Faculty and students rallied in front of the Office of the Chancellor on the evening of April 22, 2021 at a demonstration called Night School, which was co-sponsored by AFT2121, Associated Students, and the CCSF Collective. This event sought to bring awareness to critically impacted departments such as the Music Department, Registered Nursing Department, Physical Education and Dance Department, Environmental Horticulture & Floristry Department, Women’s and Gender Studies Department, English Department, and Disabled Students Programs and Services, to name a few.
After speakers educated attendees about cuts to City College programs, participants split up into four groups to experience a mini dance class, horticulture class, poetry class and counseling services.
On May 8, 2021, the AFT 2121 teachers’ union was able to negotiate the rescindment of all 163 pink slips that were issued to full-time CCSF faculty, though as a consequence, teachers’ salaries will be cut. Educators see this as a short-term solution to protect jobs, as well as the loss of critical departments and classes.
On May 10th, after months of protests against proposed class cuts and teacher layoffs – which were introduced by Interim Chancellor Vurdien and the Board of Trustees (BOT) in an attempt to balance the projected $35 million budget shortfall – CCSF educators took pay cuts in order to save classes and jobs. Shortly after educators agreed to take the pay cuts, the BOT proposed to raise the interim chancellor’s salary by 23% – which according to Nanette Asimov of the San Francisco Chronicle – would raise his salary from $340,000 per year to $420,00 per year.
It is speculated that pressure from the CCSF community prompted the BOT to remove their request. Serious concerns remain over the future funding of community colleges and the search for the new CCSF chancellor.
For more information:
https://www.aft2121.org
https://www.ccsfcollective.org
https://www.ccsf.edu/about-ccsf/board-trustees/board-trustee-meetings
