Providing Clarity on Recent Matters/Inquiries
October 21, 2024
Dear Chaffey Community,
As part of our communication efforts, the following information is being shared to ensure that processes, practices, and decisions are widely communicated to community members. While this information may have already been shared in a committee meeting, it is being provided to all community members in the interest of transparency and communication. We will add this and subsequent communications to the Messages from the President webpage.
Are there regulations regarding filling vacancies, and are they being followed at
Chaffey College?
Yes, and yes. Title 5, Section 53021, dictates how community college districts must
fill employment vacancies. Chaffey’s AP 7120 speaks to this as well. In short, when
there is a vacancy under Section 53021, community college districts follow the recruitment
guidelines outlined in 53021, which we do.
Importantly, section 53021 also identifies when a vacancy is not created, and when this occurs, the recruitment framework found in 53021 does not apply. This is not an exception to the regulation; this is the regulation. For example, there is no vacancy when a community college district determines that an existing position should be upgraded, reclassified, or renamed. Reclassifications are documented in the management, as well as confidential and classified plans. They are standard for all groups except for faculty because there is no permanent upward adjustment in the faculty contract. Reclassifications occur for practical reasons: The District must compensate employees when additional and higher-level responsibilities are assigned to an existing position. All employees who hold reclassified positions should be assured that adjusted positions have been conducted properly and lawfully pursuant to Section 53021.
Section 53021 also contemplates reorganizations that do not result in an increase in the number of employees. Again, when this occurs, there is no vacancy and the recruitment requirements found in 53021 do not apply. Similarly, when short-term, temporary, or substitute positions are being filled, there is no vacancy and the recruitment requirements found in section 53021 do not apply. Likewise, when the District hires a specially trained administrator through a professional services contract, the vacancy recruitment requirements found in section 53021 do not apply.
What Are Interim Assignments, and Why Are They Used?
The District uses interim assignments to offer career development opportunities to
our employees and improve diversity efforts in all areas. The District often fills
interim positions through in-house recruitments, which is consistent with what section
53021 requires.
An interim assignment allows employees to expand knowledge, skills, and abilities while receiving additional compensation. Interim assignments are available in all classifications of employment:
- Classified/Confidential: Temporary Reassignments (TR) and Temporary Work Above Classification (TWAC)
- Full-Time Faculty: Temporary Faculty Appointment, Faculty on Special Assignment (FOSA), Faculty Coordinators
- Management: Professional Experts, Temporary Assignments
There are 43 classified employees on temporary assignments (63% are people of color), 82 faculty on temporary assignments (40% are people of color), and 14 managers on temporary assignments (71% are people of color). There is no ongoing guarantee of a temporary assignment for any of the areas. For managers, the assignments are typically limited to fewer than two years. The District has had tremendous success in achieving a diverse, student-centered workforce by extending opportunities to its existing workforce, which has long been permissible under Title 5, Section 53021. This has been among our most successful methods of promoting diverse talent.
What is Nepotism, and Did the Climate Study Document A Problem with Nepotism?
The District’s Nepotism policy is found in BP 7310 and states, in pertinent part,
that the employment of relatives is allowable; however, a family member may not be
in a position where they can recommend or influence personnel decisions of an immediate
family member. At all times, the District must follow this policy.
No, the 2021 Climate Study did not document a problem with nepotism. The Study was a report of perceptions, not summative of actual issues. Researchers Dr. Frank Harris III and Dr. Luke Wood, authors, emphasized that a survey response to perception did not indicate that “nepotism” was happening at Chaffey College. No known issues of nepotism are occurring in the District. If there are any concerns about nepotism, they should be reported to Human Resources.
Does That Mean Family Members Are Not Allowed to Work at the District?
No, family of existing employees have the same rights as all applicants to employment
consideration; however, they may not receive preferred consideration based on their
familial affiliation. If there are any concerns about violations of District policy,
they should be reported to Human Resources.
What is Happening with the Career Center?
Last fall, student and work-study employment moved to the Workforce Innovations and
Entrepreneurial Development Department (WIED), which was slated to be a new growth
area. Instead of using former practices to hire students, the department ambitiously
developed virtualized services. This and other efforts in this area were time-intensive
and not entirely effective. Consequently, student employment processing was slowed
for about eight weeks in early fall 2023. To resolve the interruption, Human Resources
temporarily processed student worker employment to ensure timely payments during the
transition back to Student Services. There have been no issues since.
The Career Center has consistently been supervised and budgeted. The District budget supports the Center’s operations, including staffing. This budget will also support expanded positions that are part of a staffing plan that will be implemented this academic year. Currently, a permanent Director of Transfer and Career Center(s) is in the selection process.
The Career Center builds on the positive outcomes of numerous instructional programs and Workforce Innovations efforts, which led to strong employer relationships and exceptional opportunities for students to earn living wages as career entrants. We will expand from emphasizing career preparation to career entry in external employment. A job developer will be hired to develop opportunities and match student skills and qualifications through collaboration at the instructional program level. Career Center services are located in the Student Services Administration (SSA) Building while the Michael Alexander Campus Center (MACC) is renovated.
Speaking of Workforce Innovations, What Happened to the Proposed New Area?
The District’s ongoing priority is facilitating students’ academic trajectory from
enrollment to employment. A pilot program was introduced nearly two years ago, and
Instruction began building more robust integration with Workforce Innovations to streamline
access to living wage career placement. This was an ambitious endeavor requiring intensive
resources. There were some benefits from this pilot: stronger employer engagement,
credit for prior learning exploration, credentialing, and job development/placement
processes. This work continues as embedded within the ACCs while Workforce and Economic
Development (WED) continues to support Instruction as planned with staff support for
apprenticeship programs. With the changes planned in the Career Center as communicated
above, we will focus on those efforts and then determine the need for future augmentations
and adjustments.
Why Did the Disabled Programs and Services (DPS) Move and Is It ADA Compliant?
A key objective of supporting student enrollment and success as outlined by the Enrollment
and Success Committee has been streamlining services and locations for ease of use
and access. In the fall of 2024, DPS moved to the Old Administration Building and
into an office suite across from Accounting Services and immediately across from General
Counseling, Admissions, and Financial Aid. This location allows students to access
these student services quickly and conveniently.
Yes, DPS and adjacent areas are ADA-compliant. Before the move, all interior and exterior infrastructure was assessed, and upgrades were completed to full ADA compliance before any services to students commenced. Facilities Development staff worked with DPS professionals throughout the relocation.
Why and When Does the District Reorganize Its Management Structure
The District evaluates its management structure near the close of each fiscal year
to maintain a sufficient planning and supervision structure. Budget management is
realigned at that time. Additionally, the Executive Team periodically assesses and
realigns the structure throughout the year as appropriate to support the District.
The Superintendent/President’s Office ensures the current management organization
structure is posted on the District’s website.
Why Is Student Services Growing, and Has It Become More Important than Instruction?
The Student Services area has indeed grown to provide increased wrap-around support
for students. These needed areas were first established during the Pandemic, and most
of these areas support the work outlined in our 10-Point Plan: Mental Health, Panther
Care (basic needs), Student Emergency Grants, Wi-Fi hotspots, Undocumented Student
Resources, LGBTQIA+ programs, and services, Student Equity, to name just a few. Student
Services has also been charged with supervising Rising Scholars (formerly Turning
Point) and Dual Enrollment. These last two programs required significant systemic
rebuilding. While additional management and staff positions were needed to support
this work, they are typically not dean-level positions found in the Instructional
area. Additionally, student services managers do not typically have coordinator-level
scaffolded support as found in the instructional areas.
Student Services is not more important than Instruction. Instruction will always be the priority of the District. All areas exist to support students in the classroom. To clarify, there has been no loss of instructional management positions. This month, the District added the Director of Distance Education and Professional Development and will fill the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness this fall. The district currently has 17.2 faculty positions above the required faculty obligation number. Prioritization for additional faculty positions will begin this month.
Was There A Concern Raised About Consultation Related to the Implementation of Academic
and Career Communities (ACCs)?
Yes, the Academic Senate Leadership advised the current Executive Team in August 2024
that consultation had been inconsistent and problematic, beginning with the ACC implementation
in May 2023. The Executive Team took this matter seriously; Ms. Lisa Bailey publicly
acknowledged the concern and apologized for past oversights. The interim chief instructional
officer, Dr. Michael McClellan, is now the liaison with the Academic Senate and is
responsible for leading consultation and communication efforts.
To resolve related issues, the District and Academic Senate have committed to meeting twice monthly, participating in a joint training session, and publishing its minutes for the college community to view. Workgroups are being developed to review the concerns related to the ACC structure in targeted areas.
Is the College’s 10-Point Plan Outdated?
The College’s 10-Point Plan is alive and well. It was last updated in 2022 and is
currently undergoing revision now. At the September 2024, President’s Equity Council
Meeting, Ms. Alisha Rosas facilitated the discussion to update the 10-Point Plan and
the potential for PEC to be the body to make recommendations for the 10-Point Plan’s
future work to advance DEIA efforts. The faculty, staff, and managers across the District
are all actively advancing equity at every level.
Why Was Dual Enrollment and Rising Scholars Moved to Student Services?
Dual Enrollment was moved under Outreach and Student Services in fall 2023. The goal
was to improve and align dual enrollment support. With the stabilization of Dual Enrollment,
the program will return to Instruction under the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness,
when that position is filled.
Rising Scholars moved to Student Services in October 2023. The move was necessary because CDCR placed the District on warning that our lack of quality service to their students in previous years would likely result in the removal of our program inside both CIM and CIW. Under Student Services, with the support of Instruction, the number of students in CIW grew from 24 to 79, and the number of students in CIM increased from 76 to 144. Orientations and trainings are regularly held, and we have mended our relationships with CDCR. Rising Scholars is now a collaborative effort between Instruction and Student Services.
Why Did We Wait to Begin Planning for the MacKenzie Scott Gift?Receiving the $25 million gift in 2021 was a great honor and the College community is excited about using these resources to support student success. The 2024 yearend reconciliation report indicates more money in our account ($27.1 million) than was initially gifted. In the short run, using the MacKenzie Scott funds was not the District’s top priority because we were focused on expending the $35 million of HEERF funds to provide direct aid to students, and $55 million of HEERF funds for technology and other campus resources. These funds had to be fully expended by June 30, 2024, which was accomplished. Each governance group is now identifying its participants to begin the MacKenzie Scott Advisory Committee; Dr. Shannon will join when he returns in January.
Future Communications
Sometimes, amid uncertainty, it’s easy to lose focus on how far we have come and all
the work we have achieved together. Over the last few years, we’ve accomplished great
things to support our students. For a short list of our collective successes, please
see Attachment A.
We hope this information has been helpful. This is just the beginning of our communication campaign, and we will continue to add areas of discussion with the Senates and field questions to keep our community up-to-date on these matters. If you have any questions that you would like to see featured in a future communication, please forward them to the following email: president@chaffey.edu.
Thank you,
Lisa Bailey
Acting Superintendent/President
Associate Superintendent, Business Services and Economic Development
Michael McClellan
Interim Associate Superintendent, Instruction and Institutional Effectiveness
Alisha Rosas
Associate Superintendent, Student Services and Strategic Communications
Troy Ament
Associate Superintendent, Administrative Services and Emergency Operations
