It used to be that hardly anyone paid attention to what was happening at the community college district. Few if any members of the public attended their meetings. And it received little mention in the press except for occasional routine news stories. Now the district is making sensational headlines. Not very good for the students, teachers and parents who want the focus to be on education.
It all began last year when Ron Galatolo , who had served as chancellor for 20 years, was put on administrative leave, named chancellor emeritus and paid $479,208. There were rumors about troubling district construction contracts and harassment. The public soon learned he was under investigation by the DA. District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe will announce the results of the investigation in November.
Then more recently we learned that the whistleblower who had started the investigation into the chancellor’s activities by going to the DA in November 2018 was none other than Galatolo’s own pick for vice chancellor of Human Resources and general counsel, Eugene Whitlock.
Whitlock, a San Carlos resident, is now running for an open seat on the community college district board. But there’s more. It seems Whitlock was terminated by the district on the recommendation of Galatolo either for whistleblowing or for whatever he did or didn’t do as an employee of the college district. Whitlock was terminated in May but a year earlier the district wanted to fire him without cause but he threatened to sue. The district then negotiated a paid severance package of $2.3 million. The agreement specified that Whitlock was to have no further relationship with the district.
In both cases, members of the board have been reluctant to talk either on or off the record. It seems they made a settlement with Galatolo to avoid adverse publicity for the district. And because they didn’t want any lawsuits from Whitlock who had promised to bring several if he were terminated, they agreed to another costly settlement. The board was relieved when Whitlock found a new job as the new HR director at UC Berkeley.
In announcing Whitlock’s appointment, UC said it did an extensive nationwide search with an external search firm. You can see how Whitlock could be a top pick when you read his resume. Stanford graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biological science and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He won a Progress in Diversity Award from the Association of California Community College Administrators in 2017. Before he was hired by the college district, he was a deputy county counsel in San Mateo County and did some work defending his eventual employer, the community college district. In the process, he forged a relationship with the district and with Galatolo. Many of his former colleagues wonder why he wants to reconnect with the district, this time as a board member, knowing it will raise a ruckus and more headlines.
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Complicating all of this is the November election to elect new trustees and re-elect incumbents. That will mean many new faces and where the only incumbents, well-respected Dave Mandelkern and Maurice Goodman, have to run against each other. This is because of the new district election format. We already lost a valuable board member, Tom Mohr, who was ousted in a race against another valuable incumbent Richard Holober. Maybe it’s time for house cleaning but too much inexperience is not good at a time like this. The new chancellor is Michael Claire, former president of CSM. He was hired as an interim and then offered the full position.
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The district needs to regain its focus and let some qualified impartial group do an analysis of what has gone so wrong. It could be the civil grand jury or the board could appoint a citizens’ group from some past trustees, like Tom Huening, a former trustee and also former county controller.
The district needs strong and honest leadership. The trustees have paid too much deference to the chancellor, becoming more of a rubber stamp than asking penetrating questions. This requires homework, expertise and guts. And more honest communication with the public. Maybe there needs to be revised guidelines on hiring executive staff from the chancellor on down. Or maybe the new board will need to learn their role and responsibilities as well as team building. The district doesn’t need sensational headlines. It needs help and more attention from all of us.
Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.
NOTE TO READERS:This story has been changed to correct an error. Michael Claire was hired after a national search.
Thank you Sue Lempert for pointing out that the San Mateo County Community College District, “needs strong and honest leadership.” You are right, too few penetrating questions were asked and too much deference was paid to the ex-chancellor. The Trustees role is to provide proper governance, oversight and direction to the chancellor and administration, not the other way around.
SMCCCD spends almost $500 million annually providing life changing opportunity through post-secondary education that dramatically impacts one’s earning potential. I want SMCCCD to spend less on golden parachutes and more on creating social and economic equity by increasing enrollment and successful outcomes for students from underserved communities and first-generation college families.
I understand this because I was a first-generation college kid from a tumultuous and under-resourced family. Community college was my only option. I eventually make it through U.C. Berkeley and graduate school to start a series of successful businesses in the renewable energy and sustainability field. My rise would not have been possible without community college.
The U.S. Social Security Administration estimates lifetime earnings of a college graduate are 65% higher than a high school graduate. The California Community College Chancellor’s office points out that completing a career technical training degree at SMCCCD increases salary by 51%.
Yet, enrollment at SMCCCD has been in steady decline for a decade. One likely reason is the total cost of attending SMCCCD full-time can exceed $15,000/year when considering non-tuition costs like books, technology, transportation, food and rent. That price of admission discourages young adults from seeking to improve themselves through the greatest driver of economic outcomes, education.
This is why I have proposed Tuition-Free SMCCCD (https://www.johnpimentel.com/latest-news/pimentel-make-smcccd-tuition-free-for-2020-2021-school-year) which includes doubling enrollment in the Promise Scholars program to 4,000 students, expanding eligibility for financial aid to support more working families, and immediately offering a tuition-free rapid retraining program for service industry workers displaced by COVID driven shutdowns.
SMCCCD needs progressive, strong, independent leadership willing to get to the bottom of past mistakes and able to make the tough decisions that increase social and economic equity in our community. I look forward to a brighter future where EVERY young adult in San Mateo County can afford to grab hold of the first rung on the ladder of economic opportunity by attending Cañada, CSM or Skyline. See (https://www.johnpimentel.com/en/about) for more information.
A "tuition-free rapid retraining program for service industry workers displaced by COVID driven shutdowns." Great idea! They too may benefit from cost-of-living supplements as provided to traditional-age Promise students to support families in crisis as they change directions and improve their economic lot in life. University transfer courses is not their need; career and technical education (CTE) programs, certificates, and workshops is timely and essential.
No, Sue, questioning the College District did not all begin last year with Ron Galatolo's generous golden parachute buy-out. For years, I have questioned why the District did not honestly identify what projects would be built with the over $1B in bond money given by taxpayers. Much of the $1B (yes, that's billion dollars) has been spent on extravagant buildings, not primarily related to education. An example is the $120M gym being built at Canada College primarily to serve as a 2nd privately managed, membership only health club. Yes, "strong and honest leadership...and more honest communication with the public is needed."
As Ms. Lempert notes, few community members attend Board meetings or attend to how their taxpayer dollars as misspent, though Ms. Terner has been fastidious trying to keep the District accountable. Once former Chancellor Galatolo verbally chastised her at a public Board meeting for her due diligence (this is in the Board minutes).
The annual budget, primarily from property taxes, approximates $200M. There is a state law requiring districts to spend 50% on instruction. The recent CA Board of Governors singled out SMCCCD for continuing to be the only district in the state out of compliance with Ed Code and Title 5 in relation to the 50% Law. (42.24%).
Where is the money going?
Faculty and staff have a reasonable complaint that the average administrator salary is $198K, tops in the state, while their compensation is below the norm.
Most important to me as an educator, the average graduation rate is 18% for a two-year associate degree in three years. That means four-out-of-five students do not graduate on time. What a waste of human potential!
Would stockholders retain a Board of Directors or CEO with such a poor record of achievement? Student success was their primary job!
--
Michael B. Reiner, PhD, is a higher education consultant and educational researcher. Previously, he was a professor of psychology and college administrator at City University of New York (CUNY), Miami Dade College, the Riverside Community College District, and the San Mateo County Community College District. mreiner32205@gmail.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-b-reiner-phd-14057551/
Ms. Lempert characterized the current dramaturgy at SMCCCD. She focused on Ron Galatolo, Eugene Whitlock, and Trustees. “In both cases, members of the board have been reluctant to talk either on or off the record. It seems they made a settlement with Galatolo to avoid adverse publicity for the district.”
What kind of “adverse publicity?” Whose reputation was at stake? How would transparency on this issue taint “the district?”
Is the District a private corporation paying out a contractual settlement agreement in exchange for a non-disparagement clause; i.e., a quid pro quo, to protect its “brand?”
Using taxpayer dollars for “hush money,” cash entrusted to the trustees by citizens, is suspect. In an unusual twist to such deals, SMCCCD Trustees agreed to pay Galatolo not to go away in “an arrangement to conceal,” but gave him a new job as Chancellor Emeritus to establish the CSU-Cañada University, a bogus project from the start according to Trustee Mandelkern (later rejected by the CSU feasibility study).
The fish rots from the head. Check out these two episodes where the Board agreed to an independent investigation over alleged misbehavior, yet the promise faded into the haze of memory (see October 23, 2019 and January 8, 2020).
--
Michael B. Reiner, PhD, is a higher education consultant and educational researcher. Previously, he was a professor of psychology and college administrator at City University of New York (CUNY), Miami Dade College, the Riverside Community College District, and the San Mateo County Community College District. mreiner32205@gmail.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-b-reiner-phd-14057551/
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(5) comments
Thank you Sue Lempert for pointing out that the San Mateo County Community College District, “needs strong and honest leadership.” You are right, too few penetrating questions were asked and too much deference was paid to the ex-chancellor. The Trustees role is to provide proper governance, oversight and direction to the chancellor and administration, not the other way around.
SMCCCD spends almost $500 million annually providing life changing opportunity through post-secondary education that dramatically impacts one’s earning potential. I want SMCCCD to spend less on golden parachutes and more on creating social and economic equity by increasing enrollment and successful outcomes for students from underserved communities and first-generation college families.
I understand this because I was a first-generation college kid from a tumultuous and under-resourced family. Community college was my only option. I eventually make it through U.C. Berkeley and graduate school to start a series of successful businesses in the renewable energy and sustainability field. My rise would not have been possible without community college.
The U.S. Social Security Administration estimates lifetime earnings of a college graduate are 65% higher than a high school graduate. The California Community College Chancellor’s office points out that completing a career technical training degree at SMCCCD increases salary by 51%.
Yet, enrollment at SMCCCD has been in steady decline for a decade. One likely reason is the total cost of attending SMCCCD full-time can exceed $15,000/year when considering non-tuition costs like books, technology, transportation, food and rent. That price of admission discourages young adults from seeking to improve themselves through the greatest driver of economic outcomes, education.
This is why I have proposed Tuition-Free SMCCCD (https://www.johnpimentel.com/latest-news/pimentel-make-smcccd-tuition-free-for-2020-2021-school-year) which includes doubling enrollment in the Promise Scholars program to 4,000 students, expanding eligibility for financial aid to support more working families, and immediately offering a tuition-free rapid retraining program for service industry workers displaced by COVID driven shutdowns.
SMCCCD needs progressive, strong, independent leadership willing to get to the bottom of past mistakes and able to make the tough decisions that increase social and economic equity in our community. I look forward to a brighter future where EVERY young adult in San Mateo County can afford to grab hold of the first rung on the ladder of economic opportunity by attending Cañada, CSM or Skyline. See (https://www.johnpimentel.com/en/about) for more information.
A "tuition-free rapid retraining program for service industry workers displaced by COVID driven shutdowns." Great idea! They too may benefit from cost-of-living supplements as provided to traditional-age Promise students to support families in crisis as they change directions and improve their economic lot in life. University transfer courses is not their need; career and technical education (CTE) programs, certificates, and workshops is timely and essential.
No, Sue, questioning the College District did not all begin last year with Ron Galatolo's generous golden parachute buy-out. For years, I have questioned why the District did not honestly identify what projects would be built with the over $1B in bond money given by taxpayers. Much of the $1B (yes, that's billion dollars) has been spent on extravagant buildings, not primarily related to education. An example is the $120M gym being built at Canada College primarily to serve as a 2nd privately managed, membership only health club. Yes, "strong and honest leadership...and more honest communication with the public is needed."
As Ms. Lempert notes, few community members attend Board meetings or attend to how their taxpayer dollars as misspent, though Ms. Terner has been fastidious trying to keep the District accountable. Once former Chancellor Galatolo verbally chastised her at a public Board meeting for her due diligence (this is in the Board minutes).
The annual budget, primarily from property taxes, approximates $200M. There is a state law requiring districts to spend 50% on instruction. The recent CA Board of Governors singled out SMCCCD for continuing to be the only district in the state out of compliance with Ed Code and Title 5 in relation to the 50% Law. (42.24%).
Where is the money going?
Faculty and staff have a reasonable complaint that the average administrator salary is $198K, tops in the state, while their compensation is below the norm.
Most important to me as an educator, the average graduation rate is 18% for a two-year associate degree in three years. That means four-out-of-five students do not graduate on time. What a waste of human potential!
Would stockholders retain a Board of Directors or CEO with such a poor record of achievement? Student success was their primary job!
--
Michael B. Reiner, PhD, is a higher education consultant and educational researcher. Previously, he was a professor of psychology and college administrator at City University of New York (CUNY), Miami Dade College, the Riverside Community College District, and the San Mateo County Community College District. mreiner32205@gmail.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-b-reiner-phd-14057551/
Ms. Lempert characterized the current dramaturgy at SMCCCD. She focused on Ron Galatolo, Eugene Whitlock, and Trustees. “In both cases, members of the board have been reluctant to talk either on or off the record. It seems they made a settlement with Galatolo to avoid adverse publicity for the district.”
What kind of “adverse publicity?” Whose reputation was at stake? How would transparency on this issue taint “the district?”
Is the District a private corporation paying out a contractual settlement agreement in exchange for a non-disparagement clause; i.e., a quid pro quo, to protect its “brand?”
Using taxpayer dollars for “hush money,” cash entrusted to the trustees by citizens, is suspect. In an unusual twist to such deals, SMCCCD Trustees agreed to pay Galatolo not to go away in “an arrangement to conceal,” but gave him a new job as Chancellor Emeritus to establish the CSU-Cañada University, a bogus project from the start according to Trustee Mandelkern (later rejected by the CSU feasibility study).
The fish rots from the head. Check out these two episodes where the Board agreed to an independent investigation over alleged misbehavior, yet the promise faded into the haze of memory (see October 23, 2019 and January 8, 2020).
--
Michael B. Reiner, PhD, is a higher education consultant and educational researcher. Previously, he was a professor of psychology and college administrator at City University of New York (CUNY), Miami Dade College, the Riverside Community College District, and the San Mateo County Community College District. mreiner32205@gmail.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-b-reiner-phd-14057551/
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