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College trustees consider raising their own pay 67%

December 4th, 2008, 3:09 pm · 6 Comments · posted by Marla Jo Fisher, Staff Writer

Trustees who oversee Saddleback and Irvine Valley colleges will consider an agenda item today, Friday, to raise the pay for their part-time jobs from $400 to $750 a month. That’s a 67 percent increase.

Saddleback College

The South Orange County Community College District board members also receive health insurance and retirement benefits in addition to their part-time pay.

Chancellor Raghu Mathur, who put the item on the agenda, wouldn’t discuss it and referred calls to the district’s public information office.

Public information officer Tracy Daly issued this statement:

“The district’s FTES (full-time equivalent student count) is now over 25,000.  As mentioned in the agenda item, “Education Code Section 72024 provides that in any community college district in which the Full Time Equivalent Students (FTES) for the prior college year exceeds 25,000, each member of the Governing Board, who actually attends all meetings held by the Board, may receive a compensation for his/her services a sum not to exceed $750.00 in any month.”

I emailed all the trustees asking how they planned to vote and the only one who replied by Thursday afternoon was Tom Fuentes, who said he hadn’t read the agenda report yet so he couldn’t say how he would vote.

Here’s the agenda item if you want to read it

At the North Orange County district, which runs Fullerton and Cypress colleges, trustees are paid $787.50 per month and also are eligible for health care benefits. The last increase was in 2006, according to PIO Christie Wallace Noring.

Coast district trustees, who run Coastline, Orange Coast and Golden West colleges, get paid $1,008 per month, PIO Martha Parham said.

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 6 Comments

  • Roy says:
    December 5, 2008 at 12:39 am

    I don’t get it. If the Ed Code says that a trustee “may receive a compensation for his/her service a sum not to exceed $750.00 in any month,” how is it that OCCD trustees get $787.50 and CCCD trustees get $1,008.00? Am I missing something?

    Marla, you might want to take a look at some of the odd expenses some of these people rack up for “lodging” at conferences–to places like Palm Springs and Florida resorts.

  • octaxpayer says:
    December 5, 2008 at 1:06 am

    Why not.? The state is already going to be 28 billion in debt why not blow a few more dollars? Besides, how else can they spike their part time pensions?

  • Chuck N. Ah says:
    December 5, 2008 at 2:41 am

    Which class was cut from the summer school schedule at Coast to pay for Trustee Ruiz’ recent trip to New York?

  • casm says:
    December 5, 2008 at 3:05 am

    Oh, HELL no!!!!!!

  • Suzanne says:
    December 5, 2008 at 8:45 am

    Interesting that some of these folks have consistently run for office touting how fiscally responsible they are. As stewards of the district’s finances, as public-servant types, it seems more in order for them to rise to the occasion by reducing their compensation. I should think something like a 20 to 50 percent reduction would be an admirable one for them to undertake during these drastic economic times. Then maybe their unselfish and altruistic choices might become models for legislators and others to emulate; perhaps this would become a best practice among our leaders and other elected officials who would follow suit by cutting their salaries and tightening their belts, all for the greater good, knowing that the sacrifices they ask others to make should begin with themselves.

    Then maybe momentum will gather and the chancellors, presidents, and vice presidents of our community colleges will donate 10, 20, or 30 percent of their incomes so that classes won’t be cut or programs closed.

    And then a unicorn will show the way to a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I’ll go make a wish on a star just in case.

  • Christie Wallace Noring says:
    December 8, 2008 at 11:47 am

    The California Education Code sets base levels of pay for community college trustees according to the number of full-time equivalent students there are in each district. The more full-time equivalent students in a district, the higher the base levels of pay for the trustees governing that district. The Education Code also allows these compensation levels to be increased annually by no more than 5%. However, trustees have only exercised this option once in the North Orange County Community College District.