Schools’ Suppliers Pick Up Part of Tab for Officials’ Retreat

Administrators of the financially troubled Los Angeles Community College District and its nine campuses began a three-day retreat in a San Diego area hotel Thursday that is being paid for mainly by the district and by companies with which it does business.

The 170 participants--100 officials and their spouses--are to be offered “fantasy games” and “spoofs” to help them “to be able to share their problems and feelings of anxiety and frustration,” according to the program for the event at Hotel del Coronado near San Diego.

Another session, set for Saturday morning, offers a “spoof of the (Phil) Donahue TV show” that “will humorously deal with the ups and downs of being a community college administrator and a spouse.”

Several faculty members said they do not find the meeting humorous, because the district is facing a severe budget crisis.

“We’re being forced to cut out our classes, and they have to go to San Diego to reduce their stress,” said one West Los Angeles College instructor who asked not to identified.

Although the district’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the retreat as a routine business matter at its Jan. 23 meeting, several board members said Thursday that they did not recall the action. Others said they were distressed to learn that companies that supply products to the college district are paying part of the cost. District officials said the total cost will be $39,000.

“We didn’t do our homework,” said board member Harold Garvin. “I knew we were going to private enterprise for donations, but I’m not happy to hear those names like Honeywell and Apple.”

Both Honeywell Inc. and Apple Computer Inc. were among the firms that donated $7,400 in cash and $5,400 in services or products for the retreat, according to district officials.

“The representatives of the administrators went to corporations that we have done business with in the past and asked if they could be of assistance, particularly to cover the expenses of the spouses who were attending,” said Blair Sillers, assistant to district Chancellor Leslie Koltai, who organized the retreat.

The district used $10,000 of its money for the retreat, “but we didn’t think we could legally pay for the housing and food for the spouses,” he said.

The administrators, 25 of whom work in the downtown office and the rest of whom are campus officials, will end up paying about $100 each for the event, he said.

The Los Angeles Community College District has lost more than 30% of its students in the last two years and probably will face a big budget shortfall in the next two years.

“They wanted to get away to address some issues that are timely and relevant now to administrators,” said district spokesman Norman Schneider, who remained in Los Angeles.

Reached by telephone at the retreat, Koltai said the meeting is designed to “strengthen the administrative core of our district. We have workshops on the hour every hour . . . and they relate to our theme of ‘strategies for productivity. “‘

Most of the meeting, which began late Thursday and is to end Saturday afternoon, will feature speakers talking about “positive motivation” and “stress reduction.”

The session on “fantasy games” promises to “provide each participant with the skills that will enable them to turn those negative feelings into positive management strategies.”

The officials can choose between a session on “creative financial planning . . . for individuals, families or organizations” and a workshop entitled “Dynamics of Positive Social Visibility: Working the Room to Get Promoted.” The latter session promises to “demonstrate through role playing effective techniques for moving up in the world.”

One trustee, who asked not to be quoted by name, said he is disturbed by the retreat but “not surprised we didn’t know. They (administrators) keep us in the dark as much as possible.”

When first contacted Thursday, board President Arthur Bronson expressed surprise that several companies are footing much of the bill for the retreat. “No, I can’t believe that,” he said.

After checking with the district officials, Bronson defended the board’s action. “It wasn’t a biggie to me. In industry, we also held working sessions like these,” he said.

“The staff found several companies that were more than happy to fund this sort of meeting, and there’s no conflict of interest,” Bronson added. “For example, one of them is Honeywell. We have a long-term contract with them and that won’t be affected in any way by this.”