Taft College Academic Senate Minutes
Monday, October 1, 2012
Cougar Conference Room
Attendees: Jennifer Altenhofel, Kanoe Bandy, Michelle Beasley, David Berry, Wendy Berry, Eric Bérubé,
Darcy Bogle, Joe’ll Chaidez, Bill Devine, Candace Duron, , Geoffrey Dyer, John Eigenauer,
Juana Escobedo, Sharyn Eveland, Shelly Getty, Greg Golling, Gary Graupman, Vicki Herder, Brian Jean,
Diane Jones, David Layne, Mike Mayfield, Michelle Oja, Ruby Payne, Harold Pease, Joseph Polizzotto,
David Reynolds, Jeff Ross, Rebecca Roth, Sonja Swenson, Linda West
The meeting was called to order at 12:15 p.m.
Public Commentary
The group was treated to a fantastic lunch courtesy of Leon Denweed, owner of Big Denweed’s Friendly
Catering. Leon is a former student and donated the lunch for the meeting.
Review of September 4, 2012 Senate Minutes
The minutes were approved with one correction.
Dr. Dena Maloney
Dr. Maloney updated the Senate on a number of topics including the current budget, the 50 Percent
law, and her goals for the academic year.
The Board of Trustees passed the budget at the September meeting. The budget was constructed based
upon the November measure failing to pass. The Board has approved the use of $1.1 million from the
reserve. As a result, we can continue as is without making further cuts this year. However, if the
measure doesn’t pass, we are looking at budget cuts next academic year because we can’t continue
utilizing reserves at the current level.
The college did not comply with the 50 Percent law during the past reporting year. The law states that
50 percent of expenditures must be for faculty salaries and benefits. Although it sounds like a simple
requirement, the process of allocating expenses can be complicated. The college missed the
requirement by $95,000 and has applied for an exemption. If a college is out of compliance, the amount
of the shortfall is set aside out of next year’s budget and state allocation is reduced by that amount. A
task force has been formed to analyze factors leading to the root cause of the deficit. Dr. Maloney
stated that the cause of the shortfall will be determined and we will move forward to compliance.
Dr. Maloney outlined a number of goals for the college, including:
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Continue working on strategic plan including instructional programs, student success, and
Transition to Independent Living program
Analyze WESTEC operations and its relationship to the college
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Develop a plan for CTE
Finance, accounting, and business goals including the examination of long-term debt obligations
Institutional effectiveness
Facilities Master Plan
o Phase 1, Measure A
o Phase 2, explore facilities needed to support future programs
Examine the college’s funding structure and determine whether or not it makes sense for us. Do
we have the right mix of restricted vs. unrestricted funds?
Dr. Maloney stated she wanted to place a big emphasis on open communication with both the campus
and off-campus communities. She asked that we please forward newsletter ideas along to her.
CEED Grant Faculty Positions
Sam Aunai
Sam Aunai presented a proposal to hire a non-tenure track Engineering and Energy Technology full-time
faculty position. The position would be funded by the CEED grant. The college currently has five years
remaining on the grant after this academic year. Sam is looking for alternative funding sources to
continue the position once the grant ends. A full-time faculty member in this area will serve to provide
program consistency through coordination, program development, subject matter expertise, and
connection with business and industry. In addition, the instructor will teach some of the program
related classes.
Academic Senate Secretary Position
Tony Thompson
Linda West was unanimously elected to serve as Academic Senate Secretary.
Sabbatical Task Force
Eric Bérubé and Vicki Herder
Although the Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement states the requirements for taking Sabbatical
Leave, there appears to be no clear process in place for doing so. Eric and Vicki suggested forming a task
force consisting of three faculty members and an administrator to develop a Sabbatical Leave process to
bring back to the Senate. The task force will use the Sabbaticals: Effective Practices for Proposals,
Implementation, and Follow-Up guidelines adopted by the Academic Senate for California Community
Colleges in Spring 2008 as a foundation. Eric Bérubé, Vicki Herder, and Dave Berry agreed to serve on
the task force.
Budget Committee Update
David Layne
David Layne reported the Budget Committee is currently reviewing program review goals and
developing a list of resources required to meet those goals. He stated the Budget Committee is not a
decision-making committee.
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Resolution in Support of Proposition 30
Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson presented a resolution in support of the passage of Proposition 30 (see attached) to the
Board of Trustees at the October meeting for Senate review and approval. The proposal generated some
discussion regarding whether or not it was appropriate for the senate to be taking a political stand. It
was moved by Diane Jones and seconded by Kanoe Bandy to present the resolution to the Board of
Trustees. The motion carried by majority vote with four nays.
Faculty Hiring Process
Bill Devine, Division Chairs
It was reported the division chairs have had several meetings regarding the faculty hiring process and
have recommended no major change. It was suggested to eliminate the faculty ranking sheets but keep
the criteria for use in November division chair presentations. It looks like at least two faculty positions
will be filled.
Craig Johnson brought up the necessity of using accurate and consistent data in the presentations and
suggested division chairs use the data provided by the Institutional Research office for program review.
Craig stated it would be helpful if we could see a comparison sheet of the data. Concern was expressed,
however, that each division is different and the data doesn’t apply to all equally. It was also mentioned
that we must keep in mind that not all positions count toward the 50% law.
A motion was made by Darcy Bogle and seconded by Jeff Ross to use the existing ranking sheets for
division chair presentations and include a sheet provided by the Institutional Research office providing
data to support the criteria as it relates to the position. The motion carried.
Meeting was adjourned at 1:03 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for 12:10-1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 5th.
Respectfully submitted by
Linda West
Academic Senate Secretary
Attachment
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Resolution in support of Proposition 30 on the November ballot:
Temporary Taxes to Fund Education, Guaranteed Local Public Safety Funding
WHEREAS, The California Community Colleges is the nation’s largest system of higher education
and provides access to higher education to more than 2.4 million students; and
WHEREAS, The California Community Colleges is the largest workforce training provider in the state and
plays an essential role in keeping California’s economy competitive; and
WHEREAS, California’s higher education system is in a crisis situation with insufficient resources at a
time of record demand due to high school graduates and unemployed residents seeking
retraining; and
WHEREAS, California Community Colleges have been cut by $1 billion or 12 percent from the
2008-09 fiscal year to today; and
WHEREAS, the total revenue cuts to the West Kern Community College District during this same
time period total $1.2 million; and
WHEREAS, if Proposition 30 fails, the West Kern Community College would realize a cut in revenue
of $1,128,325, which would then bring the total cut in revenue from the 2008-09 fiscal
year to $2,328,325; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 30 has a direct positive effect on the K-14 educational systems and
Proposition 38 benefits only the K-12 system; and
WHEREAS, if passed, Proposition 30 would provide $34.5 billion in deferral payments and funding
restoration over five years, which would allow the West Kern Community College
District to maintain status quo, or perhaps give an increase of up to $175,000; and
WHEREAS, California’s locally elected Community College trustees, together with their Administrators,
Faculty, staff, and students, are best able to decide where budget reductions can be
absorbed while minimizing the impact on their communities; and
WHEREAS, a study conducted this year by University of California researchers concluded that for every
$1 invested in public higher education, the state gets $4.50 in return; and
WHEREAS, the Academic Senates of both the University of California and the California State University
systems, and the Board of Governors have adopted resolutions in support of Proposition 30;
and
WHEREAS, the Taft College Academic Senate recognizes and is sensitive to, the philosophy that the
vast majority of voters are opposed to tax increases; and
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WHEREAS, the Taft College Academic Senate views the current fiscal crisis affecting the California
Community Colleges as the most severe in the system’s history; be it
RESOLVED, the Taft College Academic Senate supports the passage of Proposition 30 to prevent our
community, our college, our students, and our entire staff from enduring the incredible
damage we would face if it fails to pass.
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