MARYSVILLE — The Yuba Community College District may adopt a contingency plan to cut instructors, staff and administration at a meeting today in Marysville, reductions a college representative said would have no effect on the Clear Lake Campus.
Miriam Root, public information officer for the college, said the college district board of trustees doesn”t plan to slash jobs at the Clear Lake Campus.
“The Clear Lake Campus is just thriving,” Root said.
The agenda posted online for the Board of Trustees meeting says it will address downsizing, but doesn”t list what jobs might be cut.
Teresa Dorantes-Basile, president of the classified Yuba College employees union, thinks staff reductions listed in the contingency plan would affect Clearlake students.
If the board adopts the contingency plan, Clearlake students may not be able to travel to the Woodland campus to take a geology laboratory course, which isn”t offered in Clearlake, Dorantes-Basile said.
“The contingency plan is flawed because the areas they are cutting are directly linked to the students and community,” Dorantes-Basile said.
Dorantes-Basile thinks the college should keep jobs related to what basic skills the students need to transfer to universities and instead cut administration.
“Having a contingency plan is exactly where we need to be,” Dorantes-Basile said. “But the plan needs to target, if we”re going to have layoffs, it needs to target the areas farthest away from the students and community.”
Bryan Bell of the Clear Lake Campus said the satellite college doesn”t expect reductions to permanent faculty or staff. The campus did have layoffs and bumped part-time employees in January.
“Nearly every community college in the state, Yuba College included with the lake campus, has had to reduce course offerings because of budget reductions,” Bell said. “To this point thankfully we haven”t had to reduce permanent faculty. Most of the reductions have come from part-time staff.”
Aside from staffing cuts, the Clear Lake Campus for the first time received funding for about 400 fewer full-time equivalent students, which means the campus had to reduce course offerings and students had to try harder to get into classes, Bell said.
“This is happening, unfortunately, during a time when students need us greatly and we want to provide services but our funding is drying up,” Bell said.
Root said most community colleges in the state have reduced courses making it more competitive for students to find a seat.
She thinks the Clear Lake Campus is self-sufficient and won”t be affected by the board”s decision to cut geology, political science and other professors.
“All of these things are not related to the Clear Lake Campus,” Root said. “Everything in Clearlake is status quo. Students shouldn”t see many effects.”
The board may be looking to cut $3 million from the budget.
“I think it”s just difficult for all colleges and universities with cuts on the student level. It”s just difficult,” Root said. “But I really believe everybody on the Clear Lake Campus is working for the benefit of the students.”
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
