The California Community College Association of Student Trustees voted unanimously Jan. 28 to oppose the Student Success Task Force recommendations. President of CCCAST and De Anza student trustee Emily Kinner traveled to Sacramento for the meeting. As president, Kinner would only cast a vote if there were a tie, but said she would have voted to oppose the recommendations as well.

Kinner said CCCAST opposed the recommendations “as a package.”

Task force recommendations like requiring students to develop ed plans would put more of a burden on already strained student services, she said.

“The state isn’t giving us money to hire more counselors,” she said.

The Foothill-De Anza board of trustees is not expected to take an official position on the task force recommendations, but the board will be asked Monday Feb. 6 to approve legislative principles that include “advocate for adequate funding for Student Success Task Force recommendations that are adopted by the Board of Governors.”

“You would interpret that as support of the task force recommendations provided that adequate funding is available for their implementation,” Chancellor Linda Thor said.

District board President Joan Barram echoed that sentiment, saying she would vote to support the recommendations, but, “we can’t let the legislature just say ‘OK, you have to do this, this, this, and this and require A and B’ and not give us any resources to help ramp up our student services and counseling.”

Thor, Kinner, Baram and several other trustees spent Jan. 29 and 30 in Sacramento as part of an annual conference held by the Community College League of California. Trustees attended briefings by legislators, staffers and administrators on Sunday and Monday morning, followed by visits to local legislators Monday afternoon.

Discussions focused mostly on the governor’s proposed budget and task force recommendations. Local legislators visited were assembly members Rich Gordon, Paul Fong, Jim Beall and senator Joe Simitian.

FHDA representatives were generally complimentary of the legislators’ knowledge and positions on education.

 “When we do legislative visits we’re not having to fight for something, we’re just trying to figure out a strategy,” Kinner said.

Barram said the board urged the legislators to do what they can to preserve as much funding for community colleges as possible.

“We know we’re losing students, we’re losing classes, we’re losing services,” Barram said. “We keep reminding our legislators that we are job creators and they want all the services that we provide and they really have to help us by not allowing our financial base to keep being eroded.”

Barram added that legislators were “very surprised” to learn the district faces a $10 million deficit next year even if Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed tax increase passes in November.

Cupertino assemblyman Fong, a former De Anza student and 15-year Foothill-De Anza board member, wrote in an email that he has concerns about funding but supports the “Task Force’s effort to increase student success.”

Kinner said San Jose assemblyman Beall was especially concerned with financial aid and offered to meet with interested students over coffee to discuss the matter. He is scheduled to visit De Anza in April to discuss the budget with students.