Community College District Questions

I add my thanks to The Times for its recent, more balanced reporting on the labor negotiations between faculty and district management of the Ventura County Community College District.

Would it be too much to ask that you do some investigative reporting and offer information on the facts behind the stands taken by both sides?

Is there a state law that says it is illegal for both sides to agree to accept as binding a fact-finder’s report to settle an impasse in negotiations?

What money that could provide much-needed repairs to classrooms and campuses is currently being spent on the lawyers taking part in these negotiations? Why must the district have so many administrators instead of full-time instructors? Why is it necessary to have two part-time instructors for every full-time faculty member? Is the district planning to rebuild its current district offices while it rents space at Oxnard Airport?

Are the faculty salaries so expensive that only a 1% raise is fair? Is the part-time seniority plan so egregious and unfair? How much is right and fair to pay part-time instructors so that they can afford to keep office hours and spend extra time on student services?

There is so much information that businesses and taxpayers need in order to push both sides toward a solution other than a strike that will hurt everyone. Where will this information come from if not the public media?

FRANCES SHEPPARD

Part-Time Instructor, Moorpark, Oxnard, Ventura Colleges