Pool explosion, faculty complaints, financial missteps are issues in wide-open YCCD election

Aug. 13--The Yosemite Community College District board, which has had its hair tousled a bit in recent months, will have a new look after the November election. Three of the four incumbents who are up for re-election are not running, extending the filing period for candidates until Wednesday.

Trustees Lynn Martin and Don Viss are not seeking re-election to the board that oversees Modesto Junior College and Columbia College near Sonora, and neither is Trustee Tom Hallinan, a 20-plus-year incumbent who was defeated by Jon Rodriguez in the 2016 election and then reappointed after Rodriguez resigned effective Dec. 31.

It creates opportunity for office seekers in a community college district with a number of challenges, including stalled contract talks with professors, issues of transparency and district purchasing practices, and questions about a disabled swimming pool at MJC.

Area 4 Trustee Anne DeMartini, who has demanded more transparency, faces a challenge from Penny Williams of Patterson, who's listed as a retired university professor.

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Matt Erickson, a Waterford school board member, and retired educator Nancy Hinton are running in Area 2, where Viss has been the trustee since he was first elected in 2010.

Three are vying for the short-term seat in Area 7. Two men who applied for the appointment earlier this year, Antonio Aguilar, a communication technician, and Homero Mejia, a school outreach manager, are running along with student John Tyler Jr. The seat representing south Modesto, most of Ceres and Keyes comes up for election again in 2020.

In Tuolumne County, retiring Superintendent of Schools Margie Bulkin could be Martin's successor but will need to defeat retired educator Denise Springer in November.

YCCD trustees do not accept a stipend for board service, though $400 a month is allowed under state law. They are entitled to district-paid health benefits.

Last week, the leader of the union representing professors at MJC and Columbia chided the board for a lack of urgency to settle a new labor contract. Charging that salaries for professors are at the bottom in a comparison with other community colleges, the 700-member Yosemite Faculty Association filed for impasse March 30 after more than two years of fruitless negotiations.

Mediation failed to produce a new contract and professors and part-time instructors won't likely have a contract with the Aug. 27 start of fall semester. Faculty members legally can strike following a fact-finding process set for September.

"This demonstrates an utter disregard to proactively fix this and repair the damaged relationships between the district and the faculty," YFA President Jim Sahlman told the board.

MJC students will return to classrooms without a permanent leader in the president's office. YCCD Chancellor Henry Yong turned down the two finalists for the job last month and will conduct another search in the fall. Steve Collins was named the interim president.

The district also has caught flak for bypassing the bid process for a software services contract that cost taxpayers $820,000. Former Chancellor Joan Smith hired the Robert Ferrilli Co. of New Jersey in July 2016 for a $300,00 software conversion; Ferrilli employees were flown in from other states to work on the project.

Smith gave a Ferrilli staffer the title of interim assistant vice president of information technology, after which additional contracts for computer system upgrades were awarded to Ferrilli. Smith has said the contracts did not violate district policy.

Erickson, who's a former public works director for city of Waterford, said Monday the community college district seems to handle business differently than other public entities. While he is not familiar with the district's purchasing policies, Erickson said: "In the future, someone may want to say it didn't look so good for us and raised some flags, so maybe we should re-evaluate the process."

Erickson said he's also heard there is a disconnect between YCCD and local high schools. His main reason for running, however, is that he always figured to seek the office when Viss, a longtime educator, retired from the board, the candidate said.

Hinton did not respond to an emailed request for an interview. The Facebook page for the former Christian school teacher says Hinton works at helping conservatives get elected to office. Her recent posts have supported Congressman Jeff Denham's re-election campaign.

Trustee Leslie Beggs said she and DeMartini often struggled to get information about the Ferrilli contract but the district has been more transparent under Yong's management. She said board members are now given reports on staff travel expenses and she finally received permission last week to hold office-hour chats with employees, students or members of the public.

"Before, what we were told (in trustee training) is be a cheerleader and source of support and trust," Beggs said.

The trustee vowed to keep asking for the cause of an explosion at the MJC swimming facility that resulted in structural damage and a chemical spill. Several buildings at the east campus were closed after the explosion in June.

YCCD Spokeswoman Coni Chavez said Monday the men's physical education building, which sustained the most damage, remains closed for cleaning, and the lobby of the gymnasium is still off limits.

The cause of the explosion won't be known until an insurance company report is finished, Chavez said. "We hope this week we will have more information on what will be done to bring the pool back online," she said.

Groups that used the pool for training and competitions have wanted to know the cause of the blast in the pool supply room, which occurred on a Sunday morning. The explosion could have maimed or killed swimmers if it had occurred on a weekday. There's no estimate on when repairs will be made and the pool will open again.

"I don't think people will be comfortable swimming if we have the same kind of system again," Beggs said.

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