COUNTYWIDE : Backers of College Official Raise $5,000

Supporters of embattled Moorpark College President Stanley L. Bowers raised close to $5,000 to help him fight for his job before Bowers decided to accept a demotion over the weekend, supporters said Monday.

“I’m glad we did what we did, even though we didn’t win,” said Clint Harper, a Moorpark College instructor and one of the organizers of the Friends of Stan Bowers’ committee.

Last month, Ventura County Community College District trustees moved to fire Bowers for approving questionable financial transactions. Supporters at the college rallied to persuade the trustees to change their minds.

The trustees were scheduled to meet today to take final action on the proposed firing, but they reached an agreement with Bowers on Saturday to demote him to the position of dean at Oxnard College instead. The demotion lowers his pay from about $95,000 a year to about $80,000.

Fred Meyer, chairman of the committee and also an instructor, said the committee has already given Bowers $3,000 to help pay legal fees incurred in his battle with trustees.

The group also spent nearly $1,000 in advertising to save Bowers’ job. Meyer said it is likely that the group will turn the remainder of the money over to Bowers for his legal expenses.