MINUTES
Regular
Meeting – Board of Trustees
June 5, 2006
In accordance with the terms and
provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551 of Texas Government
Code, the Board of Trustees of the Austin Community College District convened
in public session on Monday, June 5, 2006, at 6:07 p.m. in the Board Room (201)
of the Highland Business Center of Austin Community College located at 5930
Middle Fiskville Road, Austin, Texas, with the following members present: Dr.
Barbara P. Mink, Chair/Presiding Officer; Mr. John F. Hernandez, Board Vice
Chair; Mr. Jeffrey Richard, Secretary; Dr. Lillian J. Davis; Mr. Allen H.
Kaplan; Dr. James W. McGuffee; Ms. Nan McRaven; Mr. Rafael Quintanilla; and Ms.
Veronica Rivera.
It is further found and
determined that in accordance with the policies and orders of this Board, the
notice of this meeting has been posted and return thereof made pursuant to the
terms and provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551 of the Texas
Government Code, and there has been full compliance with the terms and
provisions of said act, including the timely posting of the subjects of this
meeting.
Swearing-In of
Trustees
The Honorable Eddie Rodriguez, State Representative of
District 51, administered the Oath of Office for Public Officials to Dr. Barbara
P. Mink, Place 7; Dr. James W. McGuffee, Place 8; and Mr. Allen H. Kaplan,
Place 9.
Recognition of 2004-2006 Board Officers
Board Chair Barbara P. Mink expressed appreciation to
Trustees John H. Hernandez, Board Vice Chair, and Jeffrey Richard, Board
Secretary, for their dedicated leadership to
Comments from
Board Chair 2004-2006
Dr. Mink spoke regarding the role and
methods of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees as provided in the
policies of the Board of Trustees, and highlighted the important work of the
Board and the College. She expressed
appreciation for the opportunity to serve as Chair of the Austin Community
College Board of Trustees, 2004-2006.
Election of
Board Officers 2006-2007
Dr. Mink introduced the item.
Trustee Jeffrey Richard moved:
MOTION: That the Board of
Trustees of
VOTE: The motion failed on a
vote of 3-5-1.
FOR: Barbara P. Mink, Jeffrey
Richard, and Veronica Rivera.
AGAINST: Lillian J. Davis, John
F. Hernandez, Allen Kaplan, James McGuffee, Rafael Quintanilla.
ABSTAIN: Trustee
Trustee Allen H. Kaplan moved:
MOTION: That the Board of
Trustees of
VOTE: The motion passed on a
vote of 6-3.
FOR: Lillian J. Davis, John F.
Hernandez, Allen Kaplan, James McGuffee,
AGAINST: Barbara P. Mink,
Jeffrey Richard, and Veronica Rivera.
Mr. John F. Hernandez became
Chair of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees.
Recognitions
·
New Employees - Ms. Gerry Tucker, Associate Vice
President of Human Resources, introduced new employees Dr. Voncille Wright,
Campus Dean for Student Services, Rio Grande Campus; Dr. Leigh Kilman, Head
Librarian, Rio Grande Campus; and Ricardo Chavira, Bilingual Training and
Development Specialist, Alternative Teacher Certification Program.
·
Report on Achievements and Recognitions – Mr. Bill
Carter, Associate Vice President for Information Technology, presented the
Kudos Report and called attention to recent awards/recognitions received by
faculty/programs, staff, students, and
Citizens
Communication
·
Ron Horvinga, President of the ACC Deaf Students Association, expressed
appreciation to the Board, faculty, and staff for the assistance provided, and
spoke regarding programs at ACC for deaf students.
·
Lance Mann, ACC tutor in Learning Lab, spoke regarding the programs at
ACC for deaf students.
·
Ms. Guadalupe Sosa, South Austin Campus Advisory Committee, expressed
appreciation to Dr. John W. Worley, former Trustee, for his service; advised
that June 2006 will be the final month of the Advisory Committee; and reminded
Trustees of the continued need for accessibility.
·
Bridgett D. Reese, member of the ACC Deaf Students Association, spoke
regarding programs at ACC for deaf students.
·
Janice Levine, member of the ACC Deaf Students Association, spoke
regarding programs at ACC for deaf students.
·
Lucy Valverde, member of the ACC Deaf Students Association, spoke
regarding programs at ACC for deaf students.
·
Donna Pumsey, member of the ACC Deaf Students Association, spoke
regarding programs at ACC for deaf students.
·
Jennifer Kulman, member of the ACC Deaf Students Association, spoke
regarding programs at ACC for deaf students.
·
John Aiutablian, ACC Interpreter Services, expressed appreciation for
the programs available at ACC for deaf students.
·
Michael Russell, community member and former student, spoke regarding
Student Life opportunities at ACC.
·
Raakhee Patel, community member, spoke regarding Student Life
opportunities at ACC.
·
Yolanda McRae, Music Society-ACC Club, spoke regarding Student Life
opportunities at ACC.
·
Misty L. Dean, community member and student, spoke regarding Student
Life opportunities at ACC.
·
Ray P. Sandoval, community member and employee, spoke regarding Student
Life opportunities at ACC.
·
Lisseth Taracena, Gay Students Association, spoke regarding Student
Life opportunities at ACC.
·
Jessie Beal, member of Gay Students Association, Student Government
Association, and Pi Theta Kappa, spoke regarding Student Life opportunities at
ACC.
·
Jamie Gonzalez, ACCent Newspaper, spoke regarding Student Life
opportunities at ACC.
·
Mark Goodrich, ACC/AFT, spoke regarding compensation.
[Trustee
Reports from
Associations
·
Adjunct Faculty Association – Mr. John Herndon, President, expressed
appreciation to College President, Stephen B. Kinslow, and Mr. Ben Ferrell,
Vice President for Business Services, for the information provided regarding
long-range planning for the budget and compensation.
·
Classified Employees Association – Tobin Wiegand, President, extended
congratulations to newly elected and re-elected Trustees. He stated he would present comments regarding
compensation at the appropriate meeting.
·
Full-Time Faculty Senate – Dr, Al Purcell, President, expressed
appreciation for Dr. John Worley’s service as a Trustee at ACC, newly-elected
Board officers, the process for students with disabilities, and for the student
registration process.
·
Professional-Technical Employees Association – Mr. Jerry
North, President, expressed appreciation for attendance at the Association’s
recent meeting, and spoke regarding
Classification and Compensation Study.
·
Student Government Association – Mr. Ryan
Caraway, Director of Communications, distributed information and spoke
regarding recommendation of a $1 increase per credit hour for the Student
Activity Fee.
President’s
Report
Dr. Kinslow
advised that enrollment was up for the Summer session with a 3.7 percent
increase. He stated that the
Administration would continue to be flexible and work with employees, but would
not delay implementation of the Compensation Study by one year. Dr. Kinslow provided information regarding
the Regional Education Collaborative and introduced Susan Dawson,
Director. Dr. Kinslow expressed
appreciation for the diligence of the Board with the budget sessions and
indicated that future budget sessions would deal more with budget expenses.
Reports to the Board
·
Facilities Report – April 2006 – Mr. Bill
Mullane, Director of Facilities and Construction, called attention to the
report and responded to questions from Trustees regarding the expected date for
the environmental report, funding for records storage, radio communications
system, the expected date of the requested reports on the parking lot at the
Rio Grande Campus and negotiations with AISD and the City of Austin.
·
Financial Report – April 2006 – Mr. Ben Ferrell called
attention to the information provided and he and Neil Vickers, Director of
Budget and Finance, responded to questions regarding the projections for
Property Taxes: Maintenance and
Operation and Property Taxes: Interest
and Sinking Fund.
CONSENT ITEMS
Mr. Hernandez
introduced the items:
Agenda Item 8226
Proposed Approval of Minutes of May 1, 2006, Regular
Meeting;
Recommendation: That the Board of Trustees approve the
minutes as presented.
Agenda Item 8227
Proposed Interlocal Agreement for the Teacher Pipeline
(Project Access)
Recommendation: That the Board of Trustees approve an
Interlocal Agreement between Austin Community College and Austin Independent
School District for Project Access, an initiative in which ACC would provide 39
semester credit hours of instruction to AISD teacher assistants in partial
fulfillment of requirements toward the Bilingual Teacher Certification degree.
Trustees
MOTION: The Board of
Trustees of
VOTE: The motion
passed on a vote of 8-0.
FOR: John F. Hernandez, Allen H.
Kaplan, James W. McGuffee*,
AGAINST: None.
ABSENT: Trustee Lillian J. Davis
*Trustee McGuffee stated
that he was aware of the proceedings of the meeting and would vote.
**Trustee Nan McRaven
abstained from vote on the
Recess
Mr. Hernandez recessed the June 5, 2006, Regular Meeting of
the Board of Trustees of Austin Community College at 7:57 p.m. for a
convenience break.
Reconvene
The
Board of Trustees of Austin Community College reconvened in public session at
DISUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION
Old Business:
Agenda
Item 8228
Matters Related to Conduct of
Mr. Hernandez
introduced the item and Ms. Linda Young, Special Assistant to the President for
Governmental and Community Relations, called attention to the need for the
Board of Trustees to ratify the amended Order setting polling places and
election officials for the May 13, 2006, general election, as approved at the
May 1, 2006, Board meeting.
Trustees James W. McGuffee moved and Allen H. Kaplan
seconded that:
MOTION: The Board of
Trustees of
VOTE: The motion passed
on a vote of 8-0.
FOR: John F. Hernandez, Allen H.
Kaplan, James McGuffee,
AGAINST: None.
ABSENT: Trustee Lillian J.
Davis.
Agenda
Item 8229
Proposed Approval of Revisions to Board Policy A-4, Tuition
Rates
Mr. Hernandez introduced the item and Mr. Ben Ferrell
called attention to the proposed revisions.
Trustees Allen H.
Kaplan moved and Barbara P. Mink seconded that:
MOTION: The Board of Trustees approve the proposed
revisions to Board Policy A-4, Tuition Rates, with the goal of establishing a
long-range tuition policy that supports the long-term financial needs of the
District.
Trustees discussed the proposed revisions and Mr. Ferrell
responded to questions from Trustees.
Trustee Jeffrey
Richard requested the following Friendly Amendment.
FRIENDLY
AMENDMENT: Add to line 22: “ . . to the nearest dollar at least 80 percent of . . ”.
Trustee Kaplan
did not accept the Friendly Amendment.
VOTE ON ORIGINAL
MOTION:
The motion passed
on a vote of 6-2.
FOR: John F.
Hernandez, Allen H. Kaplan,
AGAINST: James W. McGuffee and
Jeffrey Richard.
ABSENT: Trustee Lillian J.
Davis.
*
* * * * * * * * *
A-4 TUITION RATES
Value Statements
• The Board of Trustees values
ACC’s role as the first point of access to higher education for many students.
• Consequently, the Board is committed
to ACC’s tuition being the lowest among other local higher education
institutions.
• Tuition is intended to cover
operational costs of the district which are not subsidized by State
appropriations and local taxes.
• While tuition, like other operating
costs will rise over time, ACC shall strive to make minimal increases only when
necessary to support the District operations, to announce increases prior to
the beginning of new academic years, and to remain the lowest-cost local
provider of higher education.
[1] The tuition rates for
in-district college-credit students shall be set by the Board. Except when the
Board explicitly directs otherwise, tuition rates for other students shall be
set by the President in accordance with this policy. To the extent feasible,
general charges shall be assessed as tuition.
[2] To maintain a
tuition differential that is fair both to ACC taxpayers and to Texas-resident
ACC students who live outside the taxing district, the credit-hour differential
for such students shall reflect the local tax effort in support of in-district
students, adjusted to partially
reflect the estimated marginal cost of serving all students in order to balance
taxpayer fairness with accessibility for out-of-district students. It shall thus be, to the nearest dollar, 80% of the ratio of annual
property-tax revenues to annual in-district credit hours, except that any year-to-year increase in the differential shall be
no more than 8% of out-of-district tuition.
If out-of-district tuition must be raised to reach this level, the Board may
phase in the increase over time to avoid an unduly harsh impact on
out-of-district students. While financial circumstances may
necessitate consideration of tuition increases, the College will assist
students in anticipating increases by generally approving them only once per
year as part of development/approval of the next year’s annual operating
budget. The President is authorized and encouraged to use any available method
to lessen the impact of this tuition differential on economically-disadvantaged
students.
[3]
The further per-credit-hour differential in tuition rates for students who do
not qualify as
[4] The President may adopt rules waiving all or part of the tuition and/or other charges for senior citizens or students enrolled under a joint-credit agreement with a school district, with an annual report to the Board on the nature and extent of such waivers.
[5]
The President shall set charges for non-credit and continuing-education classes
that at least cover operational, indirect, and overhead costs, except where
specific programs have been exempted from these criteria by Board approval.
* * * * * * * * * *
Agenda
Item 8230
FY
2007 Budget Study:
·
Expenses Overview
·
Vendors Over $100,000
·
Compliance Report: E-8, Auxiliary Enterprises
·
Compensation and Benefits
Mr. Hernandez introduced the item and Mr. Ferrell called
attention to the overview of expenses, vendors over $100,000, and auxiliary
enterprises. Mr. Ferrell responded to
questions from Trustees regarding no increases in the budgets for the
President’s, Board’s, and Grant’s offices even though inflation has risen;
possibility of reallocating some money to Student Life; earmarking some funds
for future land acquisitions; proposed budget versus planning directives;
“rainy day” funds; salary increases; the need to cluster activities; Value of
One Reference Guide; status report wanted on what is being done regarding
identification system.
Ms. Gerry Tucker, Associate Vice President for Human
Resources, provided information regarding the status of the Compensation Study
and stated meetings with the employee associations would be held during the
current week. She advised that a report
would be made at the June 19 Board Work Session to include information on the
living wage, compression, consideration of freezing steps when at the end of a
pay scale, and cost of living adjustment (COLA).
Ms. Tucker stated the final report and questions which must
be addressed by the Trustees would be
presented at the July 5 Board meeting.
Trustee Kaplan stated he would recuse from discussing or
voting on the vendors over $100,000 since he has a construction client.
Trustees discussed the anticipated date for adoption of the
Fiscal Year 2007 Budget and it was confirmed that the proposed date remained
July 5.
New Business:
Agenda
Item 8231
Policy
Compliance Report G-5, Implementation of Fees
Mr. Hernandez
introduced the item and Ben Ferrell called attention to information and asked
Trustees to (1) change the name of the Building Fee to General Fee; (2) approve
course fees; (3) increase the Student Activity Fee from $1 per semester credit
hour to $2 per semester credit hour, and (4) approve a $2 per student per
semester International Fee.
Trustees
discussed the proposed fees for Fiscal Year 2007 and Mr. Ferrell responded to
questions from Trustees. Trustees asked
for additional information to be provided at the June 19 Board meeting.
Executive Session
There was no
Executive Session.
Adjournment
Having no motion before the Board, the
June 5, 2006, Regular Meeting of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees
was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Approved By
Veronica Rivera, Secretary