San Francisco will welcome three new members to the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) Board of Trustees next year: Monroe Lace, Elijah Ball, and Erwin Tam.
The slate of candidates was endorsed by Mayor Daniel Lurie and represents the more moderate faction in San Francisco.
The college board is currently grappling with administrative and financial scandals and chancellor turnover. In October, Chancellor Kimberlee Messina went on paid leave after allegations of financial misconduct.
“The board of trustees are the ones that select the leadership for the college," said Robyn Pugh, the Union President of AFT Local 2121 that represents CCSF faculty. "We definitely need to make sure that City College has really strong, accountable leaders,”
City College has a $72 million budget reserve and is in a greater financial position than in previous years. Pugh said that City College is at a pivotal moment, with enrollment steadily increasing over the last several years.
“Actually, the state chancellor of California has told City College, 'You've got really big reserves. You should have a plan for how to use that money.' We just would really like to see that money go to work in the classroom," Pugh said.
Monroe Lace said that she “will be a fiscal hawk” and will be an advocate for ending deficit spending and balancing the budget.
Pugh hopes that the trustees will make smart investments in programs and looks forward to working with the board.
