On Tuesday afternoon, at College of the Canyons, eight candidates vying for a seat on the Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees discussed their positions on hot topic issues.

One of the burning questions that the crowd at COC’s Board of Trustees Candidates’ Forum wanted to hear was what the plan and vision of COC’s CEO/President position were following Dianne Van Hook’s retirement.

Darlene Trevino stated that the new CEO must have a great dynamic with the board of trustees.

“What I would want to see in a president would be someone that has transparency, experience and has a heart for the students,” added Trevino.

Sharlene Johnson shared that a key to being a good president is being connected with the staff, faculty and student body.

While character and personality are important traits, Fred Arnold zeroed in and said the CEO should be fiscally responsible and that the future CEO seeks to benefit the students.

Scott Schauer, president of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Foundation, echoed those sentiments, stating that the new CEO should want the college to grow and continue to work with and collaborate with the community while putting students first.

Following the talks of a president who is open to growth and fiscally savvy, current board member Dr. Edel Alonso said, “I want to start by saying that the college is not a business. The college is an educational institute, and it’s a public one.

Alonso shifted to praising the current staff, saying that they are some of the best she has ever worked with.

Jerry Danielsen, who is also on the current board, stated that the new CEO must be pro-education, business and community. Danilesen added that the new president should be open to modernization and embrace new technologies.

Andrew Taban believes the president needs to allow faculty, students, and staff a voice.

“We can not have one person make all the decisions for the college,” said Taban. “I think we know that when the community is involved, it is the best reflection of our community.”

Michelle Kampbell shared that the new president should have their eyes on the future. Meaning that the college should be preparing the students for the jobs of the future.

“The job that I have right now, social media and communications, I would have never imagined doing while I was in high school because these jobs were not yet created,” said Kampbell.

After discussing what the future CEO/President should be like, the nominees discussed the current board’s recent rejection of the low-income student housing project.

Danielsen began by stating that the amount of money that was given never accounted for insurance costs, maintenance, plumbing, and electrical repairs.

He also emphasized that there were no plans to deal with students who fell below full-time status since the student housing would only be for full-time students.

“I want nothing more than to help these students. I asked for a report about how we could take some additional funds and subsidize the rents that some of the current students are paying, so we wouldn’t have to become landlords,” said Danielsen.

Alonso further elaborated on the project’s cost being higher than expected, explaining that it was going to cost $5 million more than expected, on top of operational costs that were estimated to be around $2 million a year.

“This is the biggest missed opportunity that we’ll be talking about for years. So student first is not what this board of trustees is interested in,” said Arnold regarding the current board’s decision to reject the low-income student housing project.

Danielsen commented back, “We have to be fiscally conservative. We have to have a balanced budget.”

Arnold clapped back, saying, “Tell the students who are homeless that we need to be conservative. We needed to have a conversation on how to bridge that gap. This is the business of education, and lives are at stake because if they get that education and have a place to sleep at night, they are able to better themselves in the long run.”

Schauer respectfully disagreed with Alonso’s previous statement that the college was not a business because the board oversees a budget of nearly $150 million. 

He then went on to state that the money for student housing included funds for insurance, maintenance and any other repairs.

“If [the board] would have looked at the PML (Probable Maximum Loss) that was presented in the board meeting it stated that we were net positive. There was over $100,000 set aside for reserves and repairs on a brand new building,” stated Schauer. “On top of that, if you look at the PML that was presented at the board meeting, there was $205,000 in there for insurance.” 

Schauer ended by saying the board needs accountability.

Despite numerous disagreements among candidates, it was evident that each individual was deeply committed to the college’s future.

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