Call to Order
The
meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m.
Roll
Call
Present: Brannan, Canady,
Laverty, Proctor, Rasmusson, Smith
Absent: Pelleran
Trustee Proctor was present
telephonically.
pledge of allegiance
Trustee Brannan led the pledge of allegiance.
ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
There were no additions or deletions to the
agenda.
Limited Public Comment Regarding Agenda Items
Nino Rodriguez – Thank you,
Mr. President. My name is Nino Rodriguez and I live in Lansing,
2515 Dunbar. And it is a great pleasure that I am here in front
of the board today and the community to present a new magazine
in Lansing, it’s called Adelante, meaning forward. And
I have a few copies here. This is a free magazine. We made
7,000 copies. This magazine is a multicultural magazine
dedicated to the health, education, and welfare of Lansing
citizens. Lansing Community College, a leader, in this
community, is also a partner of this magazine. If you go to
page 2, you will find the LUCERO Program. A program that is
successful here at Lansing Community College for the past few
years and is dedicated to help students. And also you have all
your names there and the name of the President because this is
our responsibility to inform the community about the leaders in
education that you are all. If you go to page 18, no 28, you
have there Advising, Application, Assessment, Aid: Start
College with All A’s. In Spanish –
Asistencia, Aplicación, Evaluación: Comenzar el Colegio con
Buenas Notas. That is also an article created by the
(inaudible) for the Lansing Community College. It’s the first
number. We made 7,000 copies. It’s free to the community and
the distribution is going to go the schools, to the community,
to all of them to be sure that we do what they tell us here on
this beautiful front page and say, “Heroes of Change”. This
magazine has a goal in mind; to change our community for the
best. And I think we can do it together and this magazine is just
part of what we all can do for Lansing. Board members and President
Cunningham, thank you for your time and hope that your support for
this magazine is forever.
Radecka Appiah-Padi – My name is
Radecka Appiah-Padi, Administrator in the BMIT Division. Since
October 2005 final approval for my appointment as the Director of
Instruction of the BMIT Division has been on the Board’s agenda and
has been tabled twice. I see it again on today’s agenda. I have
waited for almost three months to hear the Board’s decision
concerning my appointment. I have not heard anything and I have not
had the delay explained. In the past few months I’ve had to walk
about doing my work on this college campus with a cloud of doubt
hanging over my head. I’ve had to contend with false sympathies and
sneers of people who have put various (inaudible) on what is
happening. Ladies and gentlemen of the Board, by your silence you
have given permission for rumors to thrive; some damaging to my
reputation. As William Shakespeare would put it, “who steals my
purse, steals trash; but he that (inaudible) from me my good name
robs me of that which not enriches him, but makes me poor indeed.”
If it were about any other property of mine, I wouldn’t be so
concerned. But this action impacts my reputation. My reputation
cannot be purchased in a store. The emotional stress I’ve been
subjected to in the past few months is not what I expected when I
took up the challenge to compete for this position. A position that
was opened for a national search twice. Right now I feel abused and
misused. This is a situation I would not wish for anyone. I have
maintained a keen sense of professionalism and done my job to the
best of my ability since I’ve been at Lansing Community College. In
applying for this position I prepared diligently for the competition
and when the chips fell, two duly constituted committees of this
college judged me the best and most suitable candidate. The Human
Resources Department of our college supervised the process,
monitored and (inaudible) every step. HR later called me and
offered the position based on Board recommendations. I was told
that all that was left was the approval of the Board. This Board has
approved positions promptly in the past. These positions have been
filled by the same process by which my position is being filled. If
the system was o.k. to appoint other LCC employees, I wonder why
it’s taking too long in this case. It appears the rules have
changed. Members of the Board, I applied for this position because
I believed I have the qualifications and the experience to do the
job. Again, two duly constituted committees of the College agreed
with that view. I believe it’s up to you now to apply your
authority fairly. I ask for no special favor of you today. All I
ask for is that the same yard stick that is used to measure other
LCC employees be used to measure me too. Thank you.
Dr. Stanley Chase – Good evening
members of the Board of Trustees. I am Dr. Stanley Chase and a
representative of the Lansing Community College Chapter of the
National Council on Black American Affairs. That’s an affiliate
chapter of the American Association of Community Colleges. We, the
Lansing Community College Chapter of the National Council on Black
American Affairs applaud the Board of Trustees and the College’s
administration for having proactive strategies for dealing with
crisis situations. However, Webster’s New World Dictionary defines
a crisis as “a turning point in the course of anything; a decisive
or crucial time.” This is the focus of this letter and its impact
on key internal audiences including students, faculty, staff, and
administration. The definition better fits the crisis situation
that has been created recently at Lansing Community College due to
the decisions made by the Board of Trustees over the past several
months. Various leadership experts coin this type of crisis as the
quiet crisis. That is sometimes associated with conflict ridden
political issues and disputed hiring and firing practices. These
situations also call for careful strategy when it comes to
communication with key audiences. We strongly believe that during a
very crucial time beginning fall 2005 when our financial aid system
was unsuccessful in processing student loans, the Board of Trustees
passed a motion which encouraged college personnel to forward any
information that was either related or non-related to the financial
aid system problem to a non-college email address. This motion
ensured the privacy of individuals who responded to the request. We
believe that the spirit of this appeal by the Board of Trustees was
initially to gather useful information from the college-wide
community to assist in the successful implementation of the Oracle
financial aid system. What we perceived occurred, however, was with
the seemingly innocent request is that one respondent took advantage
of this email system to voice their frustrations, personal anger,
and malicious intent toward some of our college colleagues and
college-wide decisions and systems. Instead of creating proactive
strategies to handle this situation as had been done in the past,
what ended up occurring was that this sole body attempted and
through their actions defeated that purpose. Executive leadership
or to the college-wide community regarding these decisions these
people used this mechanism for personal attacks. We believe that
incomplete information may have been used to form improper
conclusions and/or information may have been reviewed without
context perspective. Thus, leaving room for us to infer that the
Board of Trustees has joined in with these respondents for personal
elevation and power which has resulted in stripping the College
leadership of their authority and undermining their credibility.
This lack of openness has seriously affected the daily operations of
the College. Furthermore, the Board of Trustees’ actions have
resulted in the rumor mill being more explosive. Negative rumors
are growing, worsening the College’s position and damaging employee
morale which potentially may undermine private support, political
support, and student and faculty recruiting. The best solution to
the rumor mill is a swift, effective communication campaign by the
Board of Trustees to “set the record straight.” Specifically, as
this body, the Lansing Chapter of the National Council on Black
American Affairs, we are requesting the Board of Trustees to do the
following: Restore the Office of the President’s power and
authority. Act swiftly to confirm the recommended candidate for the
BMIT Division Instructional Director’s position to ensure the
continued operations of the instructional functions for staff and
students. Disclose to any employee of the college community
information that was submitted through the non-college email system
or by any other medium regarding them as an individual. This will
allow the employee clarity and the opportunity to contribute
additional information to promote a healthy dialog with appropriate
parties. Discontinue the use of the clandestine email process for
obtaining information regarding college business. Meet with the
Executive Leadership to review reasons for the Board of Trustees’
new governing structure and reasons for the change. In
collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team, we recommend that
you host a minimum of five college-wide forums which would be open
to all employees to answer questions about the Board of Trustees
recent decisions and how these decisions affect their jobs.
Champion the College’s commitment to diversity and quality by
initiating through the Human Resources consultant a twelve-month
action plan in consultation with the African-American employees on
campus to address specific concerns regarding the hiring and
sustaining process of all minority employees. Champion the
financial support of executive/management coaching for new minority
administrators at the College to ensure that they have a successful
transition to their respective positions. Support a line item in
the 2006-07 budget to establish an Office of Minority Affairs that
would be responsible for promoting the well-being of minority
students and staff. Beginning with the Board of Trustees’ February
20, 2006 meeting, provide time on the agenda each month where a
status report is given regarding these requests. Continue these
status reports as part of the official Board of Trustees meetings
until all referenced issues are resolved. We are pleased to have
this opportunity to share our concerns regarding these sensitive
issues and expect that the issues and recommendations will be
reviewed within the next 30 days for the purpose of restoring a
collegial environment for all employees and students at Lansing
Community College. Before I close I would like to say and bring to
your remembrance the Psalm 133; it says, “behold how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”
Respectfully, Lansing Community College Chapter of the National
Council on Black American Affairs.
Chairperson Laverty requested
that Dr. Chase provide the Board a copy of the letter.
James Gill – Good evening to the
Board. Good evening everybody. My name is James Gill. I’m the
president of the Lansing branch NAACP. The reason I’m here tonight
is because of the hiring process. I sent to Lansing Community
College on Friday, January 6 a Freedom of Information Act Request.
Recently my office received information from I think it’s Collins,
Foster and Swift law firm that they needed additional 10 days to
fulfill that request which I have no problems with. The problem I
have is on Saturday the President called me and we were talking
about information that I sent to the Board, to the College in
reference of the Freedom of Information Act. My question is…
President Cunningham – I have
not called you.
James Gill – No, the President
of the Trustees, Chris Laverty. O.k. I wanted to know…I sent that
request to Rich Howard and I don’t know how does the Board decide
who fills those Freedom of Information requests or does Rich Howard
decide who fills those Freedom of Information requests. I contacted
the National office of the NAACP out in Washington, also, our state
conference in Detroit, Michigan. I asked the state conference
president to also send a Freedom of Information request to the
College to Chris Howard. My understanding is Chris Howard didn’t
receive that information. I faxed it myself at 483-1854. The same
number I sent the first Freedom of Information request Act to. So,
I have additional copies of the second request. I have also the
first request, but I cc’d on that request because of the hiring
process, I cc’d our national board president, Bruce Gordon. Our
chief operating officer, Nelson B. Rivers, III. Our national board
member, Nate Gooden, out of Detroit, Michigan. Shirley Preade-Miles,
our regional director for this region. Myself of course. So, I’d
like to know when that information is coming and who gets these
requests. Also, I received information from an employee here
who…this is based on discrimination, that’s why we get involved…this
person was offered a job, an African-American person, and she
accepted the job and then it had to go in front of the Board for
final approval. That’s just a formality from what my understanding
is. I want to know why were there white employees hired after that
date. My understanding there’s been white employees hired after
that date after the Board has changed their process. I would also
like to know that. So, I don’t know if I give the Freedom of
Information request to you guys or do I send it to Rich Howard? I
guess I would send it to Rich Howard where I sent my first request.
Is that correct?
Chairperson Laverty – I received
a copy from Rich Howard.
James Gill – Does the Board get
this Freedom…does the Board decide whether or not you send out a
Freedom of Information Request or does Chris Howard decide that?
Chairperson Laverty – It’s Rich
Howard. I’m Chris Laverty. Rich Howard sent me the initial FOIA
request.
James Gill – Is that the
process?
Chairperson Laverty – Rich?
Ordinarily the process is that it would go to our FOIA coordinator
who is General Counsel Tim Zeller.
President Cunningham – Mr.
Zeller, do you want to respond to how we usually respond to or reply
to FOIA requests, please?
Tim Zeller – Yes, a normal
request would go to the FOIA Coordinator (inaudible) The Board chose
to have the external legal counsel handle the request.
James Gill – O.k. I don’t know
if Chris or Rich received this one.
Rich Howard – I’m not aware of
it.
James Gill – Freedom of
Information Request from our state office. Can I hand it to you?
Trustee Smith – I’d like to know
the delay in fulfilling this request. Is it simply because it did
not get into the right hands or simply because we were having
trouble gathering what is needed. What was the reason for the
delay?
Chairperson Laverty – Under the
law we can request an extra 10 business days, I believe it is.
Trustee Smith – And so we’ve
asked…
Chairperson Laverty – I believe
that’s customary and the College also does that in order to give
enough time to make sure they’ve got everything.
Tim Zeller – Unless it’s a very
simple request we almost always ask for the 10 day extension to make
sure the…
Trustee Smith – Thank you for
making it clear.
Joseph Warren – My name is
Joseph Warren, Department of Humanities and I’m on the faculty MAHE
bargaining team. Just to let the Board know that we are in the
final stages of preparing a very detailed costed out proposal for
all bargaining unit members, which will be given to the
administrative team shortly. In line with that I have a request.
At the last Board meeting the Board agreed to withhold any increases
for senior administrative positions. And as an individual I concur
with that and wish the Board would keep extending that until all
employee contracts are settled. It’s very unseemly to have senior
administrators paid while the rest of the college is still
negotiating contracts. That should be the last thing done. So,
with that request we will be offering the team this very detailed,
costed out proposal within the next two days.
Damrique Thompson-Simmons – Good
evening. I am Damrique Thompson-Simmons and before I begin I would
like to ask all members of the Student Leadership Academy to please
stand. In light of recent events involving President Cunningham and
the Board of Trustees at Lansing Community College we are here to
represent the Student Leadership Academy and many of the students at
Lansing Community College by sharing the following words of
expression: “C” Care; “O” Objective; “M” Magnificent; “P”
Passionate; “E” Effective; “T” Tolerant; “E” Extraordinary; “N”
(inaudible); “T” Tried and True. What does this spell? Competent.
Paula D. Cunningham, competent and she gets our vote of confidence.
Yeah President Cunningham! On behalf of the Student Leadership
Academy I would like to present this certificate of outstanding
leadership role model award to President Cunningham. Thank you.
Sally Pierce – Hello, I’m Sally
Pierce, President of MAHE and I was attempting to stay away from the
mic tonight, but I have to correct something Professor Warren said.
We expect our proposal to be together shortly. I do not think it
will be together within two days. I do think it will be together by
the next session that we’re scheduled to meet with management. We
thought it was going to be ready today. We found a problem. We’re
working to correct that problem and we expect to have a completely
cost out proposal for faculty, we’re hoping by Tuesday next week
when we’re scheduled to negotiate.
CHAIRPERSON AND BOARD MEMBER
REPORTS
Chairperson Laverty
SunGard Collegis Report
Chairperson Laverty reported
that he is working with the company and with the attorneys to make
this report public as soon as possible. The Board had a special
meeting last week where they went into closed session and received a
legal opinion and additional information about the College’s
system. The intent is to make the report public as soon as possible
and as early as the end of this month.
Trustee Canady
asked that the record reflect his
opposition to disclosing the report at this time because the
investigation is ongoing. He was also concerned about the potential
bias in the report.
Trustee Smith felt that the
Board should disclose the report and we need to try to be open as we
can. This is an open process and it’s important that everyone
understands where we are within the process and that there’s no
impropriety seen at all.
Trustee Rasmusson stated that he
has heard that there are no bargaining strategies or anything
embarrassing to employees in the report.
Chairperson Laverty stated that
the community expects to hear what’s in the report as soon as
possible and the Board will have a special meeting and a public
presentation on the report.
Information and Announcements
Chairperson Laverty attended the
following events:
- University Center Press
Conference on December 15, 2005.
- The Greater Lansing Area
Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Commission Luncheon on January
16. Trustees Pelleran and Smith also attended.
The Board of Trustees received
an invitation to attend the Mid-Michigan Construction Alliance
reception for Mayor Virg Bernero on January 18, 2006 at the Radisson
Hotel. They also received an invitation for a reception honoring
Mr. Tony Benavides for his 25 years of public service on January 24,
2006 at the Lansing Center.
Board Members
Trustee Rasmusson – Audit
Committee
Trustee Rasmusson presented a
work plan for Ms. Jan Lazar (it is on file with the official Board
materials.) Ms. Lazar will be reviewing the accounting records,
purchasing and finance policies and develop a proposed new bylaws on
budget and finance to be in compliance with the State act.
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee
Rasmusson and supported by Trustee Canady that the attached plan of
the Mercer Group and Jan Lazar is approved, payment for up to two
hundred hours is approved and the Chair is authorized to approve
adjustments in deadline, mission, up to one hundred hours additional
work and operational details. The Business Office is directed to
issue a purchasing order and pay invoices subscribed by the Chair
noting approval thereof.
Trustee Smith stated it seems it
is a realistic program. She made contact with several individuals
in the community regarding Ms. Lazar’s work with other organizations
in the community. Trustee Smith believes she is a good selection
for this project.
Roll call vote:
Ayes: Brannan, Canady, Laverty, Proctor, Rasmusson, Smith
Nays: None
Absent: Pelleran
Motion carried
Trustee Rasmusson stated that he
mentioned to Vice President Rich Howard for the Audit Committee to
meet with the Risk Manager for the College. This meeting is routine
and the meeting will be posted.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Informational Items
President Cunningham thanked the
Student Leadership Academy for this unexpected award. This is one
award she will make sure to display in her office.
College Spotlight – Strategic
Enrollment Management
President Cunningham introduced
Ms. Jean Morciglio to provide an update on strategic enrollment
management. A year ago she asked Ms. Morciglio to review all of the
systems at the College in terms of how we enroll students and how it
all relates to their success and the College’s mission. This is a
very involved process.
Ms. Jean Morciglio provided a
PowerPoint presentation on the strategic enrollment management
initiative. (The presentation is on file with the official Board
materials.)
There was a brief question and
answer period after the presentation.
University Center
Vice President Rich Howard and
Mr. Chris Strugar-Fritsch, Director of Facilities provided a
PowerPoint presentation on the University Center (it is on file with
the official Board materials.)
There was a brief question and
answer period after the presentation.
Financial Aid Update
Dean Judith Cardenas provided an
update on Financial Aid. She reported that all loan processing has
been completed up to date. Phone wait time has decreased to a
minute and a half. Staff in ISCD and Financial Aid have been
fabulous and working around the clock to resolve issues as they
arise. They are still on target for the January 24th
loan processing disbursement date. They were on target with the
$300 voucher disbursement date for students who were in need of
funds to purchase their books. Issues related to fall 2005 and
mistakes related to students having been mislabeled for their
academic progress are still being worked on.
Trustee Rasmusson stated that
there were complaints that students were unable to print their
schedules and that the system was slow. He asked if there was a
plan in place to correct everything that was a problem before.
Dean Cardenas responded that
many students encountered the system being slow today because it was
the first day of classes. Many were hitting the system at the exact
same time. The issues Trustee Rasmusson mentioned were not related
to financial aid.
Trustee Smith asked if we were
able to rectify the students’ situation that were were negatively
affected in the fall and what was their experience this semester.
She also asked if Dean Cardenas was aware of the experiences new
students had this semester.
Dean Cardenas responded that
last semester students that applied for loans were negatively
impacted. This semester the loan processing is up to date. In
regards to their experience, some students are very foreign to the
financial aid process and this has become a learning experience.
Many times there are missed steps between the student and the
federal government and not necessarily between the student and the
College. In many cases there are many parties involved such as
scholarship donors, the College or the federal government;
therefore, sometimes the student doesn’t differentiate where the
communication comes from. We’ve learned to deal with them
differently, respond differently, and ask more questions upfront so
the student doesn’t feel they are getting the run around. There is
much more to learn, more changes to make, but huge strides have been
made regarding the phone queue wait time. Additional staff training
in dealing with student issues and financial aid issues will take
place and staff will be encouraging students to apply for aid
earlier.
Trustee Smith commended the
staff for diligently working toward rectifying the situation.
Trustee Brannan asked for an
update with the federal compliance issues.
President Cunningham responded
that staff will provide a complete report within the next week. She
stated that focus has been on the students that did not receive
financial aid, but more than 8,000 students did receive aid. The
College has made major technology conversions and the financial aid
office is short staffed, so when there is a standard of excellence
that is not being reached, no one is happy in particularly those
that serve students. President Cunningham stated that the students
that were negatively impacted last semester were invited to register
early, she has communicated and met with them; however, when you are
a leader in technology things happen with technology. That is not
what distinguishes us, but how we respond to these challenges is
what distinguishes the College. She thanked everyone for the manner
they responded to these challenges. Telephones and students not
getting served had nothing to do with software. The entire system
has been reviewed and improved because everyone was willing to take
the extra time, effort and energy to make that happen. President
Cunningham applauded everyone in ISCD and in Financial Aid for their
hard work and that is what distinguishes Lansing Community College.
Academic Quality Improvement
Program
Vice President Barbara Larson
and Dean Judith Cardenas provided a PowerPoint presentation on the
Academic Quality Improvement Program (the presentation is on file
with the official Board materials.)
There was a question and answer
period after the presentation.
Prima Civitas
President Cunningham stated that
Prima Civitas in an initiative being championed by Mr. David
Hollister to help spur the economic growth of the entire region.
Michigan State University and the City of Lansing are involved with
this initiative. She asked if the Board would like the College to
be involved and to what degree. President Cunningham explained that
if the College were to be involved it would be at the table with the
regional development of Prima Civitas which includes post petroleum,
alternative energy, promotion of business and industry training at
the West Campus and to some degree nanotechnology. The Board
received a proposal about Prima Civitas in the Board packet. Mr.
Hollister is willing to meet with the Board during dinner next month
if the Board desires more information.
There was a brief discussion
about this issue and the Board agreed to meet with Mr. Hollister.
Legislative Update
Vice President Borger reported
that there are three legislative issues that are important to the
College and the community. The first is House Bill 5400 which
involves community college reorganization. If passed this
legislation would substantially improve the State of Michigan’s
economic development by increasing access to community colleges.
This bill has been referred to Committee on Higher Education and
Career Preparation. It is anticipated that a hearing will be held
in early February and the Michigan Community College Association is
taking the lead in collecting testimony. This bill has bi-partisan
support, which is a good sign for potential passage. The second
bill is Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 4582 more commonly know as
the K-16 initiative which is a movement to bring parity in funding
and increase funding for public education. While this is a very
progressive model, its chances for passing the Michigan Legislature
are very slim because both bills only have democratic sponsorship.
There is a movement from the public sector to secure enough
signatures to place this on the November ballot and this process is
progressing. Finally, there is an effort to secure specific
language to revert title language for the Carnegie Library and
hopefully will be resolved by the end of January. At the federal
level, the significant appropriation bills from the Department of
Labor, Health and Community Services; however, these bills are
currently stuck in the Senate and there is no hope for passage.
Course Fees
Vice President Howard presented
the course fees to the Board, which were included in the Board
packet. They will be presented to the Board for action in February.
Chief Information Officer
President Cunningham asked the
Board for direction on proceeding with posting the Chief Information
Officer position.
The Board agreed to table this
position at the present time until the technology inquiry is
completed.
President Cunningham introduced
Dr. Stephanie Shanblatt and thanked her for providing leadership in
the Information, Services, and College Development division during
this critical time. She also thanked the wonderful leaders in ISCD
who are assisting and working with Dr. Shanblatt.
Budget Update
Vice President Larson provided a
budget update. She reported that the College will begin its formal
budget planning for fiscal year 2007. Given very preliminary
projections of revenue and expenditures it is predicted that the
College will have a $2 to $3 million budget deficit. This will be a
challenging year because the College is no longer in a position to
have across the board cuts, but rather look at re-engineering
processes. Open forums for all interested will begin next week.
Chairperson Laverty stated that
he’s surprised and disturbed by the preliminary projection of the
deficit; however, everyone should be ready to tighten the belt. He
stated that he would not be supporting a tuition increase
considering the tuition increase that took place last year.
Trustee Proctor asked if there
are any areas where expenses have gone up significantly.
Vice President Larson responded
that those areas are retirement contributions, healthcare, and
energy costs.
Tentative Agreement –
Education Support Personnel
This item was tabled because the
bargaining unit has not had a chance to ratify the tentative
agreement yet.
Action Items
Approval of Minutes –
December 12, 2005 Regular Meeting
President Cunningham presented
the December 12, 2005 regular meeting minutes for the Board’s
review.
There were no changes from the
Board.
Human Resources –
Administrative Appointments and Terminations
Radecka Appiah-Padi, Director of Instruction,
Business Department, Business Media and Information Technology.
Annual Results Inventory
Report – Financial Responsibility
Vice President Barbara Larson
presented the Annual Results Inventory Financial Responsibility
report to the Board (the report is on file with the official Board
materials.)
There was a question and answer
period during the presentation.
Michigan Federation of
Teachers – Non-Bargaining Personnel
President Cunningham presented
the salary increase information for the non-bargaining
administrators (the information is on file with the official Board
materials.)
Joint Capital Outlay
Subcommittee Resolution
President Cunningham presented
the Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee Resolution for the Board’s
approval (it is on file with the official Board materials.)
Chairperson Laverty recommended
tabling this item. He requested that the Board receive additional
information on the Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee policies.
Trustee Canady expressed concern
with the language of the policies.
The Board agreed to table this
item.
Finance-Approval of Bids
Ms. Beckie Beard presented the
following pre-award transmittal for the Board’s approval:
- FAMIS 8i AutoCAD Interface
Upgrade in the amount of $8,272. This is a sole source
recommendation to FAMIS Software, Inc., from Irvine, California.
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Canady
and supported Trustee Smith to approve all action items of the
President’s Report except for the Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee
Resolution.
Roll call vote:
Ayes: Brannan, Canady, Laverty, Proctor, Rasmusson, Smith
Nays: None
Absent: Pelleran
Motion carried.
Trustee Smith addressed the
Human Resources appointment that was approved. She stated that
everyone knows that perception is everything and the candidate today
mentioned some things that struck her heart in terms of the delay
that this Board exercised in her appointment. Trustee Smith stated
that the delay was not a result of this candidate’s lack of
qualifications. Rather the Board has been re-engineering its
governance system and this employee was caught up in between the
system of its new governance. She said the Board is trying to move
very cautiously in what it does. What concerned Trustee Smith was
not having considered the human factor. The candidate’s statements
on the impact the delay had on her reputation were disheartening to
Trustee Smith. She believes that the unanimous support from the
Board on this appointment should keep intact the candidate’s
reputation. Trustee Smith asked that the record reflect that the
Board fully supports the candidate and is hopeful she will move
forward with the job she has been commissioned for.
CLOSED SESSION
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Brannan
and supported by Trustee Canady that the Board go into closed
session for the purpose of discussing strategy connected with the
negotiation of a collective bargaining unit.
Roll call vote:
Ayes: Brannan, Canady, Laverty, Proctor, Rasmusson, Smith
Nays: None
Absent: Pelleran
Motion carried.
The Board entered into closed
session at 8:15 p.m.
The Board returned to open
session at 8:45 p.m.
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Canady
and supported by Trustee Smith that the Board return to open
session.
Roll call vote:
Ayes: Brannan, Canady, Laverty, Proctor, Rasmusson, Smith
Nays: None
Absent: Pelleran
Motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no comments from the
public.
ADJOURNMENT
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Canady
and supported by Trustee Smith for the meeting to adjourn.
Ayes: Brannan, Canady, Laverty,
Proctor, Rasmusson, Smith
Nays: None
Absent: Pelleran
Motion carried.
The meeting adjourned at 8:47
p.m.
