Cost Cutting Gone Astray

By Carl H. Christensen

This board seems inclined to make educational mistakes. It seems to have lost sight of its purpose to provide the best possible education for our young adults.

The board's position was contrary to the efforts of a former president of Saddleback College, Constance Carroll, who relentlessy pushed for increasing the ratio of full timers to part timers on the grounds that it would enhance the over all quality of teaching at Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College.

However, this year the Board of Trustees suddenly changed its stand on increasing the ratio of part timers to full timers but apparently not on the basis of trying to improve the quality of teaching. This change of direction was made simply because of the board being informed that the SOCCCD was in violation of the 50% law. This state legislation requires that 50% of the district's expenditures be spent on faculty salaries. Since that was not the case with the SOCCCD, the board called for the immediate hiring of 38 additional full time instructors in order to be in compliance with the 50% law.

It may well be argued that the most important responsibility of the Board of Trustees is to assure the employment of the most qualified instructors available, not just in the county, but in the nation. To advertise nationwide for instructors in numerous fields, to research their backgrounds, and conduct the interviews should not be rushed. Because the board was not attuned to the basics of the state's educational law it is doubtful that all of those 38 newly hired instructors are the very best that were currently available in the nation.