Friday, March 11, 2005

Ventura County Community College College Trustees vote to lay off 15 on Friday




The Ventura County Star reports about the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustee's meeting from Tuesday.

The VCCCD is having a budget crisis again.

Mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility have been the name of the game in this district since Chancellor Thomas Lakin died and yours truely decided not to run for re-election to the Board.

The Boards upon which I served insisted on a prudent growing reserve (for bad times) and a hold the line philosophy on employee salary and benefit increases, so we would not have to cut programs or faculty and/or staff - EVER!

As former Chancellor Westin and former Trustee Norm Nagel were taking their junkets to Cuba so went budgetary discipline and the budgetary reserve.

Now, we have hard times in state budgetary funding and the district needs to lay off employees and eliminate programs/classes, including all of the college cafeterias and two college newspapers.

Shameful!

Read the story in the Star here.

Update #1 : Trustees say moves needed to survive

The Ventura County Star has some comments from the VCCCD Board of Trustees here.

Sounds like President Cheryl Heitmann is whining:

"Cheryl Heitmann, district board president, agrees there's plenty to be angry about, but said that anger should be directed at state lawmakers and those in the federal government who make funding decisions.

"Many of the problems we're facing start there," she said."

I have to remind Ms. Heitmann that it is the Board that must live within its means and set priorities. Where in the hell has she been.... oh I know.... AWOL!

Shame on her and the rest of the Board!


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