Obamacare Comes Up in History Class

I had a fascinating and illustrative occurrence regarding the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) issue in one of my community college History classes on Wednesday this week.  I have never seen this effect in a class before. 

The lesson was actually on the early Federalist period, that is the administrations of George Washington and John Adams.  The point was about Alexander Hamilton, one of the main movers of the Constitutional Convention and the first Secretary of the Treasury.  At the Convention he pushed for the establishment of a government with strong powers, and got most of what he wanted in that regard.  As Treasury Secretary he also pushed for decisive action, successfully advocating for a National Bank, among other things.  From nearly the beginning, his ideas and plans ran into opposition from another prominent cabinet member, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who held to the view that, "That government is best which governs least." 

I mentioned that the fundamental difference in perspective between the Hamiltonian Federalists and the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans is the same philosophical debate that has formed the basis of the American political divide from those early days until the present.  Students were quick to see that Hamilton's view corresponds in general more closely to the Democratic Party of today and Jefferson's to the Republicans.  It wasn't long before people began turning to the current U. S. government shutdown and the controversy at the heart of it, the dispute over Obamacare.

People had various comments to make, some in favor and some opposed.  It was good to see the students relating historical precedents to contemporary issues.  I was about to end the discussion; after all this was a History class and we needed to move on with more matters of the 1790's.  But a new hand up caught my eye.  It was Irene, a young woman who had never spoken up in class before.  Intrigued, I called on her.

Irene said she had gone to the federal website, Healthcare.gov, and coveredca.com, the California exchange, the previous night.  It was the first day the exchanges had opened, October 1.  She had this to share: "Our family of four has been paying almost $600 a month for health insurance.  I found a silver-level plan that looked very good for us.  With the tax credit, it will cost us $68 a month.  We'll be saving $500 a month.  This is wonderful!"     

You could have heard a pin drop.  Every hand went down as the class of 55 students went into dead silence.  There was nothing more to say.  We went back to Chapter 7 on the Washington and Adams administrations in office.  When class was dismissed, probably two dozen people headed immediately toward Irene to ask her how to find these sites.  Sometimes it's people who don't talk a lot who have some of the most  interesting things to say.    

Summer School is Back!

I am enjoying the start of the 2013 summer session at College of the Sequoias.  I have two classes this year.  History 4, Western Civilization to 1648, has 40 students and History 17, the U.S. to 1877, has 60.  The session lasts 6 weeks, running Monday through Thursday from June 10 through July 18, except for the Fourth of July.  Each class meets two hours and five minutes per session.

The first two days have been a lot of fun for me.  Summer classes in general tend to draw a more dedicated clientele of students than are typical of the regular fall and spring semesters.  The start of these classes has been no exception, with good discussions already underway in both classes on topics like the reliability of historical sources and the diversity of settler experiences in the early American colonies.  I am reminded how much I like teaching history and how fortunate I am to be able to make a living doing what I love.

The summer session fills a number of needs.  University students home for the summer are able to meet some of their requirements at a fraction of the cost.  Recent high school graduates are able to get a head start on their programs.  Students who haven't been able to get into all the classes they need in fall and spring semesters can keep their program on schedule rather than having to spend extra semesters to graduate.  We even have some current high school students getting a jump on their college careers.

The entire summer program has been cancelled at COS the past two years due to budget cuts.  The weak economy has reduced the entire state budget, including that for community colleges, significantly over that time.  Thanks to the improving economy and the voters' passage of Proposition 30 last November, which hiked the sales and income taxes in California, some of those cuts have been restored.  Some more good news came this morning, as May state revenues came in 12% over projections for the month.  The signs are multiplying that the economy is indeed on the rebound, and that is welcome news for everyone, including not only job seekers and investors but students needing classes and their teachers as well!

 

COS Accreditation Issues

I've been asked to bring folks up to date on the accreditation situation at College of the Sequoias.  That's the community college in Visalia, California where I teach History.

On February 13 of this year the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) put College of the Sequoias (COS) on a status called "Show Cause."  That means they determined we had serious organizational shortcomings that need rapid remediation.  The college has a deadline of October 15 to submit a rectification plan including solid evidence of strong progress in remedying these deficiencies actions to we could be forced to close our doors.  Classes for the current spring semester, summer and fall will automatically retain their accredited status, but spring 2014 and after is dependent on getting a favorable ruling from ACCJC.  We are taking the situation very seriously and I am confident we will be able to reaffirm our accreditation.

The "Show Cause" ruling was made due to failure to make adequate progress on recommendations ACCJC made pursuant to our 2006 Accreditation report that remained unfinished in our 2012 report.  There were seven recommendations in all.  They included planning, campus dialogue, research capacity, student learning outcomes, student support services, human resources processes and evaluation of processes.  Basically, what it boils down to is this: First, we need to firm up our governance structure, with a clear flow chart of responsibilities and widespread understanding of how requests and ideas move through the system to adoption or rejection.  Planning processes need to be based on research data with built-in self-monitoring processes in place.  Second, all our courses must have specific student learning outcomes, these outcomes need to be assessed, and we must have documentation of how these assessments are being used to make continuous improvements in the courses.  Finally, there has to be evidence of  collegial working together to implement and operate these systems.

President/Superintendent Stan Carrizosa has convened a 40-member Response Task Force (RTF) composed of administrators, faculty and classified (non-teaching) employees  to spearhead the compliance effort.  It's divided into the four accreditation standards areas ACCJC requires, namely Mission, Academics, Resources and Governance.  Knowing the people involved, I can say for certain it is an extremely dedicated and competent set of people we will have on this task.  He has also secured the help of a governance/administrative professional and an academics/student learning outcomes pro.  These two consultants have helped other schools with accreditation problems bring their processes into line with ACCJC requirements and restore their accreditation status.  They both know their stuff and will greatly help us with their expertise.

I have been appointed to the Standard  IV group and will be working hard with the rest of the team to make sure our governance and planning processes are in good shape.  I have also been appointed to be the liaison between administration and the teacher's association to help keep them on the same page working hand in hand to help facilitate any changes that might impact the contractual Master Agreement.

Given the gravity of the situation, the overall quality of the education and staff at COS, and the specific high calibre of the task force working on RTF, I am confident COS will be able to make the necessary changes and get on track to affirm our accreditation.  Here is a link to the COS website page on our accreditation effort.   There is also a citizen component task force.  A public presentation to inform the community of our status and efforts will be given in the Ponderosa Lecture Hall on Monday, March 18 from 4:30 to 6:00 P.M.  There will be another forum at the Tulare Center on Tuesday the 19th from 5:00 to 6:30 and one in Hanford on Wednesday the 20th from 5:30 to 7:00 in Education Building Rooms 72 A & B.

Ricardo Perugorria Memorial Scholarship

Ricardo Perugorria Memorial Scholarship

 

Ricardo Perugorria was a committed humanitarian, respected executive and dedicated Democratic activist.  Ricardo’s friends at the Visalia Democratic Club established the Ricardo Perugorria Memorial Scholarship in February, 2013 to carry on his work on behalf of the students of College of the Sequoias.  Each year one student will be selected to receive the scholarship for the fall semester.  If they maintain enrollment and pass their classes it will be continued for the spring semester.  First priority will go to a member of the COS Young Democrats Club. 

Ricardo Perugorria was born March 8, 1948 in O’Brien, Argentina, a small town about 70 miles west of Buenos Aires.  He died on October 19, 2012 in Visalia.  Ricardo attended seminary in Buenos Aires and graduated with a B. A. in Theology.  There he learned the values that led him to work throughout his life for the betterment of society.  In the early 1980s he worked to help rescue people who had been targeted for death by Central American militia groups.  He always remained a student of history, sociology and music. 

Ricardo immigrated to the United States in 1983 and became a citizen in 1992.  He worked as a newspaper editor and then as a Senior Business Analyst for Anthem Blue Cross in Visalia. 

Ricardo became involved in politics in Kern County, serving on the Democratic Central Committee there.  When he moved to Visalia he was elected to the Tulare County Democratic Central Committee, serving as Treasurer and Parliamentarian for many years.  Ricardo was a tireless worker in many election campaigns.  When the College of the Sequoias Young Democrats was formed in 2008 Ricardo gave generously of his time, guidance, and financial support. 

Ricardo’s strong belief was that youth represented the hope for the future, and he wished to do his part to help COS students enjoy the opportunities he felt he had so richly blessed him in America.  This scholarship is dedicated to his memory and his dream.

Young Voters Show Power in California for Proposition 30

It was with tremendous relief that I woke up Wednesday morning and learned that California's Proposition 30 passed with 54% of the vote.  When I went to bed Tuesday night it had been trailing by four percent.  I knew that if it failed it would result in an additional $3 million in cuts to College of the Sequoias where I teach and the cancellation of hundreds of classes our students need.  We are already serving 3000 fewer students than we did five years ago and are the only institution of higher learning in our predominantly rural vicinity.  For those of you who don't know, Prop 30 was Governor Jerry Brown's initiative to impose a 1/4% sales tax for four years and a 1% to 3% income tax increase on upper income earners for seven years to raise about $6 billion per year, 98.5% of it for education.

I am grateful to the voters of California, and especially to the younger voters.   This proposition became THE great cause for college students in California this election.  At COS our Associated Student Body and Young Democrats campaigned very hard for it.  They secured 600 student endorsement signatures in two hours to fill a full-page newspaper ad the teachers ran in support of Prop 30 last week.  They registered hundreds of voters and made sure they voted by mail or on election day.  This effort was repeated across the state and produced an amazing result.

As Scott Lay, President of the Community College League of California, reported in his newsletter under the title "Winners:"  

Young voters - I know I've been harping on this. Polling firms undersampled 18-29 year old voters through the cycle, particularly after Prop. 30 became a rallying cry on campuses. In the last four presidentials, 18-29 year olds have ranged from 15% (1996) to 22% (2008). So, why were they only expected to be 12% of the California electorate in Monday's Field Poll projections? In the end, the exit poll found that 28% of California's electorate were 18-29 year olds. And, with their 63% yes vote on Prop 30, they single-handedly put Jerry Brown's tax measure over the top. This also led to a 1.9 million 20-point margin for Obama in California that ensured that he won the national popular vote.

In addition to Scott's analysis above, when the dust settles I expect it will be shown they also had a great deal to do with Democrats securing 2/3 supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature.  Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?  Who says young voters are apathetic?  Give them an issue that strikes close to home and they proved they are very much a force to be reckoned with.

Budget Woes Spark Challenges at Work

Here is a piece I submitted to our local newspaper yesterday.  In difficult budget times where I teach, how have contentious negotiations played out?  How will it affect students?  Here is my take.

After reading two recent pieces in the Times-Delta’s Opinion section, I felt the need to set the record straight on how things really are at College of the Sequoias.  One was an editorial urging the Board of Trustees to implement a benefits cap on faculty to save money.  The other was a letter imploring faculty and administration to work together for the good of the students rather than let difficult contract negotiations get in the way.

I am currently in my thirtieth year of full time teaching and my fourteenth at College of the Sequoias.  Counting a couple of years as a substitute when I was starting out, it adds up to thirty-two years of teaching.  That includes time at adult school, high school, middle school and community college.  I bring this up to underscore the point that although I have found a high level of dedication and professionalism in all the levels and settings of education I have been in, none exceeds my experience here at COS. 

Whenever there are money problems in a school system there will be disagreements between employees, administration and boards.  I have seen them before in other districts and here, and I expect to see them again.  When revenues are reduced at the college level it means fewer students can be served.  COS is serving some 3,000 fewer students now than when finances were better.  Summer school has been eliminated the past two years.  Programs and people have to do with less.  Sometimes people are financially hurt.  Where and whom to cut are contentious issues.  I have served on the teachers association bargaining team for the past two years and can attest that at COS, contract negotiations between the District and the employee unions representing both the faculty and the classified staff have been long and trying for all concerned.  

As far as the health, vision and dental benefits cap goes, as reported in this newspaper, the Board acted to impose such a cap at their last public meeting.  The faculty and classified associations have been willing to and have proposed many ways of saving the District substantial funds, including salary and other concessions in the amounts management felt were necessary.  For tax and other reasons, their members have preferred these savings come out of things other than benefits.  At one point, faculty even ratified a tentative agreement in which they would have agreed to teach extra classes for free.  This would, if ratified by the Board, have saved the District over half a million dollars a year.  The amount of savings to achieve was never the point of contention; the manner in which they would be exacted has been the issue.  It is clear the Board’s judgment has been that only the benefits cap was acceptable as a way to achieve these savings.  The employee associations have believed there are other ways to accomplish the same goal.  I personally feel that everyone involved has been sincere in their views, and concerned with the financial condition of the District in trying times.  Unfortunately, the District’s insistence on the cap has indeed caused exasperation and been a source of frustration among employees at the college.         

Yet on the other topic, despite such disagreements, the parties have continued to work together to serve students in a highly professional manner.  Community members who have taken courses at COS, or those whose children have, will confirm what I have seen since I arrived here: the quality of the faculty and their dedication to students is exceptional.  As Academic Senate president I got to know and work with most of them, not only teaching faculty but also counselors, work experience technicians, technology and curriculum specialists and librarians.  And I extend this to include the adjunct, or part-time faculty as well, many of whom are experienced local high school teachers or highly skilled professional and vocational practitioners presently in business in the area.

But in a larger sense, I have found this same standard of responsibility across all the staff at COS.  The truth is, the COS family is full of good people who take seriously their service to students and the institution and work collegially to get things done.  That includes the classified staff who do their part to keep things running smoothly in such fields as maintenance, computer services, registration, financial aid, food services, the bookstore, student life, payroll, copy and mail, our police officers, secretaries and many others too numerous to name.  Our administrators have the often thankless task of monitoring and leading programs that are expected to achieve consistently improving results with shrinking budgets and fewer personnel.  They are highly competent people.  Our Trustees are all respected community members strongly interested in expanding the educational opportunities COS offers but keenly aware of their fiduciary responsibility to the financial condition of the District in these challenging times.  They are conscientious public servants.   

I know practically all the people behind the titles I’ve mentioned on a first name basis and believe all are working sincerely to help the school.  The advice to stop bickering and help the students misses the point.  The fact that contract talks have been tough has not stopped the COS family from working together and putting students first.  For example, I recently served on a committee working on the Accreditation process the college goes through every six years.  A fine administrator and I jointly chaired our part of this effort.  Our committee included not only administrators and faculty, but classified (non-teaching) staff, students, and one member of the Board of Trustees.  Everyone worked as a team for the good of the school.  In another example, the Teachers Association recently got together with the Academic Senate to ask faculty to expedite a number of curriculum issues critical to students meeting their program and graduation requirements.  To teachers, students are not just enrollment figures or names on a sheet.  They are people whose names and faces we know, people who, though often contending with numerous obstacles, inspire us with their personal stories and dreams and the efforts they are putting forth to achieve them.  We will not let them down.

Steve Natoli