RCCD Board of Trustees is making its money work for students

Reminiscent of a late-night conversation between concerned parents, the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees met Tuesday with gratitude and tough questions to make sure every dollar is working for students, staff and faculty—no matter the source of the income.

The board began its meeting approving raises for all faculty and staff, moved onto reviewing fundraising efforts for student scholarships and ended the meeting discussing the budget and how to navigate cuts in federal funding by the Trump administration. 

“It’s time for us to be dogged and resilient,” said RCCD Chancellor Dr. Wolde-Ab Isaac. “That, our goals are set. That we are determined to ensure, you know, to continue to fight for equity. We are going to be committed to alleviating poverty. And I think with the resources that we have, if we use it in the most efficient way, we should be able to achieve our goals.”

Over $400,000 in scholarships were awarded to 432 students last year, said Jeff Katz, executive director of the RCCD Foundation. Katz next presented a chart showing how they’ve more than doubled the amount of assets the foundation can use for scholarships alongside education and veterans programs since 2016.

The board’s only votes of the night passed the Cost-Of-Living Adjustments (COLA) and Health Insurance adjustments negotiated between RCCD administration and the employee unions. These changes are meant to assure employee salaries keep apace with inflation. 

But money isn’t the only thing the board has been tracking. 

Sergeant Octavio Rojas of the Riverside City College Police Department presented a state-mandated Clery Report—an annual accounting of the previous three years’ crime statistics on RCCD properties. 

The report noted all arrests have been of non-college community members. Board members were pleased to hear students were staying out of trouble. “Our students aren’t the problem,” Board Trustee Bill Hedrick quipped.

Board Trustee Mary Figueroa also raised questions about any training RCCPD received in dealing with possible ICE raids. Sgt. Rojas relayed the plan should ICE come on a big event day like the recent Welcome Days on RCCD campuses. Their plan implemented a shelter-in-place order to get students behind locked doors, necessitating federal agents to produce duly-released judicial warrants to gain entry. 

Board members praised RCCPD’s devotion to protecting students. 

Amidst the well-received reports, some board members raised concerns over possibly losing RCCD’s designation as a Hispanic-Supporting Institution (HSI), a title which qualifies the District for additional federal funding. Board Trustee Keri Then asked how losing the designation would impact the District’s budget.

In response, Chancellor Isaac reminded the board that HSI funds are “a very tiny percentage” of the school’s total budget, noting the size of California’s economy and expressing confidence in their ability to persuade Sacramento to “cough up the difference.”

“I don’t want us to worry so much with all these small, you know, changes that occur in Washington,” Dr. Isaac said. “To me they are just like pebbles in your shoes. They don’t stop us from walking. They just are a little uncomfortable.”