Cerritos College had its first board meeting of the semester that covered a bond measure that would improve infrastructure and the COVID-19 policies the college has.
The board of trustee meeting started with the pledge of allegiance and then approved AB 361 (allowing for virtual meetings) until 30 days.
The board of trustees first passed Resolution No. 22-0810A; which when passed, would authorize a $425 million bond measure (Prop. 39) on the ballot on Nov. 8.
However, there were two public comments (around the 12-minute mark) that talked about how the title was asking for a yes vote, how the public wouldn’t be in support of the bill, and how the resolution violates parts of the constitution.
However, Dr. Fierro talked about how the bond council responded to the public comments, which began around the two-hour and four-second mark of the meeting.
“The resolution already reflects the requirement of the constitution according to our legal counsel,” Dr. Fierro said, “we have had two bonds and we have not used any dollars to pay administrators.”
Dr. Fierro then added, “In summary, based on the feedback on our legal counsel, after the comments were provided, we are in full compliance with the law.”
The bond measure is based on the 2019 master plan that Cerritos College created, which was to increase student success and become more accessible to the community,
The motion passed with a majority and it will be up to the voters if they want this bond measure to pass on Nov. 8.
Most of the money would be going to creating a more open campus, rebuilding buildings (depending on how old the building or technology is) and giving more space for students to socialize.
The final policy that was talked about was BP 2905 (COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirement).
Dr. Amber Hroch showed the results of her survey that showed that around 90% of employees and 80% of students have received the vaccine.
However, the questions regarding vaccine requirements and testing had around 50-60% saying that vaccines and testing should be mandatory.
The board of trustees said that contract tracing and Optimum HQ was the best way of tracking who had COVID-19 (or who potentially has COVID-19).
Trustee Perez filed a motion to modify the policies Cerritos College had regarding the vaccine and testing requirements.
That motion was carried out with unanimous consent and it’s unknown when these changes will take place.
It was announced that the board of trustees approved the employment of Dr. Robyn Brammer as the Vice President of Student Services/Assistant Superintendent.
