Board of Trustees Meeting Highlights – January 21, 2020

Study Session

The study session focused on three areas: creating parameters to help guide the Landscaping Master Planning Committee as well as two detailed presentations provided by Vice President of Administrative Services Greg Nelson to update the Board about specifics of Measure B and the mid-year budget review. 

Meeting Highlights Include

The Board of Trustees heard members of the Kentfield community, Friends of Kids and Creeks, voice their concerns about the Maintenance and Operations project, located next to Kent Middle School. Concerns included aesthetic changes, the potential impact on the nearby Corte Madera Creek, the proximity of work and delivery trucks to children’s fenced physical education and recreational area, and the perceived lack of communication with the Kentfield community about the scope and purpose of the project.

In closing the session before the regular meeting, the Board expressed their deep regret of the sudden passing of Doris Tucker, a dedicated College of Marin employee for 37 years, and acknowledged that she will be missed by many.

Regular Meeting

During the regular meeting, the trustees recognized the extremely positive impact the student panel presentation had at the Spring 2020 Convocation. Board members described how refreshing it was to hear directly from students who have benefitted from programs such as Puente, MAPS, Umoja, EOPS, and the STEM Learning Community. Hearing first-hand about how important these programs were to students’ success reaffirmed that their impact on educational achievement is substantial. Of additional significance, many of the student panelists mentioned that they lacked traditional sources of educational support and relied on the College of Marin community to provide it.

Other Action Highlights

The Board passed all consent and action items on the agenda.  Items included a revised SEIU salary schedule effective January 1, 2020; a change in the mileage reimbursement rate to $0.575 cents per mile effective January 1, 2020; approval of sabbaticals as approved by the Sabbatical Committee per the procedure and requirements outlined in the collective bargaining agreement; a temporary increase to District contributions for CSEA unit members effective October 1, 2019, through February 29, 2020; approval of clinical facilities agreements with Marin Community Clinics and the contract amendment to the clinical agreement between Marin Community College District and Marin General Hospital (D/B/A MarinHealth); the Kanopy master agreement for digital video content subscription for the Library; and various change orders.