Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Pasadena Area Community College District; Trustee Area 3

Pasadena City College is in crisis. There is low morale among teachers, staff, management personnel and students; enrollment and retention rates for minority and at-risk students are declining; and an increasing number of students attending PCC are from outside the PCC District.

Because of its demographics, Northwest Pasadena is the area most in need of attention. With a large African American and Latino population, lower incomes and the concomitant pressures associated with that, Northwest Pasadena students would benefit by enhanced outreach and a strong commitment on the part of PCC and the Board of Trustees.

PCC plays a critical role in the educational, civic, moral and economic life of the greater community. The rapid growth in the student population is, on the one hand, to be welcomed, but on the other, a cause of concern. Growth is an indication of how important PCC is to the community, but it also brings with it many of the problems that challenge the College today # overcrowded classrooms and a lack of classroom space, daily parking dilemmas, etc. PCC must develop a strategy that will allow the college community to meet student needs # and the focus of any growth should always be on improved educational opportunity # without sacrificing quality.

While the physical plant is an important part of PCC's success, resources should always be directed toward the college's educational needs first. Often that will include the repair, upgrading and/or replacement of buildings. But the rationale for physical plant investment should always lead with one key question: "How will this improve the quality of education at PCC?" If the answer is, "It will not," then that particular investment of resources should be reconsidered.