Community College Articles

Overview

Community College

News and stories of interest for full-time and part-time faculty teaching in the community colleges. 

Article accreditation ACCJC

CFT response to the decision of the ACCJC Appeals Hearing Panel
In review of commission actions in case of City College of San Francisco

On June 13, 2014 the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) released the “decision” of its own handpicked Appeals Panel on the appeal filed by City College of San Francisco (CCSF) on March 4, 2014.

CCSF’s appeal argued that it should not be disaccredited, but the decision of ACCJC’s Appeal Panel rejected that argument, while at the same time offering the College further “review” of evidence provided to the Appeals Panel.

Article accreditation ACCJC

“Appeals Panel decision should be abrogated”
Pechthalt writes to Chancellor Harris and BOG President Baca

Dear Chancellor Harris and President Baca: 

I am writing you regarding the recent decision of the Appeals Panel of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (“ACCJC”) rejecting City College of San Francisco’s argument that it should not be disaccredited, while at the same time offering the college further “review” of evidence provided to the Appeals Panel.

Article accreditation ACCJC

Accrediting commission sticks foot in mouth, then jams it in farther
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is furious with the ACCJC

May 29, 2014—In recent weeks the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior College (ACCJC) leadership has claimed in a number of public settings that City College of San Francisco can withdraw its own accreditation and reapply for “candidacy status” and keep its federal and state funding, including student financial aid. It has also claimed repeatedly that it has no authority to give the college more time to address accreditation issues, and the commission’s July 2014 closure order for the college will stand.

Neither claim is true. 

California Teacher

Course repeatability rules restrict student access, learning
Cabrillo College faculty lead effort to expose failings in new regulations

The new course repeatability regulations, passed by the Community College Board of Governors in July 2012, mean, in most cases, that if students pass a class with a ‘C’ or higher, they can’t take the class again. Many community college teachers see this negatively impacting students who want to study, for example, journalism, creative writing, foreign languages or visual arts.

More part-time faculty choose AFT/CFT as their union
Non-credit faculty at Citrus College, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Colleges join locals

Faculty teaching non-credit courses at both Citrus College and the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Colleges have chosen AFT as their union. Non-credit hourly part-time faculty at Citrus and continuing education part-time faculty at Grossmont-Cuyamaca had been paid significantly less than their colleagues teaching for-credit courses.

Now the faculty have union representation, are on salary schedules with opportunities for schedule advancement, and can accrue sick leave.

Article part-time faculty unemployment benefits

When do you qualify for unemployment benefits?

If you are teaching summer school, you may qualify for unemployment benefits in the periods before or after summer session. If you do not have a summer or fall teaching assignment, or another job, you may be entitled to unemployment benefits.

This results from a 1989 legal challenge brought by the CFT in the landmark case Cervisi v. California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

Article part-time faculty pay equity

How does your pay rate compare to others?
CFT releases comprehensive salary survey of part-time faculty

Have you ever wondered how your pay rate compares to that of other part-time faculty throughout the state? Who gets paid for office hours and how much? Will you earn more if you have a doctorate? What percentage are you earning of what full-timers make at your college for their teaching duties?

Mark James Miller: Meet one of the hardest working organizers of part-timers

English instructor and president of the Part-Time Faculty Association of Allan Hancock College Mark James Miller says that one of the accomplishments of which he is most proud is “getting administrators to recognize how important part-time faculty are. Part-time faculty used to be invisible to them, or seen as just interchangeable parts. That’s not the case anymore.” 

Article accreditation ACCJC

A triple play response to a rogue accrediting agency
Bills will support City College of San Francisco, all community colleges in state

By Joshua Pechthalt, CFT President

The CFT is in a pitched battle to repair our broken accrediting system for our public community colleges. The battle is being played out at City College of San Francisco, where 80,000 students and more than 2,000 faculty and classified members are at the mercy of a single agency that instead of ensuring quality education for all, has displayed manipulative practices, policy violations and illegal conduct.

California Teacher ACCJC accreditation

Judge rules trial required to determine legality of ACCJC actions
CFT lawsuit advances significant step toward fair accreditation in community colleges

City College of San Francisco started 2014 with some much-needed good news. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Curtis Karnow ruled that the school’s accreditation cannot be revoked until a trial determines whether the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, or ACCJC, acted unlawfully in sanctioning the college. Karnow said in his ruling that closing the college would be “catastrophic.”

Article adult education

The importance of adult education and including adult educators in consultation
Testimony of CFT's Jeff Freitas before Senate Education and Assembly Higher Education Committees

Thank you Senator Liu, Assemblymember Williams, and the committee members.

My name is Jeff Freitas and I am the Secretary Treasurer of the California Federation of Teachers. The CFT represents early childhood educators, K-12 teachers, classified employees, community college faculty, UC lecturers and librarians, and adult educators in the K-12 and community college worlds.

Article accreditation ACCJC

AB 1942 calls for fair accreditation of community colleges
Legislative strategy adds pressure to lawsuits against ACCJC

Sacramento—In front of a packed room of supporters at the State Capitol, Assemblymember Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, announced the introduction of the Fair Accreditation for California Community Colleges Act, which would reform the accreditation system for California Community Colleges.