When I ran for re-election in 2015, I set out a 10-Point Plan for the key items in my vision that I hoped to accomplish. Here they are and how I assess my performance in achieving each goal:
1. Keep Our Budget Balanced. Yes, the District's budget was balanced every year, and was in alignment with the Board's core values statement focusing our efforts on our core mission of transfer education, workforce training, and basic skills classes, and in alignment with our new Strategic Plan. 100% Achievement
2. Protect And Diversify Our Funding. Successfully transitioned the District away from dependency on "Revenue Limit" or apportionment funding from Sacramento and to becoming a "Basic Aid" or community-supported District funded from local property taxes. Developed alternate sources of funding for our programs, such as Federal, State, County, and private grants, and generated new revenue from our facilities and District resources in order to provide more resources for our classroom educational programs. 100% Achievement
3. Keep Programs Relevant. Reviewed our academic programs regularly and conducted community needs assessments to make sure that courses are kept up-to-date and continue to address the greatest current needs of the community. While we said goodbye to some well-loved programs like blacksmithing and horticulture, we added new programs in sustainability, solar energy, digital media, and online advertising, to name a few. 100% Achievement
4. Promote Student Success. Recognizing that our students come to us with a wide range of goals and abilities, develop better and more individualized metrics for tracking student success, and use these to both improve the performance of existing programs and develop new ones to ensure that students successfully achieve their goals. Implemented our Promise Scholars program at all three colleges, which is already showing dramatic increases in student success. Also did away with placement testing that was shown to actually reduce student success, and implemented Guided Pathways to help students take the right courses to achieve their goals in less time. 100% Achievement
5. Focus On Jobs. We offer job training programs and apprenticeship opportunities that prepare student for jobs that are in demand locally, and pay enough to live on in San Mateo County. Added new programs like our TIP Trades Introduction Program that introduces students to careers in the building and construction trades. Made sure through our Project Labor Agreements that our bond proceeds and local tax dollars were used to create jobs locally that paid a living wage and offered good benefits. 100% Achievement
6. Build Our 4-Year Degree Programs. Launched our initial Bachelor's degree program in Respiratory Therapy at Skyline College. We are one of the first Community Colleges in the State of California to offer a four-year degree. Also engaged with the California State University system to begin to explore ways to offer Bachelor's degrees on our Community College campuses. 100% Achievement
7. Collaborate With K-12 Schools. We built strong partnerships with our feeder school districts, including creating our third Middle College program at Skyline College. Also worked with our high schools to increase concurrent enrollment of local high school students in our Community College classes, both on our campuses and on the high school campuses. 100% Achievement
8. Invest Our Bond Proceeds Wisely. Made sure that our Capital Improvement Program funds were invested wisely and safely, and have created first class facilities at all three of our campuses to enable first class learning by our students. Also made strategic investments that reduced operating costs, such as our solar farm at Canada College, thus freeing up more general fund dollars for classroom use. 100% Achievement
9. Rebuild Our Coastside Presence. This is the one area where I did not get as much accomplished as I had hoped. While we expanded on a very successful partnership with the Cabrillo Unified School District in Half Moon Bay, we have not yet been able to establish a physical presence on the Coastside in our own facilities. 50% Achievement
10. Keep Lines of Communication Open. I continued to work hard to reach out to the community and communicate with all of our constituencies, both on and off campus. We have finally begun streaming our Board meetings on the internet (and saving video archives of meetings), which has dramatically increased public participation and transparency. 100% Achievement
