L.A. Community College District’s Problems

* Our faculty union in the L.A. Community College District vigorously backs candidates for the board of trustees. We want people on the board with brains, guts and passion for community college education. The Times’ articles (Aug. 2-3) conjure up a distorted image of district progress stymied by a powerful faculty union interested only in exorbitant salaries and self-serving work rules. Since our work rules are comparable to those in other districts and our salaries are lower, you must be wrong about either our goal or our power.

The real news is that the board of trustees is finally taking district managers by the scruff of the neck and pulling them off the backs of the beleaguered college presidents. We call it decentralization. If American Federation of Teachers College Guild campaign contributions have somehow helped get the board to this point, The Times and the public owe us thanks.

CARL FRIEDLANDER, President

AFT College Guild

Local 1521, Los Angeles

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Thank you for focusing attention upon the issues facing the LACCD. The District Academic Senate represents the faculty on academic and professional matters and should not be confused with the AFT, our union, which is responsible for representing faculty on wages, salary and work condition issues.

We were outraged when our board of trustees attempted to rapidly and drastically reform and decentralize programs and services without input from faculty. The proposed changes would have had major impact upon the educational programs and services of all nine colleges and the district office. The faculty was supported by the chancellor’s office of the California Community Colleges to enforce state law requiring boards of trustees to consult with faculty on academic and professional matters. We are committed to developing a plan to assist the board with reform and decentralization.

We are indeed major stakeholders in this partnership. We see ourselves as more than employees of the LACCD, but as providers of a major service to the state and to thousands of families. We are willing participants in constructive change.

WINSTON BUTLER, President

District Academic Senate

LACCD

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In the last several decades we have seen the community college system fall from representing the best ideals of higher education for everyone to being a haven for its own bureaucratic deadwood.

The only question is how to “clean house.” One solution might be to shut the colleges down and rebuild from the ground up.

PETER JENSEN

Palos Verdes Estates