College Board Comes Under Fire for Raises, Then OKs Them Again

The governing board of Antelope Valley College, conceding that it awarded administrators hefty pay raises last month with no notice to the public, listened to more than an hour of public complaints about the raises Thursday night, then voted for them again.

The unusual second vote was the result of a legal challenge filed by the college’s clerical union against the board’s original decision May 14, saying it violated the state’s open meeting law.

Because consideration of the raises had not been listed on the board’s agenda in May, neither college employees nor the public knew of them.

Both groups took advantage of the opportunity to comment Thursday as clerical workers, instructors and the parents of a student chided the board, mostly over the notice issue. Some also asked for a delay on the raises, but the board adopted them again in a 3-0 vote.

“We did have an opportunity to voice our opinion. And I was very glad for that,” said Shirlene Barbero, an officer of the Antelope Valley College Federation of Classified Employees.

Under a little-used section of the open meeting law, her group challenged the raises’ legality, forcing the board to reconsider them.

However, Barbero said she was disappointed that college officials did not heed her request for a delay. Barbero complained that her group wanted to see a consultant’s report recommending the pay raises, but that the college as of Thursday had refused to release it.

College President Allan Kurki and board members conceded that they failed to properly list the raises on the board’s May agenda as required by state law. College officials said it was the first time they could recall having to conduct such a repeat vote.

Under the board’s action, Jim McDonald, the college’s admissions and records director, got a 21.7% raise. Charles Whiteside, human resources and employee relations director, got a 16.7% raise, and Louis Lucero, disabled student services director, got a 12.4% raise.