By Matt Brown, Multimedia Director.
On Tuesday, July 14, the Delta Board of Trustees met to discuss employee grievances and Presidential pay.
Board chair Mike Rowley began the meeting holding a moment of silence for a construction worker Jason Schwartzly who suffered a fatal accident Monday working on campus.
Rowley next motioned that an employee has requested a closed session under the Open Meetings Act (section 8a) with regard to a faculty grievance.
Almost immediately, Trustee Earl Selby said the board should NOT enter a closed session because this does not comply with Section 8a. “[The board members] are not considering the dismissal, discipline or suspension of the employee,” argued Selby.
Rowley defended his motion, saying that he had, “started reading the attorney generals guidelines on this. It appears that the devils in the details. I will defer to legal council.”
Trustee Karen Lawrence-Webster commented next, stating, “The questions [I have] aren’t really about the closed session,“ but that, “I want to hear both sides of the issues and I know I’m not going to get that in closed session.”
After no progress was made, Rowley objected that it is Delta College’s principle to have confidentiality and the board must “honor the spirit.”
Trustee Robert Emrich then stated a dilemma he had that: “It sounds like we’re to sit as a jury and hear evidence one way then the other way and then make a decision.”
“My understanding is that is not our role,” he continued, “We need to articulate what our role [as a board] is in this process.”
Breaking through the noise, President Jean Goodnow exclaimed, “It’s fine with me to have an open session.”
Both Rowley and Selby then urged to address the motion on the floor. They agreed on following the process that’s been set up: “we are to ratify or not ratify [Rowley’s] report, and secondly, the employee has said it makes no difference open or closed.”
Voting on Rowley’s original motion, it carried with majority votes, 5-3, to enter a closed meeting under section 8a of the Open Meetings Act, with Lawrence-Webster, Selby and Dee Dee Waxman voting “no.”
However, Trustee Earl Selby had refused to participate in the closed session involving the employee grievance.
After the closed session finished, Rowley began, “During the closed session, the board heard a recommendation from me.”
No decision was made in closed session, and Rowley provided his recommendation:
“The “decision of the Grievance Committee” shall be ratified as written by the Grievance Committee on June 9, 2015, on page two of their interoffice memo.
To avoid ambiguity, the Senate Grievance Committee’s words—including, but not limited to— “and/or if the President determines it no longer applies” shall be interpreted to mean that the President (absent specific direction from the Board of Trustees) has the full authority to change the memorandum of January 20, 2015, if desired by the President.
As specifically and clearly stated in Senate Policy 1.025; “On these matters the power of review and final decision is lodged with the Board of Trustees or delegated by it to the President.”
Rowley said he would not go into the details of the grievance. However, he said he appreciated the passion and candor on both sides of this issue.
The board then voted to accept his recommendation with a 6-2 vote. Trustees Lawrence-Webster and Selby both abstained.
Next the board heard a recommendation on the President’s compensation, written by Trustee Mike Nash, who was absent Tuesday.
The recommendation is that the board approves an increase of 2.5% to Goodnow’s base pay, from $191,643 to $196,434.
Additionally, a $1000 increase to the car allowance and an increase to her 403b contribution by $24,000 per year.
The board voted unanimously in favor of the motion, with no discussion.
During the dinner meeting, Diana Gutierrez, Director of Counseling and Advising, introduced the new student-planning module for student success.
“Any student who is under academic caution/probation is now required to meet with counselors for an academic plan,” said Gutierrez.
Terri Gould, Associate Director of Registration and Records, said students will track two main steps with the new module: their progress and their registration.
“We’ve done a lot of upgrades to the system since we started it a few months ago,” said Gould, “plus, it’s web based and it’s mobile friendly.”
Debra Lutz gave the Treasurer’s Report. With a net loss of $88,000, Lutz said the results are inaccurate until the final audit is done.
“We are expecting to end the [fiscal] year in a positive financial standing,” Lutz finished.
Additionally, the board voted unanimously to approve Remer Plumbing to replace a Steam Coil, with a winning bid of $149,000.
According to a memo from Larry Ramseyer, Director of Facilties Management, “this project will address the replacement of the leaking steam coil in Make-up Air Unit 36 which serves the science laboratories in the C and E Wings.”
Finishing the meeting with the President’s report, Goodnow gave thanks to Public Safety Manager Steven Witzke as he is retiring after 36 years of service at Delta College.