SAN MARCOS — After the curriculum approval was pulled from a previous meeting, ESL Instructor Lawrence Lawson invited all faculty to attend the Feb. 4 meeting in support of diversity.

Lawson, the Palomar Faculty Federation Co-President and ESL Instructor, was among the many faculty members who expressed concern that the curriculum was being pulled to remove the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Antiracism (DEIAA) standards set by the college. Over 120 people showed up, exceeding the 117 capacity of LRC-436. A second conference room was opened for overflow attendees to watch a live stream of the meeting.

By the end of the meeting, the Governing Board unanimously approved the curriculum and the contracts pulled during the Jan. 15 meeting regarding the Fallbrook 40 project.

“It was odd to see the curriculum pulled from previous board meetings for discussion today. As you can see looking around the room, you have our attention,” Lawson said.

Many faculty members also mentioned that withdrawing the curriculum approval from the last meeting may negatively impact the 2025/2026 catalog, leading to a decrease in enrollment.

Vice President of Instruction Tina Recalde and Curriculum Co-Chair Vickie Mellos addressed the board. They explained the curriculum creation process, including the policies, laws, and steps for designing Palomar’s courses.

Mellos also added, per California’s Code Regulations Education Code §70902 (b)(7), that “the governing board of each community college district shall ensure… the right of academic senates to assume primary responsibility for making recommendations in the areas of curriculum and academic standards.”

Mellos also cited California Code Regulations, Title 5, which states that if the Board does not accept the curriculum recommendations, it “shall promptly communicate its reason in writing to the academic senate.” However, when the Governing Board withdrew curriculum approval from the Jan. 15 meeting, Palomar’s Faculty Senate was not informed.

During the presentation, Governing Board President Jacqueline Kaiser said what concerned her was the lack of context in the curriculum approval documents the Board receives. She also mentioned she felt there was a lack of transparency regarding the curriculum process.

“We are depending on your expertise… But if you just give us a list and there’s no context… how do I, as a board member, make a good decision on that when I don’t have any of that?” Kaiser asked.

Curriculum Specialist Cheryl Kearse joined the podium to explain information regarding all Curriculum Committee meetings, which can be found on BoardDocs. The meetings are open to the public and are held on the first and third Wednesday of each month. She added that the digital version of the curriculum update sent to the board includes individual links explaining changes to each course.

The second key topic of the meeting was Fallbrook 40, Palomar’s upgrade plan for the Fallbrook Education Center.

Last month, the Governing Board withdrew approval of three contracts related to the construction of the Fallbrook campus, delaying the nearly 20-year-old project. Lawrence Lawson also addressed the Board regarding Fallbrook 40, highlighting the long conversation surrounding the project.

“The debate over reallocating committed Prop M funds have occurred before in Fall ‘23… We’re seemingly having that discussion again, so here’s what I can tell you now: reallocating Prop M money will hurt the community, the college, and you… If we pivot, likely nine million dollars plus of taxpayer money is wasted. And I know our taxpayers and your voters care about wasted taxpayer dollars and will want to hear about it,” Lawson said.

The delay has caused concern for some Fallbrook community members, such as Jennifer Jeffries. She’s also the Chair of the Government & Public Engagement Committee of the Fallbrook Regional Health District. Since 2006, she has worked with the community to build support for the Falbrook 40 project.

“It’s been 18 plus years since the passing of Prop M… Highly disappointing, inadequate, and really disrespectful,” Jeffries said. “I wanted to extend appreciation to the progress made so far and encourage you as the trustees to ensure the pace of the construction continues so we can celebrate its opening by the end of [the 2026-2027 academic year].”

Superintendent/President Star Rivera-Lacey presented to the Board to explain the process of Fallbrook 40 and why it’s essential to students. Proposed upgrades would include additional lecture rooms and lab spaces, a library and study rooms, a bookstore, and comprehensive student services offices.

The goal of the Fallbrook 40 project is to increase enrollment at the northern campus to achieve official center status. However, Rivera-Lacey added that higher campus attendance depended on the services available to students.

“I’m fearful that if we don’t move forward, we are abandoning Fallbrook… I think we’re pulling away educational opportunities from some really great folks,” Rivera-Lacey said.

With the discussion around Prop M and Fallbrook 40, Palomar’s budget became a key talking point throughout the meeting. Governing Board Vice President Holly Hamilton-Bleakley raised concerns about the current $3.2 million deficit as Palomar approaches the halfway point of the 2024-2025 budget year. Hamilton-Bleakley also asked if Palomar has taken cost-cutting measures in the past due to a deficit.

Interim Vice President of Finance & Administrative Services Chris Yatooma stated that would likely be unnecessary and pointed toward the nearly $28 million reserve fund. The Board requires Palomar to reserve 16% of its funds, which is higher than the 5% that other community colleges keep in their reserve, according to Yatooma.

Governing Board Trustee Roberto Rodriguez also addressed Palomar’s budgeting trend of expecting a deficit but ending the year positive due to additional revenue.

“We knew that this deficit was going to occur. We also knew that we had this fairly large reserve and that we were going to draw down and use it for providing services for our students,” Roberto said.

Palomar’s Governing Board’s next meeting will occur on Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. in room LRC-436 and on Zoom. For more information, visit the official Governing Board website.