CARMICHAEL, Calif. – A systematic check of how well California’s tax-supported education institutions respond to requests for public information shows community colleges performing better than other government agencies in recent years.
But a surprising minority of such districts fared poorly when asked about executive compensation, spending and potential conflicts of interest, and a few examples surfaced of what appeared to be questionable travel expenditures in an era of severe funding cutbacks.
The disclosures emerge in the first phase release of a California Public Records Act compliance audit conducted by Californians Aware (CalAware) in December, testing the responses of more than 250 agencies statewide, including nearly 200 of local school districts, all campuses of the California State University and the University of California, and half of the state’s 72 community college districts.
Mendocino College and Yuba College were not audited as part of the study. However, several other community college districts in Northern California that are commonly attended by Lake County students were examined.
They included the Sonoma County Community College District – which covers Santa Rosa Junior College – received a “B” grade, losing points for charging a duplication fee of 10 cents per pages for Conflict of Interest Form 700 and requesting to know the identity or the purpose of the auditor, or other information that is not required to be submitted.
Redwoods Community College District based in Eureka received an “A+” for perfect performance, as did Butte-Glenn Community College District, based in Oroville, and Alameda County's Chabot-Las Positas Community College District.
San Mateo County Community College District received an “A” and Contra Costa Community College District received a “B” grade, as did Los Rios Community College District in Sacramento and the San Francisco Community College District.
Receiving an “F” grade were San Jose-Evergreen Community College and Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College Districts, based in Redding.
Detailed results for the 36 districts audited in the community college district (CCD) phase of the audit are available at www.calaware.org.
Overall, community college districts’ performance, with an average grade of B minus, was superior to that of any other class of agencies audited by CalAware since it began such surveys in 2006, the group reported.
More than a third of the 36 responded promptly and flawlessly, and another quarter scored only one 10-point deduction.
But one sixth failed dismally, with three districts acknowledging receipt of the request but never following up, and three others failing to produce the requested records within the 30-day deadline established by CalAware – more forgiving than the state law requirement of “prompt” availability – for records that should have been readily available, requiring no careful screening.
Quite apart from compliance with public records laws, the audits showed why closer and more consistent monitoring of even relatively routine executive expenditures may be in order if nothing else for the sake of student and faculty morale and public confidence.
In the cases of San Diego CCD, Long Beach CCD and Los Rios CCD, for example, the reported travel expenses raise the questions of whether a trip was necessary, or even if so, whether more timely or less costly travel or lodging reservations – or both – might have been arranged.
Results for the higher education and K-12 district audits will be published in upcoming weeks.
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