Vote Targets Community College Officials

A majority of community college teachers who cast ballots voted no confidence in the board of trustees and the chancellor of the county’s three campuses, union officials announced Friday.

All of the district’s 1,200 teachers were invited to mark ballots set up at Oxnard, Ventura and Moorpark colleges this week. Nearly 380 people voted: 99% said they had no confidence in Chancellor Philip Westin, 98% had no confidence in Allan Jacobs or Norm Nagel, 96% had no confidence in Pete Tafoya, and 94% had no confidence in Bob Gonzales. A smaller majority--about 60%--voted no confidence in board President John Tallman.

Nagel said the vote did not hurt him personally and would not affect the way he does business. But another board member was moved by the vote.

“This indicates how they feel,” Tallman said. “I take these results as meaningful. I understand their frustration. I was faculty once.”

A key reason why the teachers, many of them led by the American Federation of Teachers Local 1828, are so upset with the district’s leadership is that the two sides are at an impasse over contract negotiations.

In a state mediation session Tuesday, union officials scoffed at the district’s new proposal, which they contend is worse than its first offer.

Union leaders are pushing to retain a salary formula increase that would give them half of any new state money allocated to the district.

Instead, the district proposes to eliminate the formula and give the teachers a 1.5% increase if “growth monies” come through.

Teacher salaries range from $31,000 to $65,000.

Westin, although he has his own private contract, recently got a raise equal to what teachers have been seeking through the salary formula. The board approved a 5.78% increase, and Westin now makes $142,800.

The district’s lawyer, Richard Currier, said, “We’ve been upfront with them that we can’t fund the salary formula. We just can’t afford it.”

Currier added that the district is suffering from a $1.6-million deficit, which can “almost all be attributed to the formula.” But a fact sheet put out by the union asserts that the board has approved salary increases for the chancellor and deputy chancellor over the last few years, as well as the addition of four management positions, that total more than $690,000.

The union charges that in 1995, before Westin came to the district, the total cost of a chancellor, a vice chancellor and one dean totaled less than $300,000.

Tallman, who often stands as the lone dissenter, said, “I voted against the budget. I think a lot of the money is going to the wrong places. I want to see this issue resolved. I’m doing my best but I’m being outvoted.”