Special Report to the Public:
Geysil Arroyo
Trustee Geysil Arroyo acknowledged that the meeting was the last for the 2025-26 Student Trustees and presented plaques to Celina Martinez (City College), Jeremiah Palomino (Mesa College), Ariella O’Garro (Miramar College), and Yahir Melendez (College of Continuing Education) commemorating their service to the Board and District. She thanked the faculty who joined the Board meeting for the presentation of the AFT’s successor collective bargaining agreement, and shared that she attended the SDCCE scholarship awards. She also reported that the Board Retreat included a tour of the City College art gallery and ceramics studio, which was impressive. She said several trustees attended the Community College League of California’s (CCLC) trustees conference. She said she was honored to provide a keynote at the Mesa College Research Conference and echoed Trustee Craig Milgrim’s comments on the excellent work by the District IT team. She concluded by thanking everyone in the District who supports the college commencements.
Dr. Marichu Magaña
Trustee Marichu Magaña said she was at City College for their Asian American and Pacific Islander employee workshop and attended both the Mesa and Miramar scholarship banquets. She congratulated students who received awards.
Craig Milgrim
Trustee Craig Milgrim wished Mary Gwin good luck in her campaign for trustee in the Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District. He said he appreciated AFT President Jim Mahler’s comments to the Board. He reported that he had time to visit campuses, including the Mesa College Research Conference; he mentioned that City College has a similar program that he hopes to attend someday, reiterating the importance of student research and public speaking. He said he attended the Miramar and SDCCE Lavender Graduations, which were very meaningful, and thanked all involved in making them happen. He concluded by complimenting the IT staff for their work to help protect the District during the recent cyber-attack.
Dr. Maria Nieto Senour
Trustee Maria Nieto Senour said she has been attending end-of-year events, which have been festive, and she congratulated students on their accomplishments. She shared that a Progressive Caucus of community college trustees and administrators is being established, and that Chancellor Smith has agreed to serve as secretary. She mentioned that she attended a session at the recent CCLC Trustees Conference that highlighted an incident when ICE used the Santa Barbara City College campus to stage immigration enforcement activities, and that signage developed by SBCC in response might benefit the District.
Gregory Smith
Chancellor Gregory Smith reported that Governor Newsom released his May Revision, which includes a 4.31% COLA that exceeds the statutory COLA. He said that while we are grateful for the COLA, several other budget advocacy points were not included. COLAs for key categorical programs such as the Strong Workforce Program, Disability Student Programs and Services (DSPS), and Student Equity and Achievement Program (SEAP) were not included, nor was additional growth funding. The Governor’s budget does make significant investments in restoring rainy-day funds, which may be needed in an economic downturn. Next, the Assembly and Senate will finalize their budget proposals and negotiate with the Governor on a final state budget. The District will continue to advocate for our budget priorities. He also thanked Mary Gwin for including our noncredit institutions in the statewide total, listing the total statewide community colleges as 118 instead of 116. At the federal level, the District continues to advocate for funding for Minority-Serving Institutions.
Continuing, Chancellor Smith shared his report with Mesa College President Ashanti Hands and the award-winning Mesa speech and debate team. The District is in the midst of what former Trustee Bernie Rhinerson called “Smile Season” as events celebrating student achievements are held districtwide. According to preliminary estimates, there was a 20% increase in credit awards this year, and a 9% increase in total degrees and certificates districtwide. He thanked the faculty and everyone involved in supporting students throughout this process. He said U.S. Senator Adam Schiff will be speaking at the Miramar College commencement. He shared that a highlight of his recent travels was attending the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Conference in Washington, DC, where ASG President Celina Martinez delivered a remarkable speech at a news conference on Capitol Hill. He expressed his thanks to all of the outgoing student trustees for their service. He joined with the trustees in thanking the District’s IT staff and payroll staff for their outstanding work during the cyber-attack, during which they prevented any sensitive information from being disclosed. A debrief for all managers in the District will be held in August with many lessons learned. This includes the resilience of SDCCD employees, who ensured instruction and other critical functions could continue. He mentioned the Civic Center redevelopment project, which started two years ago with a vision to transform the space into a hub for arts and culture, and is now moving forward with a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the City of San Diego and the SDCCD. Over the next six months, the District will analyze the space under Golden Hall to determine if it is feasible to pursue a project that could become home to the Mesa College World Art Collection. He said he attended a wonderful Faculty Leadership Development Academy graduation last week. He concluded by reminding the Board that he has been discussing the redesign of how we onboard employees, that the District recently welcomed the new Manager of Employee Experience and Engagement, Janice Evelyn, and that he looks forward to sharing updates with the Board.
Celina Martinez
Student Trustee Celina Martinez said the City College ASG collaborated with the transfer fair to celebrate graduates on May 11, and the Mesa ASG will host grad fest to help grads decorate their caps ahead of graduation. She continued by sharing resolutions she authored that the City College ASG had passed: establishing a commuter center, providing support for student clubs to find a faculty advisor, and establishing affordable student housing.
BOARD ACTIONS
At its regular meeting of May 14, 2026, which was conducted in-person, with online participation available, the Board of Trustees:
- Announced the following actions from Closed Session: the Board approved the suspension of an academic employee.
- Heard public comment from Supervisory & Professional Administrators Association (SPAA) President Marc Grabiel and Vice President Silvia Nogales, who raised concerns about several contracts on the board agenda; and faculty member Liz Flynn, who presented the board with signatures of faculty members on an employee relations issue at the College of Continuing Education. City College Academic Senate (AS) President Mona Alsoraimi-Espiritu reported that the AS referred the proposed strategic enrollment guidelines to the committee for additional changes. Mesa College AS President Mary Gwin thanked Trustee Geysil Arroyo for her keynote at the Mesa College Research Conference and Trustee Craig Milgrim for his support of the event. She also thanked President Ashanti Hands and Vice President of Instruction Isabel de Los Angeles O’Connor for their leadership. She continued to express support for the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding to explore a new home for the World Art Collection at a revitalized Civic Center. She shared that the student exhibition is underway at the college’s art gallery. She recognized Dr. Allison Gurganus, who was named a 2026 Mover & Shaker by the Library Journal, and student Oleksandr Sharlai, who was recently named a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Scholar. She mentioned resolutions regarding the use of technology, counseling faculty placement, and the formation of a districtwide safety committee. She closed by calling for more faculty involvement and transparency in the campus budget process. Miramar College AS President Rodrigo Gomez shared that the AS met on May 5 and discussed a variety of concerns, including the recent cyber-attack, which created several challenges. He reported that the AS supported a resolution calling for zero waste, and an ongoing conversation on artificial intelligence, which has become more embedded in tools used by the college. College of Continuing Education AS President Richard Weinroth thanked the Board and Chancellor for funding to expand the West City Campus. He congratulated Lisa Carulli for coordinating the college’s Lavender Graduation and also acknowledged Vice Chancellor Laurie Coskey for her support. He thanked District IT for the speed and effectiveness of the response to the recent cyber-attack. He said the June 2 SDCCE commencement will be held at the Town & Country Hotel, which has several advantages for graduates. He concluded by congratulating the newly elected AS leadership and senators and expressing his enthusiasm to collaborate with them.
- Received the initial proposal for the successor collective bargaining agreement for the American Federation of Teachers faculty unit, and summarized the District’s response. AFT Guild Local 1931 President Jim Mahler thanked the District for providing a living wage for the most economically disadvantaged faculty, and gave a summary of what the faculty unit hopes to address during these negotiations.
- Conducted the first reading of revisions to Chapter 2 – Board of Trustees, Chapter 4 – Instructional Services, and Chapter 5 – Student Services board policies, with approval to proceed with the next steps of review.
- Adopted the Board calendar for July 2026 – June 2027; and approved the removal of Jesus Mártin Gallegos-Muñoz from the Trustee Advisory Council (TAC) with appreciation for his advice and support.
- Adopted resolutions declaring May 2026 as Foster Care Awareness Month; June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month; and designating DAKTIC as the sole source for the purchase of Consulab Training Aids for the Diesel Technology Program at Miramar College.
- Heard a report on the districtwide Honors Program from Coordinators Ingrid Jayne and Dante Jones.
- Received a quarterly report of the budgeted expenses to actuals.
- Authorized agreements with healthcare agencies for the use of clinical facilities by students enrolled in District health occupation programs.
- Following a public hearing, adopted the Education Protection Account Funding and Expenditure Plan (Proposition 30) for 2025-26.
- Accepted grants from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) for the Student Support Block Grant; from the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation for the Healthcare Careers program at College of Continuing Education; from the Santa Clarita Community College District for the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) to fund an Adult Learner Plan at Mesa College; State of California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) for the WorkAbility III grant and the College 2 Career (C2C) grant; and the California Department of Education (CDE) for the Child Development Centers at City, Mesa, and Miramar Colleges.
- Awarded contracts to Solidan, Inc. for PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and Financial Aid operations, development, and system support, and for PeopleSoft Financials and reporting systems; to Best Best & Krieger LLP to provide legal services related to the District’s Measure HH Bond construction projects; to Propelling Solutions, LLC to provide PeopleSoft administration, system maintenance, and user support services; and Acumen Enterprises, Inc. to provide consulting services supporting the Student Financial Aid Module.
- Awarded cooperative agreements with Element451, Inc. for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform; with Shaw Integrated & Turf Solutions for the Mesa College LRC Carpet Project; and with Snap-on Industrial for the ECC Ceramics Project to furnish student work stations.
- Awarded RFQ/P HH25260420, to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. for the New Site for San Diego College of Continuing Education; and deemed Bid Number HH25260485 as No Bid/No Response and authorize direct procurement of specialized Geil kilns for the ECC Ceramics Center.
- Awarded bids to A. Preman Roofing, Inc., for the City College Building “P” Re-roofing Project; to Pro Installations, Inc. for the Mesa College – LRC (OFCI) Carpeting Project; and All Source Company Building Group for the Miramar College Building A200 Police Academy - Second Floor Remodel Project.
- Approved the additional project scope for the Educational Cultural Complex (ECC) Multipurpose Room Project and the West City Expansion Project; and approved change orders for work that exceeds 10% of the original contract price to Arrow Lift of California for the ECC Theatre Renovation and Creative Builds Construction for the City College - AH Garage Overhead Gates.
- Entered into contracts with Macula Contracting to provide Risk Management department support and Leimbach Communications Group to provide communications, outreach, and Measure HH Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee support.
- Reviewed and ratified Emergency Actions taken to repair the baseball outfield fence and netting at Mesa College and replace the leaking hot water rooftop tank on the MS Building; and terminate the Emergency Actions taken to the York Chiller at the Miramar College central plant; to repair a transformer providing power to the Learning Resource Center (LRC), M Building, and I Building at Miramar College; and to repair a damaged sewer line at the College of Continuing Education’s Educational Cultural Complex.
- Approved purchase orders and contracts completed during April 2026; new or revised courses and programs; the 2025-26 Third Quarter Financial Report; the master list of Off-Campus Locations for the 2025-26 school year; Measure HH Project Updates, notices to proceed, notices of completion, and change orders completed during April 2026; and various personnel actions including the certification of short-term personnel service effective on or after May 15, 2026.