligence and Leadership skills during weekly meetings that I attend with them on Monday morning throughout the school year in summary through real W Real World Experience over the last 30 years I understand intimately the Dynamics of successful board leadership active listening compromise and consensus building I've sat and worked with elected board through difficult open and closed sessions involving legal Personnel matters labor negotiations budgetary challenges Financial strategies and I've actively worked for many years to help address some of the educational and economic challenges facing our students and their families in samino it would be an honor to join you as a humble colleague On The Board of Trustees and to work shoulder-to-shoulder as we capitalize on our ahead for our two community colleges I appreciate your consideration of my application and for your valuable time this evening thank you thank you yes sir okay okay we'll take a five minute uh five okay we'll take a five minute break e e e e e e e e e e we're going to call this meeting back to order we'll ask everybody to return to their seats so we can get started again so we have our fifth candidate you can do it after the meeting we have our fifth candidate that is Henry nickel who will be making his way to the podium all of our trustees have returned yes okay hi there so you have 10 minutes there are timers on each of the screens so two here two behind you if you decide to turn around they'll be there for you okay there is one question I will ask the question when I stop talking and finish with the question that's when your timer will start and you have the full 10 minutes to answer the question sure all right all set sure okay so here we go provide a brief introduction of yourself relevant to the application and reflecting on your application responses to the 11 questions please summarize your key ideas and explain how they will help Advance the mission and vision of the Community College District and your time starts now uh my name is Henry nickel um I apologize I'm recovering from an eye injury but I assure you I'm not I uh served on our city council for seven years I was elected in 2014 and uh went through some of the toughest times that our city our community has faced um I understand the hard work that we have to do collectively as a community uh I've also served as an educator I was a substitute teacher for a period of time in our local school district I am a product of this College District I attended uh Crafton Hills College I've attended Valley I hold undergraduate degree from American University in Washington DC uh and attend and received my graduate degree from Cal State San Bernardino uh this is a great community that we serve uh it's a it's a community with many challenges great diversity great opportunity um my my day job is as a labor market analyst uh for our local Workforce Development board and department for the County of San Bernardino so my day job is to look at data and I look at our labor market looking at how we can best align the trainings training providers that provide opportunities for for our community and the employment opportunities that are here and I think what I can bring to this uh to this board is a perspective in terms of how we can begin aligning the work that we're doing at the county level in terms of Workforce Development and education with the san berardino county is to oversee what we call our eligible training provider list what is that well that is the list of eligible training providers within our County that provide programs uh for our residents to be trained in those jobs and in those career fields and occupations that are in demand and I think that's where I can provide some input and some assistance on this board I think collectively we have an obligation to serve this community to meet the needs of this community in terms of um I am a product of of this of this system and I am very proud to say that I'm from sadino I'm very proud to have served this community and I'd be very proud to continue serving this community um I Look to all of you uh for your input and your leadership and I I Look to work collaboratively I think my my experience as a council member and the work we did to bring our city out of bankruptcy was one that necessitated collaboration um I understand the necessity of working together of of looking at how we can achieve common objectives together to meet the needs of this community and to advance this community so with that consideration I would greatly appreciate your consideration today I'm happy to answer any questions you have I don't think I need to take the full 10 minutes I certainly could if you want me to uh but I think that gives you a good overview of who I am and where I'm from I do live in the fifth W of the city I live near Cal State San berardino so it's it's um I'm very familiar with the demographics of this District uh the challenges and opportunities of this District we have great opportunities in terms of infrastructure we have great opportunities in terms of Healthcare in terms of construction in terms of our education system I think we have great opportunities for our local youth to become engaged in the upward trajectory of this community and I think we have an opportunity as a College District to contribute to that and I think given my expertise my background my experience I can help to do that as well um I enjoy engaging in our community one of the things I did as a council member was host regular Community meetings with constituents I would like to continue that process as a member of this college board I think it's very important for our constituents to understand the work that we do and to have an engagement with them to understand how we can best serve them and best align in a way that will achieve the goals and objectives that will will meet their needs as well so I'm happy to answer any questions you have otherwise I thank you for your time okay thank you that was our question so thank you very much thank you thank you okay at this time we're going to go to candidate uh number six um uh Fatima Sanchez so you will have 10 minutes the timers are on the screens two in front of you two behind you if you decide to turn around I have one question enre 10 minutes to answer address the elements of the question as soon as I stop talking that's when the timer will start are you all set yes ma'am okay here we go so please provide a brief introduction of yourself relevant to the application and reflecting on your application responses to the 11 questions please summarize your key ideas and explain how they will help Advance the mission and vision of the Community College District and your time starts now thank you good cha Sanchez is the adame whenever possible I'd like to honor all my peoples who got me here and I am honored to stand before you today and deeply committed to the Student Success and I believe that my unique background and experiences make me the best candidate to represent and advocate for our community colleges but let me take a quick second to thank Miss Gloria masas Harrison although she's not here because the highlight of um my youth was going to the vior library and meet Las Cafe and picking up El Cho newspaper so I'm ever so grateful for serving this community and this community college board so wherever she's at uh thank you for leaving a huge seat and big shoes to be filled my journey throughout the educational system has been marked by determination resilience and a steadfast commitment to academic Excellence having spent 23 of my formative years as an undocumented person in this country despite not being born here Sam Bernardino and its many amazing people have raised me I stand before you today on the shoulders of literal Giants it was Inland Empire Future Leaders um and the support of drors Tom and Lily Riva and so many other leaders in this program that taught me about the importance of college servant leadership and Civic engagement I began my higher education Journey with their help at San Bernardino Valley College where I earned my AA degree after being accepted and subsequently turned away by a UC school due to my status from Valley I transferred to Kel San Bernardino go y go y bachelor's and my Master's Degree and throughout my academic journey I remained undocumented facing numerous numerous hurdles but never losing sight of my goals that experience has given me a profound understanding of some of the barriers that many of our students face and it has fueled my passion for advocating for many inclusive and supportive educ ational environments for all students you see I was praka and pre-re act I had to pay for every scent of my educational Journey but I didn't do it alone I did both local and Statewide and with the community organizations like Kiana of Greater San Bernardino and state organizations like Haku I had support from people like the Brown family who took me under their wings and allowed me to ride for the black boys news and work with the black boys foundation on their footsteps to Freedom tour even when they weren't supposed to currently my husband is a student at Valley College he's watching online because he's taking a midterm you better pass it and he works full-time during the day and spend nights and weekends in class I also have two nieces 19 and 21 who are at Riverside Community College because they wouldn't dare follow in their aunt's footsteps who are also working students and it helps give me insight into current student barriers and challenges the last 12 years I have spent my working life contributing to the educational landscape in Southern California by supporting K12 Public Schools specifically charter schools in San Bernardino Riverside orange and San Diego and Imperial understand the challenges face by our K12 students and families who turn around and become community college families both for work and in my personal time I have worked to educate and Lobby legislators at the state and federal levels advocating for education funding and Equity among so many other things because of my future leader upbringing I have worked and volunteered for dozens of local political campaigns since I was 15 years old during my time I Valley I was actively involved in the associated student government where I had the opportunity to work closely with the student body faculty Administration and with my fellow Crafton Hills College counterparts this experience stop me the importance of student representation and the impact student voices in shaping policies initiatives that directly affect their educational experience and I'm so happy to see that we've evolved and include students in our process now on these boards I also had the privilege of working with key key figures such as Professor Ed Gomez Professor Evette Lee Professor Ed milikin staff members like Mary valdemar who literally fed me when I was hungry and former trustee John futch may he rest in power these individuals also amongst many others were instrumental in my development as a lead an advocate in this community I am often asked to return to Valley to support various student events like hosting virtual good book clubs for the library speaking at undocumented student events and I was once the keynote speaker for the Latino Latina graduation I was also not sure how this happened Valley College's 95th Anniversary please don't put those flyers with our giant faces up on the campus again lastly as part of my master's program progr training at CSUSB I also taught several communication courses while at Valley now why am I here today because I want to support working students many students in our community colleges are balancing their education with the demands of work and family these working students face significant barriers to access higher education including scheduling and limited Support Services I am committed to addressing these challenges by advocating for flexible scheduling expanding evening weekend and online courses offering to AC offerings to accommodate a diverse schedule of working students financial support increasing access to scholarships grants and emergency financial aid to alleviate the financial pressures on working students support Stu Support Services enhancing oncampus resources such as Child Care Transportation assistance and academic advising to I would be remissed if I didn't want to support and expand initiatives like the dreamers resource center and the dreamer Scholars Program at Crafton Hills College as someone who has personally navigated the challenges of being undocumented I understand the critical needs for resources and support systems that address the unique needs of our population I am committed to ensuring these students have have access to the tools and opportunities they need to succeed academically and Beyond dual enrollment dual enrollment programs are are crucial to Prov earn college credits while still in high school these programs not only accelerate students academic progress but also reduce the cost of college education I am committed to expanding dual enrollment opportunities to ensure that more more students can benefit from this head start on their higher educational Journey funding securing adequate funding for our community colleges is essential to maintaining an enhance enhancing the quality of Education I will advocate for increased funding from the state and federal sources to support academic programs student services and infrastructure improvements additionally I will work to ensure that funds are allocated equitably to address the needs of all students Workforce Development is a critical component of our community's colleges missions by partnering with local businesses and industries we can create programs that align with the current job market and provide students with the skills they need to succeed in their careers I will Champion initiatives that strengthen these Partnerships and expand vocational and Technical training programs I'm over here speaking to the choir by the way uh booksavers programs the high cost of textbooks is a significant barrier for many students I know it was for my family by promoting the adoption of open educational sources and other free or lowcost textbooks Alternatives like the book Savers Pro program recently rolled out by you all thank you it can Al alleviate the financial burden and make education more accessible kbcr our local public broadcasting station love all the social media ads and the streaming services commercial I want to continue to leverage kbcr where we can to continue to promote educational content highlight student achievement and continue to foster a sense of community as a board of trustee my vision for San Marino Valley College and Crafton Hills College is one of inclusive Innovative and student- centered policies I believe that our community colleges should be places where every student regardless of their background or circumstances can achieve their full potential but to achieve this we we must give accessibility Equity Innovation and Community engagement my leadership experience as an educational Advocate has equipped me with the skills and perspectives necessary to serve effectively on this board I am a strong Communicator a collaborative team player and a dedicated advocate for students I am committed to transparency accountability and ethical leadership in closing I am a living example of the transformative power of education and that's why I had to write this down cuz I'm a cha and to have them translated for you I have lived the challenges of our students and I am passionate about creating more inclusive supportive and empowering educational environments for all with your support we can ensure that community colleges continue to be beacons of Hope and opportunity for every student thank you thank you okay so this that concludes our interviewing process and so we are going to first start prior to the motion we're going to conduct our round one of our ranking sheet so we each have a ranking sheet we are going to rank all six candidates the directions are on the sheet once we have that uh we are going to tally the scores so we're going to take just a moment to do that for e for and just for the public once the scores are tallied we will be provided a new ranking sheet for round two of ranking e e e e e e e e okay so now we're going to have our second round of scoring so you'll receive a new sheet there are two people that you will not rank in this round well for the purposes of this process um for e e e e e e okay so what we did was uh we had the six candidates and for the purposes of beginning a discussion we ranking to get us to collectively who all of the trustees collectively when you add the scores together identified as the top two at this time what we're going to do is open up for discussion there's a couple of things I want to remind everybody of we can talk about any of the candidates uh right so that is Absolut we're not no one's been like ruled out but for the purposes of discussion so we all know collectively thinking the top two candidates um are Carlos Aguilar and Fatima Sanchez so those are the top two on the two rounds that doesn't mean we can't talk about any and all of the other candidates CES and so the way the process works is uh we will um have a motion for the provisional appointment and if there's a motion and a second then we will begin discussion during the discussion another reminder we can discuss any of the candidates during that discussion the motion and the second is to open up discussion again to remind you uh through the process that we just went through uh Carlos and fattima are the the top two in the process that we did so at this time I'll look for a motion so we can be begin discussion and again we can discuss any candidate one more thing we can also if when we call for the vote after discussion we need to have um the candidate carry with at least four of our trustees our student trustees are advisory only um and if we at some point through this process um decide that or we don't have the support for any single candidate we do have the option of having uh this vacancy filled through the election process that is happening in November so we have lots of options so again at this time uh um looking for a motion to begin discussion well I I have a point of information sure so if for whatever reason you know folks decided clear on is there a cost associated with doing that or is it part of the regular election Executive Vice Chancellor if it came down to hey we couldn't come to a decision and this this happened in other processes with other bodies do we know with where we're at is that a special election or is it part of the November election so it will be up to the county superintendent of schools but based on how late is list in the game most likely they will not run a special election most likely most likely no special election which then most lik no additional expenses they can see uh could potentially be filled by the process that is correct almost ready to begin yeah U through the chair um I would want to double check I have two questions here that I I rely on staff heavily but I just want to just be real firm uh clear on this my understanding is there's a specified date which is set in law and unless there's been a change in the law the determination of whether the vacancy is filled by a special election appointment uh the general election one of the key factors is when the vacancy occurs and that we should be able to say at this point whether there would have to be a a special or a regular election and one of the big differences between those two is that a special election is extremely expensive because it's the only thing that's on the ballot and therefore all of the costs related to the election are borne by the district the regist of Voters office would build this district for the entire cost of the election whereas if it's part of a general election we are simply one small part of a whole bunch of Elections that are being held and we pay our proportional share we still have a cost Associated an appointment but it's a relatively trivial cost the same as the cost for any other member who's who's up for election that's my understanding and if I could get that verified I'd sure appreciate you're 100% correct if the countyar schools decides to run a special elections we will bear the cost the full cost of the special elections which could be extremely expensive and uh I'm looking at attorney but based on that PR that we had the date is August that we have the deadline that you have the deadline to appoint someone if you don't appoint someone by August 13 then it has to go to the regular election that's correct okay thank you well so let me may I ask the question another way then um since August 13th is after the date of regular election processes how does that that fit into the equation at the statutory body right now it's I'm going to need a couple minutes to take a look sure so yes I have some comments here in regards to this I think that first of all um we have some good candidates um I'm really encouraged now from a different perspective if all the family members and all the people that came in to be part of this they're we appreciate their input if we get that support during the time when we are looking for other things whether it be support the college in terms of the bond and so forth I'm really encouraged that means that we need for them to be active and so I I'm encouraged um it's very clear as to for my opinion uh who are the individuals that are that are the leaders I mean that are came on top I uh I'm I don't see any problem us selecting uh one IND individual possibly two individuals but you know um without having to be concerned about a special election if we didn't have someone that was not well qualified it would be good so it's up to us as Leaders of this board and we are very concerned about the cost because I think we don't want to spend a lot of money we just it's it's good it's going to be for what uh from now until till the end of depending on how the election would right nov you know just uh I mean like glor as position well would that end that would have already ended right effective uh the 30th of June she's vacated the position and then the position is open is one of the positions up for reelection in November of 2024 okay so then let's say for example because that was a cons after that happens and some some some individuals said I'm only going to previous I'm only going to run this time and they didn't want to go further so it didn't was not very smart for them but that person will it be for the whole term from 24 to 28 right so if we select somebody tonight through this provisional appointment they are uh trustee from the time they're sworn in until the 24 whatever it is the the um results of the election right and then that that regular reorganization happens in December of 2024 after the election is certified whoever if we have a provisional appointment today that p position beyond that December 2024 reorganization meeting based on the result of the election would have to run in November they would have to go to the register voters and do the thing to run and the that process is getting ready to begin uh within the next couple of weeks and through the chair trusty L my recollection and understanding and I stating this for verification by the council and perhaps other staff if if they are familiar with this if the person if we appoint someone tonight and that person files to run in November for a full four-year term and no one files to run against that person then will that contest still appear on the ballot or will the person be appointed in lie of election under the provisions yes yes appointed in L of election right so what would happen is the the position would go unfilled and then you would have your options presented again and just so you know your options as to how you fill a board off office depends specifically on when the vacancy appears and occurs and so we'd have to look at it at that point and see where we are on a filling with a vacancy if that's the route we went well I think the question is a little slightly different I think the question is um if we provisionally choose someone tonight MH and then that person pulls papers and does everything to be on the ballad and they are unopposed on the ballad that that's the question then they would simply assume a four-year term as a board member that's that's the question and that's what you're saying okay thank you thank you that's yes okay so do we have a motion for a candidate uh I have a motion uh for a candidate from my perspective we didn't get the answer or do we have to go with the two individuals that were the top we're we only have one vacancy so we can only make the motion for one candidate it can be any of the six we just know who mathematically when we did the process justar the clarification did we get the answer to the question about the special election or are we for going out yeah based on what I'm seeing here and um this is kind of some quick on the spot research um it would appear to me that if the vacancy is not filled in August it would be filled at the next regular election because that's when the position would be up anyways okay so I I do not believe a special would be called okay so I'm ready I'm ready to make a recommendation uh and U looking at again top quality individuals is very clear to me that uh there's one individual that um what we for us to continue to get grants for for them to understand how the process uh very clear to me is uh Mr Carlos Aguilera is in my opinion the best candidate for this position okay so we have a motion for Carlos Aguilara do we have a second second we have a sec second from truste Gonzalez any discussion guess I'll just thr I was I was very impressed with both of the top candidates and and I think they each have outstanding um stories which I think matter and experiences and um work experience as well that that makes a difference um I you know it it's sort of like we haven't had any representation who actually lives in the mountains on this body for a very long time I think right so I mean so that's something important but also city of the community of sanino is is the the dominant leader of um population wise in the region too so you know they're they they both have really great qualities and um I look forward to this playing out thank you trusty Williams so you know I was impressed with um with all of the candidates I think they all brought something different um you know I appreciate the fact that um many of them spoke directly to issues related to the College District and um showed that they did some research and um know about some of our top priorities um I agree that you know both um Mr Carlos and um Miss Fatima are you know highly qualified um I felt like I got to know Miss Fatima a little more than I did Mr Carlos in that you know the passion in which she delivered um her interview know a little bit more and I do appreciate the fact that Mr Carlos is um in the um in the Mountain Community um however like you said with this seat you know representing the city of San berardino you know our largest college sits in the city of San Bernardino um and then you know her um lived experience and story as representative of a good portion of the um the students you know and my same reason during the last process is what I'm personally interested in this someone who is able to directly connect with and Inspire students to come back to campus that's what I want to see when I was a student Valley College and Crafton Hills College were bustling places and I know one trustee is not going to do that by themselves I'm just saying that I just feel like that Persona is what you know I would like to see setting here on the board in some and and organized and I get that's not the trustees technical role but that's what I'm looking for okay I'll jump in real quick yeah absolutely um I I going through the process uh recently uh I know it takes a lot of Courage uh to to step up there and just Endeavor uh to want to serve and I'm great ful that everybody um that came out to to stand up at that uh Podium and and to speak and uh I'm excited if this goes to an individual tonight whoever that uh person is and um I'm looking forward to to this continued conversation thank you trusty Longville I I would just not I I too found a we have an outstanding array of candidates who applied um I'm My Own inclination letting it go to an election um all of the candidates would be capable of filling the job uh some bring particularly uh greater strengths but they they all are capable of filling the job and uh I I am not I am not uh I'm not inclined to to fill it there so I we don't have a second is that correct we do have a second we do have a second um so we will will you know at some point take a vote okay um student trustees is there from your advisory perspective you don't have to I'm not putting you on the spot I'm putting you on the spot but I'm not trying to oh okay I'm reading the room so I'll uh just chime in at this point with really echoing I'm not sure that I can add anything to the conversation that hasn't already been been said but with six candidates and with the area that uh you know Valley College is really the flagship the centerpiece of the city of San Bernardino and a hub for the city of San Bernardino no I'm talking for the city of San Bernardino I'm I'm not talking about for the district come on now you come on I'm talking about for the city this is a vacancy at don't be a hater this is a come on now I bleed green we know this but for this particular vacancy it is a vacancy for the area that is served by the centerpiece of the city of San Bernardino with six candidates who all have variety of lived experience variety of passion points related to the impact that not only the college that college has on the area that we're talking about but also on their personal lives uh I as one individual would lean toward allowing the populace of that region to make the decision we are so close to that period happening it will happen anyway it's going to happen there is an election I would as one person potentially lean that direction yes trusty re I know that again it's they're two excellent individuals we talked about I'm looking at in terms of uh future Grand opportunities resources brought to our area very clear to me who has the experience we come in and we listen to these individuals and I I applaud that uh I'm for me as a board member I'm looking for someone who could uh help us at the highest level I'm talking at the highest level I'm talking about the presidency position in in Washington DC in terms of grant opportunities from the federal agencies there's no better individual in terms of bringing resources you know there'll be a time when I'm going to retired so you want to be able to begin to think about individuals that were make it easier and so I'm looking at from that perspective otherwise I mean we can if we don't have we don't have the resources look what's happened with kvcr in regards when we were able to get those monies we it gave us a lot of good opportunities we are in a position now to possibly get someone who could really help at the federal level and the state level there's not a better individual in terms if you talking about demographics and all that than Mr Aguila very clear to me now the other young lady is also very good absolutely I don't see that individual will being is engaged in terms of the um U legislative uh Appropriations that's what I for me is really important because we want to continue to be successful the budget the way it is right now we're hurting and we need to look at that thank you I appreciate that trusty Williams and like 100% respect and um agree in what you are saying um the benefit to the election portion of it I believe there's more than just the two that had quality and that are qualified to serve on this up board at the end of the day whoever we appoint it's got to run in November right so if we just go to election that gives all of the candidates that decide to run the opportunity to um you know run in a open seat and so that's you know when you brought the election up as one of the options I'm like hey and to the staff forgive us because you know but again this was always a conversation hey you know I've always said go to election and so I think it gives all six the playing Ground to get out to the public State their business and get out there knock on doors and want to serve in the seat with us that's an option and I like that option because again I think they all had something different to um to offer and so Madam chair yes if I I apologize for the break into deorum um we're looking at the issue as to whether a special election would need to be held and um it has to do very specifically with dates and we are literally within a day or two one way or the other um if that is a factor that the board wishes to consider whether a special election would be need continue this till your next meeting which is in two weeks um to get an uh official opinion as to whether a special election would need to be called MH make a substitute motion to that effect I'll second so do we have him withdraw his motion first or like now I'm confused Madam chair there's a couple ways to do it trust um the motion was made I Believe by trusty ryes he could withdraw his motion he wishes not not to withdraw so he is not to withdraw his motion we do have a motion in a second so uh do I have a call for the question I a question substitute motion well we can we can vote this on this motion and then I my understanding is a substitute motion takes presidence over voting on the initial motion that is the other option we would have to vote on The Substitute motion okay first and then we would it would if it's passed it would eliminate the need for the underlying motion okay so we have a substitute motion call for the question in a second so we will take action on the substitute motion can you repeat the motion again just because that would be to continue this matter for two weeks until our next meeting so the motion is to continue the matter until the next meeting in two weeks okay so with that oh there's no there was there was a second by trusty betters right we have a motion and we have a second about that motion yes trusty yes no my the Dead the deadline is August 13th is my understanding the our deadline is August 13th not the deadline to run correct I'm sorry our deadline to do an appointment is August 13th okay okay motion to continue second as a what was it called again substitute motion okay any other discussion okay so hearing none we have our electronic voting machines we're going to pause and have our student trustees give us their advisory vote first okay and now we will make our vote on whether to continue this to continue this is the vote to continue I'm confused two continue two week two weeks uh okay no then I don't no okay I got it okay I think we have all voted so the motion carries I well hold on hold on hold on hold on 62% no I know but I have to I have to make sure that we have four of the trustees full we do okay so the motion carries sorry it's really tiny uh so that motion carries so with that we will continue this action item until the next meeting for clarity on what we need and to finish the discussion then so with that we are we do not need to take action on the motion made by trusty Reyes and seconded by trusty Gonzales okay holy cow okay so um we are now on to oh where are we where are we I'm like who item action items okay we are on to then action item B which is the assignment of the San Bernardino Valley College college President to the Inland adult education Consortium executive committee so moved so we have a motion do we have a second second we have a motion in a second do we have any discussion on this hearing none we'll H ask for our student trustee um advisory vote and then the rest of us will vote okay and motion carries we are on to C which will be our board policies for final approval do we have a motion so move so move and discussion we have a motion by trusty Gonzalez a second by truste Williams discussion um if we just go to um 2431 um Chancellor selection shall designate a board subcommittee to oversee the search process to fill the Chancellor's position in the event of a vacancy a search committee may be formed which will include I'm just asking can we change will to may include so there's uh been a request to change one word from shall will to yeah it says we will and I'm just asking to say can we keep it consistent and say may any objection to that so um will the maker of the motion with that change in that policy you okay with that can I can I just ask if staff had any feedback on the language Chang we talked about does anybody see any problems no no problems from HR that's a good thing yeah it just gives gives us more flexibility okay so we have a motion of one word any other discussion okay hearing none we will ask for our student trustee advisory vote and vote of Trustees okay motion carries we are on now to item D replace trustees on board advisory committees so we are looking for a motion to approve a replacement of trustee Gloria Harrison on the board finance committee I'd like to nominate trusty Reyes okay we have a motion for trusty Reyes on the board finance committee do we have a we have a second uh we have actually two vacancies I like to nominate trustee betters for the legislative committee uh we're on board F uh oh legislative okay betters uh we have a motion do we have a second okay so yes so we have a a motion to approve the replacement of trustee Gloria Harrison on the board finance committee with truste Reyes and uh to Place trustee and verel on the board legislative committee with trustee betters so we have a motion and a second any discussion okay hearing none student advisory vote and okay that motion passes now we are on to our consent agenda the consent agenda is expected to be routine and non-controversial it will be acted upon by the board at one time without discussion any member of the board staff member or Citizen May request that an item be removed from this section for discussion are there any items to pull from the consent agenda okay hearing none I'll look for a motion move for approval we have a motion do we have a second I'll second okay we have a motion by trusty Gonzalez and um second by trusty betters all those in favor or student trustees make your advisory vote and everyone else will make their vote voting is closed and the consent agenda passes with that we are on to our reports reports and our board finance committee is uh trusty Gonzalez and we have no report this one no report and we have our board legislative committee trusty Reyes we had a very effective committee uh discussion we are doing very well when it comes to uh um keeping up with the individuals that are um that are supporting us in terms of uh bills and so forth U I know that there were some discussions and keeping up with the individuals that we're going to support uh in terms of their assembly bills that have an impact on our U College District not only a College District but throughout the state and so thanks to the leadership of Angel and iness they're keeping us posted we also had a report from the individual that helps us in Sacramento uh Mark and we pay him pretty well to keep us informed and in despite of the fact that the budget for the State of California is not the best right now because of his leadership and Angel and a compliment uh um Mr Torres in terms of it could have been pretty bad and we're keeping ourselves in pretty good shape with with their recommendation keep in mind the recommendations of the leadership that uh that really critical because they're they're the ones that really keep us posted in terms of the details of that so it was very good now we are going to be celebrating something that is has doesn't happen very often we're going to be celebrating a a grant of $3 million uh on the is it um July is it the 26th the 26th we're going to have the uh Mr Pete agilar um at the federal level uh and of course we're going to have the secret which I had that the opportunity to talk to her when I was in Washington DC when we were there to invite her to come she's going to be here we're going to be presenting the check we're going to give her a tour of the of the facilities that we're doing in terms of the Workforce Development and so forth they're going to be very very impressed with that and of course the assemblywoman Rey is going to be also uh presenting a plaque to Mr will Marshall because Mr will Marshall is the one that was inst instrumental in allowing us to be considered we were lost uh for the $3 million and then we we put in $1 million so it's a $4 million check presentation so it's going to be really exciting um they're doing a good job and inviting other elector officials because I want other elector officials that to say that four $4 million we we we appreciate but we're also requesting other things in working with the elected officials in terms of the county and the state and the federal so it was very very informative and educational and inspiring because that's where that's what we're going to have to continue to do uh in terms of being Visionary in our district and other college um districts are looking at us in terms of opportunities so it was very good so I I thank the committee and thank the the leadership of U of our college that is going to is going to take us to the next level thank you thank you for that report next is Trusty Gonzalez no report okay and uh trusty Williams do you have a report from Board of Governors no report and I do not have a report from The Joint Powers Authority so we are on to our Chancellor for your report thank you well good afternoon or sure I say good evening everyone I hope everyone is is enjoying their summer and trying to stay cool in the shade and keeping hydrated and all that good stuff we've been um pretty busy um this summer so let me just share a couple of things with you first off we recently launched our books saver program our new textbook affordability program this initiative we anticipate will save students up to $300 per semester by renting their books instead of purchasing them from our bookstores that our students just simply need to register for the courses pay for the um the amount um designated through book saver and then the will have the books thank you to all of our teams at the DSO and especially at our campuses to put this um to put this program forward um so that we can help students financially afford coming to our colleges I'm also thrilled to announce a new partnership um aimed at preparing students in careers in Green Technology and environmental sustainability we recently signed anou with carb which stands for California air is the state's top air quality agency their headquarters is located near us um UCR they conduct air pollution testing on vehicles emissions and everywhere from small Vehicles small cars to heavyduty trucks this partnership we hope will introduce our students to many of the different stem careers that are available close to home so that we can keep our students in our communities um take this time to Welcome to the dis Dr Sharina betters welcome as our new trustee for area 7 and also o Dr Gilbert contes excuse me as our 15th president at San Bernardino Valley College so looking forward to both of your leadership and working with you on a personal note so I saw my calendar today the date and it dawned on me that today marks my eth anniversary in returning to the dist it's 2006 um we've accomplished I like to think that we've we've accomplished so much together to benefit our students and to help them meet their goals or as they say help all of their dreams come true and I know that there is still so so much more to do and I'm excited for that and lastly just a quick shout out to um kvcr for the Fantastic community outreach they have um supplied the board with um jackets so that we can promote um kbcr everywhere we go I know it's 108° outside everywh beginning in December the Jack the jackets are heavy but um you get the idea so thank you very much to executive director Lea and all of the team at um kvcr and that concludes my report thank you all right so at this time we're on to our represented groups and it is summertime so I know here so uh first up is Crafton Hills College academic Senate no report like no report Crafton Hills College classified [Music] Senate Crafton Hills College Associated students yes we do have hi come on up good evening everyone I'd like to reintroduce myself to start my name is Katrina baringer and I am college so I serve as the Delegate for cofton Hills College when we go to General Assembly every year and I also act as the student liaison between craon Hills College and region 9 and this is our report so the craon Hills College student Senate is actively collaborating with our counselors department and our student services department to plan and hold our annual Roadrunner rally on August 6th and this event is designed to provide students with an opportunity to connect with our student resources meet new people and to F familiarize themselves with our campus before the new school year starts and the CHC student Senate is also taking steps to address our regional issues by advocating for the booksavers program as previously mentioned and the cost of textbooks as a barrier to student equity and success has and the booksavers program aims to lower the financial burden on students and the student Senate looks forward to being a partner and Advocate as this program is being launched we also recently drafted a letter of support for reform to AB 1855 highlighting how protecting the locations of members attending meetings merotely does not hinder participation from the public and furthermore ensures Equitable access to Associated student governments and student associations required to adhere to the brown act additionally we have concluded appointments of our appointed cabinet and we are proud to note that we have officially appointed 10 new officers bringing our cabinet total to 17 out of 20 officer positions and this is the largest that our student Senate has been in recent years so we are very proud and that concludes my next thank you next up is San beradino Valley College academic Senate okay San Bernardino Valley College classified Senate San Bernardino Valley College Associated students no report oh thank you I know next up is CSA uh Mary valdemar with the California School Employees Association chapter 291 also Valley College Alum and work in the San Marino Valley College library been on campus I think over 20 years now it's it's been a minute um I want to extend apologies from Ernest Gan for not being in attendance today um and he asked me to come as the political action coordinator which was very timely to hear the the board considerations for the appointed seats um but we also want to let you know that we're starting our endorsement process for the chapter and so we want to uh invite incumbents who are planning to run for reelection in November to come visit us at a special meeting in July or August depending on your schedule availability to come talk to the chapter members about your candidacy um Ernie and I also sit as delegates on the Inland Empire labor Council and that process for labor Council candidates is going to be and running through the end of July so if you've already attended the labor Academy which is the uh training session that we present for uh Labor candidates uh you can be considered a part of the inland ire labor Council endorsements as well um as one of the largest employers in the region and also a major partner in Workforce and economic development I know you know how urgent it is we work together in a spirit of equity Justice and also growth into the future what we need so I'm super happy to hear about the Partnerships with carb and the Workforce Development uh monies that are coming to do Workforce Development I hope that we can continue to successfully partner with labor for the benefit of the entire region and make sure that our students after graduation are inheriting thriving wages and good quality jobs with Benefits that's going to benefit the entire region including ourselves so and we hope to be able to meet candidacies but also uh the future board members and welcome to the student trustees the new student trustees the new uh board members and also uh the new presidential uh positions that are on board thank you thank you next up is CTA good evening Board of trustee members Chancellor Dr senior district managers I'm Jeff demsky I'm the new faculty Union president CTA has some positive updates to report and some appreciations to express in a few weeks we'll convene our executive board retreat our agenda's focus is integrating deia competencies into our advocacy and our operations of course these discussions have been ongoing districtwide for several years I'd like to thank uh Valley College Union seated behind me for leading our current team in these efforts they're important efforts but also like to specifically thank Vice Chancellor Hannon for helping CTA secure eeo funding for our upcoming meetings we appreciate this support as a financial matter but also as a meaningful human capital connection our executive board values interpersonal relationships it might be oldfashioned but it's effective and I pledge that during the next two years CTA will work respectfully with every member of this board and all district leaders this commitment to civility does not mean that CTA members will necessarily be silent hearing public comment criticism is part of your jobs though I imagine it's not likely your favorite part of the job our disagreements however do not have to be disrespectful and I do not expect that they will be these are part-time and full-time professors that live raise their families in this community they're deeply committed to this district and its success we all appreciate working for a financially solvent and Innovative District a district with a nearly 100-year history CTA members are part of this tradition as well we are partners with you and we are proud looking forward to see you next month thank you thank you next up is our Police Officers Association looks like no report we are on to staff reports our San Bernardino Valley College president yes thank you in addition to my written report I have updates from Valley college but before I do I just want to welcome trustee betters uh to the Board of Trustees and I also want to thank the board and CH Le Valley College I couldn't be more inspired or encouraged or uh enthusiastic about my role in serving as the 15th President of Valley College um I also want to thank Dr Linda fontanilla for the time she spent with me during this transition and and all of her support during the transition and I want to thank uh the people from Fullerton College seros college Cyprus College who came in support of me today and I really want to let them know that I'm a better listener a better ad leader because of the people so I want to thank them as well uh so three updates Valley College on July 6th hosted Summerfest in collaboration with San berardino Symphony Orchestra absolutely amazing event really the spirit of Val Valley col College uh in celebrating Community we've been celebrating Community for 99 years at Valley college and that was just a marquee event and I really want to thank Chancellor Rodriguez former trustee Dr an verelle all the people for the hard work of and from the orchestra San Bernardino saved over the rainbow in The Wizard of Oz and uh that's a fun fact we learn more at that event uh in addition my second update is enrollment is booming at Valley College you have that in the written report for the spring but fall to fall we're up 26% in ftes for the fall and 24% in headcount and that is takes everyone to accomplish that amazing work especially when I Thank The Faculty the classified professionals the managers this board DSO for making it a priority and all the marketing work that we're doing especially want to thank Dr Dena humble Dr Rosas for working collaboratively both in the class room in for Support Services it takes all of us to work together to reach those levels of enrollment growth and finally I want to thank all the Wolverines across San berardino Valley College it has been a joy to walk around the campus and yes I've been walking around campus 106 degree weather I took off my coat after three days and you know just rolled up my sleeves and got to meet a lot of people and the smiles the energy the excitement at Valley College is really inspiring to see to know that our students are greeted with those smiles and that warmth and that energy is really really inspiring also had an opportunity to welcome over 200 students to the summer bridge program and if you heard on Cola 999 sanino Valley College is partnering with San berino Unified School District handing out backpacks later this month so I was really exciting to live to that institution and that concludes my report thank you yes question truste Williams just clarification first welcome and um um welcome thank you for the report does Valley 99 this year or what 99 this year Centennial is coming up next year so just thinking about the the event that we had a couple of weeks like the we need to have a firework show you know all week all month like and raage hundred million we're actually of Celebration that would beol I heard a challenge of $100 million I'm just saying that that's that's what I heard Jose help I mean you've done six before so like it's not like it's just saying huh pull a rabbit out of your hat parcel all right next up is Crafton Hills College Dr R uh good evening trustees I'd like to begin by welcoming Dr betters to the to the board it's a pleasure to be able to work with you in this capacity and I think you're going to do great things um I just have two uh quick updates one is I'd like to congratulate Dr Willie Blackman suit Zia pontang and blinda Navarette they have been selected to present at the California collection uh sorry excuse me California Coalition of early and middle colleges on dual enrollment and their uh presentation is entitled empathy equity and supportive measures navigating dual enrollment from an equity lens and this is a representative of the excellent work that they and many of our faculty and our student services team have done to expand our uh dual enrollment programs and we're very excited for their accomplishment and being selected for that and uh the last thing I have is just to thank um um Jeff dempy who's our new CTA president uh accepted an invitation from him met with him uh uh earlier a couple weeks ago and then today had a wonderful experience with Lucas Cooney over at kvcr and what is can only be described as an impressive podcast Lounge um and I encourage all of you if you ever get the invitation to accept it I felt like I was on the armchair expert or Howard Stern and um and it was an amazing conversation with Lucas about education Innovation leadership and just a wonderful collaboration with CTA that's my report thank you for that next up Executive Vice Chancellor Tores no report just welcome Dr bers uh Vice Chancellor of human resources and police services really really quick um um welcome to Dr betters um thank you to both CTA and ca for continued working together and and collaboration and I wanted to be the first person to congratulate um Dr Diana Rodriguez at the diets [Applause] but congratulations that concludes my report thank you congratulations active Vice Chancellor of student service student Support Services no update but also want to welcome Dr betters okay with that we have our information items are there any information items that anyone would like to discuss okay all right hearing none so we will go now into our Clos session we have a conference with Labor negot uh negotiators we have Public Employee discipline dismissal release non- Reemployment we have conference with legal council anticipated litigation we have conference with legal council existing litigation litigation and public employee performance evaluation do we have any public comment for close session items no M Madam chair before we go into close session I would simply like to wish everyone a Happy Festival of San ferine which just passed us okay thank thank you for that with that we will convene uh into close session taking a what a 10-minute break so at at 5 minutes after 7 we'll convene into close session thank you e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e it is 7:49 we are reconvened into our public meeting and at this time there is no report of action in Clos session so with that the next meeting of the board will be a special board meeting on July the 17th 2024 at 4:30 p.m. in the San Bernardino Community College District boardroom at 550 East Hospitality Lane Suite 200 San Bernardino California 92407 and with that again without objection it is 750 and this meeting is adjourned for