I’m in this race to stop the current Board of Trustees from doing the two things they do well: 1) overspending your tax dollars, and 2) making decisions in isolation on their ever-growing, and expensive MASTER PLAN. ---- So, how much money COULD they overspend?
This Board has a war chest of just over TWO billion DOLLARS, thanks to TWO voter-approved bond measures in 2001, and 2003. These Bond Measures stipulate that money be spent ONLY on “facilities-improvement” of student buildings, “only on the 9 campuses”, WITH NOT ONE DIME to be spent on administrators. But guess what? That money MEANT FOR STUDENTS will be spent on a SEVEN-STORY ADMINISTRATION building in downtown Los Angeles, to cost 20 million dollars with an additional 5 million dollars on upgrades.
-- Do students need new science labs and libraries, or new parking structures? Do students need safe and secure classrooms? Of COURSE they do. And THAT’S what I want, for THE STUDENTS. But please let these Trustees know they must use the Bond money “for the students”, and not for marble tile in the foyer of their new downtown country club.
My second point concerns the Board's insulation from the community. This Board -–in pursuit of their MASTER PLAN-- have flattened the football stadium at LACC into a parking lot, soon to be the site of a much-needed science lab. The destruction of 60 years of tradition was done without any oversight from alumni, students, staff and community. The BOARD must end its unilateral and autocratic methods. ALL decisions must be collaborative and available for review and rebuttal by the community being served.
As a Trustee I would propose more partnerships between the community colleges and local businesses. Vocational internships and apprenticeships translate to economic freedom for qualified students. I would encourage more varieties of online courses at the 8 community colleges since they generate FOUR times the revenue of regular classrooms, and I would encourage all community college teachers learn those techniques for effective online classroom management, since the future of education is web-based instruction.
Taxpayers and students need a better friend than they have now on the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community Colleges.
On March 8th I need your help. I will, with the community’s help, bring fiscal accountability to this school board.
Find out about the other issues in this campaign:
SAVE TRADE TECH COLLEGE!The Cult of Overspenders: Trustee Handbook
LA City College-- Tales of the Track Stadium and the Golf Driving Range LA Mission College-- Beautiful Architecture and the Arroyo Plan770 Wilshire-- Ready for purchase after the election at 20 million dollars (+$5m)The best thing LACCD ever did!
Are Online Classes the Future of Education?
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