Maurice Goodman for college board

Having spoken my mind on comments concerning Mr. Mandelkern's candidacy, it is only fair to give equal time to Mr. Goodman. Unfortunately, speaking out about the only Black candidate, someone supported by the local leader of the NAACP, no doubt will earn me condemnation not for the facts I present, but for the audacity to question others' opinions as race can be more salient than data.

Mr. Goodman was the President of the SMCCCD Board in 2019. He negotiated and signed, on behalf of the residence of San Mateo County, the quid pro quo contract that gave Ron Galatolo the golden parachute for $1.2 million plus full benefits when he swapped jobs from Chancellor to Chancellor Emeritus. Mr. Goodman and the Board then put Mr. Galatolo on paid administrative leave, an act that condemned Mr. Galatolo in the press before a trial, but never explained to the public the reason for such action.

When I made a public comment at the Fall 2019 Board retreat summarizing all the problematic news stories about the former chancellor and asked for an explanation for the new outrageous contract as Chancellor Emeritus, Mr. Goodman cut me off; I insisted on continuing given free speech in a public government forum. The Board sat mum after I laid out the data and did not address my concerns (they will claim that the Brown Act prevents them from responding, but that is not true; the Act only prevents them from taking action on an item not agendized).

As an educational researcher, I wrote to the Board numerous times presenting data on student achievement, inequity, and disproportionate impact to try to get their attention to the poor outcomes of the student body, especially Black and Hispanic students. While only 22% of White students graduate on time, the numbers are worse for Blacks (17%) and Hispanics (15%). Recently, I published a Letter to the Editor on Black Lives Matter (https://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/black-lives-matter/article_7fd2cff4-012d-11eb-bbca-f38b8acbdee2.html ). Cañada College has a 21.3% difference in course success rates of Asian versus Black students (81.6% vs. 60.3% respectively). Similarly, there is a 17.5% disparity between White students and their Black classmates (Cañada College Data Dashboard). I forwarded this to the Board. No response.

The citizens of San Mateo county contribute $168 million in property taxes toward the SMCCCD budget. Are you proud that four-out-of-five students don't graduate on time; even less so for minoritized students?  While many Trustees claim ownership of a "powerful voice for educational equity and diversity," none, according to the data, put your money where their mouth is.

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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/