Grand Jury report criticizes college

Gov. board cited for micro-managing and is advised to hire an ethics consultant
By: Holly Angeles and Gabriel Orendain-Necochea
Posted: 10/10/08

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Southwestern College got a report card from the San Diego County Grand Jury. It was less then satisfactory. The SWC Governing Board was the subject of intense scrutiny by the Grand Jury, which issued a report criticizing board members for micromanagement and unethical behavior. The Grand Jury criticism mirrored a 2004 report by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) that told the governing board it needed to stop micromanaging and entrust the president and vice-presidents with more authority.Grand Jury members said SWC has developed a reputation for having a revolving door for its presidents. Of the last four presidents, two resigned and the others were dismissed due to conflicts with the board. SWC's vice-presidents have played musical chairs as well. Three vice-presidents resigned and one was terminated by the end of the 2008 spring semester. The Grand Jury report said two of the three vice-presidents either resigned or were dismissed due to interference by the board. This instability in management and inconsistency contributed to the low morale of faculty and students, according to the WASC report. Ethical violations and conflicts of interest by board members were also cited by the Grand Jury, including a romantic relationship between trustee Yolanda Salcido and Director of Business Operations and Facilities John Wilson. The report states Salcido never recused herself on votes regarding costly major projects brought forth by Wilson. Nor has she has recused herself in votes regarding Wilson's scope of responsibility, salary and benefit increases. Also under scrutiny was the intertwined relationship of trustee Jorge Dominguez and former Vice President of Academic Affairs Greg Sandoval. Dominguez serves as an SWC board member and works as an administrator for the Sweetwater Union High School District. Sandoval is a Sweetwater trustee, making the men each other's boss.The Grand Jury report stated that this has created a reciprocal relationship, which might have led to both officials voting on items benefiting each other. The report also said, though, that Sandoval and Dominguez recused themselves when voting on items regarding each other. Dominguez, however, voted against Sandoval's resignation at the June meeting of the SWC board. Dominguez said if a vote were to come up again, he would henceforth recuse himself. Legal expenses at SWC have soared due to the retention of outside legal counsel for all personal controversies, including the firing of high-level administrators. Even so, the Grand Jury is to deliberate to determine if it is in the best interest of the board and the public for an attorney to be present to oversee the actions of the board at every open meeting and to witness interviews of employee candidates. The Grand Jury also proposed creating an Education Ethics Committee to oversee the county's community colleges. Under the proposal, San Diego County's five community college districts would pool funds to staff an ethics committee that would have oversight over the actions of the districts, investigate ethics violations and establish appropriate penalties for wrongful actions. SWC's board rejected the proposal.The Grand Jury is now looking to the San Diego County Board of Education to direct the San Diego County Office of Education to establish the committee. Its first task would be to develop a code of ethics for all community college districts like that adopted by the Ethics Commission of the City of San Diego. The proposed Education Ethics Committee would be made up of 10 members, five of which would be appointed officials from the community college districts and the others from the County Board Of Education. These officials would rule on conflicts of interest and other ethical problems.SWC trustee Dr. Jean Roesch commented on the report at the South Bay forum. "This Grand Jury report came out as a very disgruntled person who wanted to say some things and it got out of hand," said Roesch.