Accjc gone wild
Los Angeles Southwest College
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Los Angeles Southwest CollegeThe Visiting Team at Southwest College accurately described the Los Angeles Community College District as being run by a publically elected board. “LASC is one of nine constituent colleges of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). The District Board of Trustees is a seven-member policy-making body. Board members are elected for four-year terms district-wide by voters in the city of Los Angeles and in neighboring cities without their own community college districts. Elections are staggered, with three or four seats filled every two years. An advisory student member is elected annually district-wide. The Board governs through policies that ensure and secure the academic and fiscal integrity of the constituent institutions. A policy on conflict of interest assures that conflicting interests are disclosed, and do not interfere with the impartiality of board members in decision-making.” In their “Findings and Evidence they found that: “The Board of Trustees is an independent policy making body that serves the public's interest; uniting to support local planning decisions made through shared governance processes. In the self-evaluation of Standard IVB.I.a, the board members are reported to work together collaboratively; however, in their recent Board Self-Evaluation (spring 2012) there is evidence that describes the Board's communications to be disrespectful of one another and the administration. In interviews, the Board Members described spirited dialogue rather than arguments, and reported that their outcomes were better vetted through this open communication style. Additionally, the evaluation described some board members as coming to the meetings unprepared and not giving their full attention to speakers during board meetings.” “Recently in the Board of Trustees Self-Evaluation Survey, participants reported that the Board focuses too much on processes that should be delegated and not enough time on policy matters; that the work of the Board of Trustees Committees is departing from oversight and policy level and becoming directive at the operational level, to include micro-managing the Chancellor and his decisions. The Board has been participating in several retreats this year and has one more planned before the end of the academic year. Evidence from interviews of trustees reveals a willingness to continue to refine their roles and attend to issues of collaboration, delegation and focused responsibilities. “ Ventura CollegeIn the letter of February 1, 2012 to Ventura College the Commission stated the following: “Commission Concern: The team report confirmed that the board development activities had been provided and all board members were encouraged to attend. At the same time, the team expressed concern about the consistency and long-term sustainability of the Board’s demonstration of its primary leadership role and reiterates its recommendation for evidence of ongoing professional development for all Board members. Specifically, the Commission notes a particular board member’s disruptive and inappropriate behavior and the entire board’s responsibility to address and curtail it.” I have addressed this issue elsewhere in this paper. It is clearly time for governing board members to organize themselves and confront the ACCJC on its attempt to interfere with the functioning of democratically elected boards. After all, the governing boards are not playgrounds where children are to be disciplined for bad behavior but rather a part of the sometimes dynamic democratic process in California. “Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Western Association of Schools and Colleges
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