The Rancho Santiago Community College Trustees want to spend $57K to find their next Chancellor
(From left to right): Clerk Brian E. Conley, M.A.; John R. Hanna; Mark McLoughlin; Lisa Woolery, APR, M.A.; President R. David Chapel, Ed.D.; Phillip E. Yarbrough; Vice President Lawrence R. “Larry” Labrado and Student Trustee Gloria Holguin.
The Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees is selecting an executive search firm to assist in the recruitment and selection process of a new chancellor.
The outrageous part is that they are planning to spend over $57,000 to find a new chancellor and it seems that the district has forgotten their own budget crisis.
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We need Art to run against these losers. The secret for whoever wants to run against these guys it to have a good ballot designation. Ask Rocco about that! Art could use Professor, Teacher, Educator or some combination of these titles and win easily.
How is it that we end up with THREE boardmembers out of seven who live in the posh Floral Park Neighborhood in North S.A.? THREE!!! You look at the sea of brown faces at S.A. college and our board looks like a St. Patrick’s Day parade of fools! They are ruining the education for this Latino District and its alumnos.
Art,
You got bad information. RSCCD is not going to spend $57k to find a new chancellor.
John,
This is in your recent Board agenda:
Approval of Search Consultant and Timeline for Chancellor Search Action
It is recommended the board select an executive search firm to assist in the recruitment and selection process of a new chancellor. It is recommended the board approve the timeline for the chancellor search process and authorize the Executive Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Educational Services to chair the screening committee and coordinate the recruitment and selection process with the selected search firm.
Are you saying that the Board is going to do all this and not spend any money? Why not appoint an interim Chancellor and thus have more time to research candidates?
And why use a search firm at all? Why not just post the job on usjobs.gov and caljobs.gov and see who applies? The SAUSD conducted a search to replace Al Mijares and they ended up hiring his former assistant, Jane Russo, even though she did not have a doctorate in education. So much for their national search…
Here is a comment that was posted on our New Santa Ana blog, by Alex Flores, the Associated Student Body President at Santa Ana College:
John,
In the docket from the previous meeting Monday October 26 it was indicated that the search can cost up to $57k. Some being subsidized by the chancellor’s office and the remainder would be paid out of our general fund, all being depended upon which search company was selected.
John,
In the docket from the previous meeting Monday October 26 it was indicated that the search can cost up to $57k. Some being subsidized by the chancellor’s office and the remainder would be paid out of our general fund, all being depended upon which search company was selected.
Art–Maybe you can post my comments from the Santa Ana blog over here? If not, let me just say contrary to the post, RSCCD is not planning to spend $57,000 for a consultant to lead the search for a new chancellor. I know I won’t vote for it. I don;t know any one that will. I’m speaking for myself(only Board President Dave Chapel can speak for the Board)but I don’t see it. The Administration is not going to recommend that $57k firm. We are not planning to spend any general fund money on this search. The funds would be from the state chancellors office for employee recruitment. They can not be spent on students, employees or programs. So unless we picked the $57 k company(which won’t happen IMHO)NO money will come from general fund which could go to classes, student, employees, etc.
I supported going with an interim chancellor, said so at the last meeting, and voted accordingly. But I’ve spoken with the person I thought could do the job and they’ve convinced me that with no money coming out of the general fund we should do a search and our students, faculty and community deserve the best chancellor we can find. We have until the end of June when Chancellor Hernandez retires..if our search committee(comprising administrators, employees, students and a community member)working with the consultant doesn’t like what they found or if the Board declines to offer a position any of those recommended by the Committee, I intend to push for an interim chancellor once again.
By the way, this isn’t the type of job you just put in an employment web site and wait on the returns. This is like hiring the CEO of a major company–you don’t necessarily want someone who is unemployed or even looking for a job. The consultant will look at our districts unique situation and encourage qualified people to apply.
Anyway, I appreciate your concern, as always, but as I’ve said before, if you hear something about the District that disturbs you, give me a call or drop me an e-mail before you post. Perhaps I can clear things up.
As for Alex, I’m proud of the work he’s done of trying to raise funds for the summer program at SAC. I just felt it important to have your readers aware that there isn’t any plan to spend $57k on this search—there is just a number of bids and one of them is $57 k which I predict will not get the contract.
Alex—I don’t have a problem with your advocacy but there is no plan to spend $57k on this. It’s just one of a number of bids. I’m not supporting it, the Administration is not going to recommend it, and I seriously doubt a majority of my colleagues will. And as was made clear at the last Board meeting, if one of the lower priced companies(the lowest was 1/2 the cost of the $57 bid)was selected, there would be no impact on the general fund at all, with funds coming from the chancellors program specifically for employee recruitment. People seeing your flyer would believe that there is a $57k recommendation coming forth coming out of general funds when that is not going to happen.
John,
You are the one Trustee on the Rancho board that we can trust consistently. Thank you for coming here and explaining your viewpoint.
It is hard to trust the Rancho board after they voted for the dreadful PLA that only wasted money and delayed projects – and after they spent so much money on a Sheriff training academy we did not need. And after they refused to fire anyone after the fire sprinklers were turned off at Santa Ana College.
I can only hope that your Board will somehow find a good Chancellor.
Per your request, here is the info you posted on our other blog:
Art,a phone call or email to check with me could have given you some accurate information. I’m writing for myself here, not the Board. Only the Board President, Dave Chapel, can speak for the Board.
First, the $57,000 was just one of a number of bids for the jobs. No way I am going to vote for that, I doubt if my colleagues will also. The Adminsitration is not going to recommend that company. So you should amend your post because its not accurate.
2) No general fund money will be spent on this. No funds will be drawn away from classes, students or employees. The funds will come from special funds from the state chancellor’s office specifically for employee recruitment. It can not be spent on classes for students, scholorships, or funds for employee pay.
3) I was supportive of having an interim chancellor and voted as such at the last board meeting but a) there weren’t the votes for that and b) the person I felt could fill the job convinced me that we owed it to the students, the employees and the community to go out on a search first. We have until the end of June before Chancellor Hernandez retires which should give us sufficient time to complete the search. If the Board isn’t satisfied with the results, I’m prepared to push for an interim chancellor again at that time.
4) If we are soliciting outside applicants than a search firm provides significant benefits to the search. Remember, RSCCD is the size of a big corporation and we are not necessarily looking to hire people who are out of work or looking for a job at the moment. They do the back ground checks and interview people . They work with a search committee, comprised of faculty, administrators, students and a community member to review all the candidates, narrow the field and recommend a final list to the Board.
We had a search consultant involved in the hiring of SAC President Martinez and SCC President Vasquez, as well as Chancellor Hernandez. If we end up with someone local, so be it but with funds that won’t come out of our general fund we owe it to our students, employees and our community to try and find the best.
I appreciate Alex’s advocacy for students. He did a wonderful job on raising funds for the summer program. I just want to make it clear that I don’t know of anyone who says they want the $57,000 company and that company’s price would be the only one where general fund money would be impacted. No way I will support that company’s bid.
I have always like John Hanna and I appreciate his willingness to respond on this blog. It’s so refreshing. I wish he would run for Mayor of Santa Ana.