Dear ÃÈ·µ¼º½ Community,
As we wrap up our eighth week of shelter-in-place, I’d like to start by calling attention to some welcome good news. Earlier this week, the City announced that beginning May 18, some retailers such as book stores, music stores, and florists may begin opening for curbside pickup. While all social distancing guidelines will stay in place and things remain far from normal, this is the first signal that we may get to resume more of the activities we enjoyed before the COVID-19 pandemic began. I look forward to seeing what more good news the coming weeks bring as the City gradually lifts the shelter-in-place order.
On Tuesday, May 5, the Board of Trustees held a special meeting to review the College’s comprehensive real estate holdings, which was the first time in recent history a report of this nature has been shared. While no actions took place, this kicked off the beginning of a series of public conversations that will take place on this topic. Discussions surrounding the lease at Fort Mason, which expires in June 2020, will continue at next Thursday’s Budget and Audit Committee meeting. The Committee may make a recommendation to the full Board, however, final action will not be taken until the May 28 regular Board of Trustees Meeting.
On that note, I’d like to turn to the Fall 2020 schedule, which will be launched this weekend. Because the Fort Mason lease expires in June 2020, there are no classes listed at Fort Mason in the Fall 2020 schedule. Instead, this coursework will be offered at different ÃÈ·µ¼º½ locations. However, should the Fort Mason lease be extended on May 28, we will explore adding classes back to this center Spring 2021. We made this decision because we could not in good conscience schedule classes at a location whose future is still in flux. The discussion of our real estate strategy as it relates to our overall budget and schedule will continue, and I look forward to sharing more details after next week’s Board committee meetings conclude.
- We are working with the constituent groups exploring the feasibility of gradually resuming in person instruction Fall 2020, assuming this can be done so safely and follows all public health guidelines. To that end, all College stakeholder groups on the Return to Campus (R2C) Task Force are continuing to closely monitor the guidance issued by elected leaders and public health officials to develop a phased Return to Campus plan. I look forward to sharing more of these details in a dedicated note next week as well as via a Return to Campus section of the College website which will go live later this month.
On Thursday, the State announced a projected $54 billion shortfall for next year. The impact to the community college system will be significant – approximately $2 billion. For the College, that’s a possible $27 million reduction in revenues from the state for FY20/21. We will likely also face a reduction in local revenues due to a projected drop in sales tax revenues from the City of San Francisco. This week, several of our part-time faculty were notified they will not have assignments for the Fall 2020 semester based on the department budgets allocated, and this was before the devastating news about the state budget. I cannot emphasize enough that now, more than ever, we must pull together and double down on our advocacy efforts on behalf of the ÃÈ·µ¼º½ community. The Trustees and I remain hard at work to secure a permanent source of funding through the Workforce Education and Recovery Fund, formerly CHEF, to win debt relief from the state, and to provide aid to our undocumented students. Given the state’s budget challenges, we must also lobby at the federal level. City College is the lynchpin to economic recovery. However, we cannot adequately serve our students and aid in the economic recovery if we continue to be underfunded. This is not a bail out – the state and federal legislators must invest in the College to provide much needed economic recovery strategies. I urge you to join the Trustees and me in our efforts to secure funding for the College. Thank you for continuing to support our community during this difficult time.
In Gratitude,
Dianna R. Gonzales
Interim Chancellor
City College of San Francisco