Improving Our Colleges

By Derrick Mims

The public has shown support of LACCD by passing tens of millions of dollars in bonds to build new facilities on all campuses. But now is the time to focus on student success and public trust, both of which have been in poor standing in recent years. Here are my priorities:

· State Budget - Along with all state services, our district has taken a beating in cuts from the state budget but it's imperative that our voice is heard and made a priority. Unlike most board members who only prefer closed door office meetings with state officials, I will be out front marching publicly with students, faculty and staff to push the governor and legislators to adequately fund our district. This is a time for activism not passive, lukewarm leadership.

· Student Success + Too many of our students are adrift on our campuses and are failing because of it. I will fight to make all nine campuses offer pathways to success for students, instead of watching them haplessly wander through classes with no sense of direction. Retention and Completion will be my motto.

· College Stability + As it stands now, our colleges are like a game of "whack-a-mole" because you never know which one(s) is under review or on probation + one step from losing its accreditation - due to institutional failings. This is embarrassing and must end. I will insist on better oversight of all nine colleges from the Board.

· Public Accountability - Like the officials in the City of Bell, the Board of Trustees has been accused of unnecessarily blocking public scrutiny on many of its affairs. The public is demanding transparency and I will insist that the board provides it at all time to let tax payers know how their money is spent. Our actions must hold up under public scrutiny.

Diversity in Leadership - The current College Board has no African American members, and given the large African American student population and their many challenges in the district, this is another example of a lack of vision and a recipe for more disasterous results - And the fault lies chiefly with those college political insiders who refused to support the African American voice. They have exchanged the excuse "qualified" for "viable." Well, that tune has been played before and it wasn't acceptable then, and it's not acceptable now!