Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins

The Board of Trustees meeting addressed organizational functions, including a closed session covering collective bargaining, personnel matters, student discipline, and real property discussions concerning leases. The public session included various consent agenda items covering contracts and grants, academic and student affairs, human resources, and business and administration. Key items included acceptance of multiple grants such as the Title III Strengthening Institutions Program and a grant for the School-to-Work program, approval of an agreement for the Automotive Service Technician Program, ratification of an augmentation to the eCollege.com contract for the Distance Education Program, and several personnel actions involving establishing, abolishing, hiring, and promotions for classified staff. Business items included authorizing a lease agreement for a KCRW broadcast site, consultant agreements for KCRW, participation in the Chancellor's Office Tax Offset Program (COTOP), renewal of a utility consultant agreement, renewal of a food service contract, approval of the California Part-Time Faculty Association as a voluntary deduction, settlement of a claim for damages amounting to $125,000, and several facilities actions including awarding a bid for HVAC replacement in the Telecommunications Building and rejecting bids for HVAC and roofing replacement at the Concert Hall.

The Regular Meeting agenda included organizational functions, a closed session to discuss anticipated litigation and public employee discipline, and several action items. Key discussions and actions during the public session involved the ratification of the collective bargaining agreement with CSEA Chapter 36 for the term spanning January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2002. The Board adopted a position supporting Proposition 39, the School Improvement and Accountability Act, which addresses school facility repairs and taxpayer accountability. Additionally, the Board nominated a candidate for appointment to the SMC Personnel Commission. The consent agenda covered numerous items, including the acceptance of grants, various consultant contracts for curriculum development, athletics media guide creation, and TRDP grant implementation, as well as personnel actions for academic and classified staff. Business items included rejecting all bids for the Airport Art Annex Remodel and Expansion because they exceeded the budget, approving an interim industrial injury treatment agreement, authorizing numerous purchase orders and bids for printing schedules, and approving the use of CMAS contracts for telephone system upgrades and computer purchases.

The meeting included organizational functions with a closed session addressing anticipated litigation, labor negotiations, and employee appointments. Key public session items involved the Land Acknowledgement, Pledge of Allegiance, and a report on revisions to a Classified Personnel recommendation. The Superintendent's Report detailed an enrollment increase for Fall 2024, updates on Latinx/e Heritage Month events, and Democracy Day activities. The Consent Agenda covered the approval of new courses and degrees, ratification and approval of various contracts and consultants (including a multi-year software contract with Ellucian Company L.P.), personnel actions (academic and classified), facilities projects (environmental testing, fencing, library flooring renovation, stadium concrete restoration), a pool payment under a joint use agreement, payroll and commercial warrant registers, reissuance of expired warrants, auxiliary payments, organizational memberships, signature authorization for invoices, and purchasing agreements. Major items of business included a first reading of Board Policy 6620 regarding the Naming of Facilities, appointments to the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee, approval of the 2025 Board of Trustees meeting schedule, and discussion and approval of the proposed Board of Trustees Annual Goals for 2024-2025 and On-Going Priorities.

This document outlines the Santa Monica Community College District's annual goals for 2025-2026 and ongoing priorities. Key focus areas include initiating the search for a Superintendent/President and college reorganization, increasing enrollment, decreasing equity gaps and improving student outcomes, advancing student housing initiatives, stabilizing fiscal structures, completing the Facilities Master Plan, and strengthening community relations through partnerships and concurrent enrollment. Ongoing priorities also emphasize developing new programs, hiring diverse faculty and staff, ensuring an inclusive environment, supporting participatory governance, and promoting environmental sustainability.

The meeting agenda included organizational functions, a closed session covering labor negotiations, anticipated and existing litigation, public employee matters (discipline/dismissal/release and evaluation of the Superintendent/President), and real property negotiations concerning three specific Malibu properties with Verizon, the Yamaguchi Family Trust, and the County of Los Angeles. In the public session, the Student Trustee was installed. The consent agenda involved numerous actions, including accepting a grant from the Child Development Training Consortium, executing a Memorandum of Understanding for the Santa Monica Preschool Collaborative, approving lease agreements for wireless communication sites, renewing a vending contract, purchasing a Human Patient Simulator for Health Sciences, contracting with a KCRW consultant, contracting consultants for the Job Development Incentive Fund Grant (including services for home health aide training and Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor certification), and retaining a consultant for Title V Grant institutional development services. Personnel actions included establishing/abolishing Police Officer/Trainee positions and various regular, limited term, and non-merit classified personnel changes, including the retirement of one employee. Facilities actions included approving change orders for the Madison Renovation for Music and the New Performing Arts Theatre, and amending architectural service agreements for the Campus Quad and Madison Renovation for Music projects. Fiscal items included approving commercial warrant, payroll warrant, auxiliary payment/purchase order, and direct/benefit/student grant payment registers, as well as awarding a bid for printing the Schedule of Classes. Major items of business included an informational presentation on the SMC Scholars Program, the appointment of a Personnel Commissioner, acknowledgment of the CSEA Chapter 36 initial collective bargaining proposal, ratification of the collective bargaining agreement with the Faculty Association (effective through August 2007), passing resolutions in support of designating a Voter Registration Week, supporting the Community College Governance, Funding Stabilization, and Student Fee Reduction Act, and supporting Proposition 1D (Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006), appointing a representative to the Malibu Public Facilities Authority, and adopting the 2007 Board of Trustees meeting schedule.