Board of Trustees Meeting

Location

Hybrid Meeting Format: offering both in-person and virtual meeting access

Minutes

Attendees

Board of Trustees: Trustee Bowman, Trustee Swenson, Trustee Exstrom

Executive Cabinet: Emily Lardner, Jordan Mellott for Danielle Slota, Ay Saechao for Jamilyn Penn, Josh Gerstman, Mariela Barriga for Maribel Jimenez, Stefan Feller for Michael Pham, Melanie Lawson, Tim Wrye 

Assistant Attorney General: John Clark

Absent: Trustee Johnson

Study Session call to order at 8:37 a.m.

 

Discussion Topics

• Executive Session*
  • Performance of a Public Employee

*The Board, as and when deemed necessary, may call an Executive Session for appropriate purposes under the Open Meetings Act.

(g) To evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee. However, subject to RCW 42.30.140(4), discussion by a governing body of salaries, wages, and other conditions of employment to be generally applied within the agency shall occur in a meeting open to the public, and when a governing body elects to take final action hiring, setting the salary of an individual employee or class of employees, or discharging or disciplining an employee, that action shall be taken in a meeting open to the public;

• Review of 2024-25 Fiscal Year Budget, Stefan Feller for Dr. Pham

Meeting adjourned at 10:15 a.m.

 

Board of Trustees Meeting

Location

Hybrid Meeting Format: offering both in-person and virtual meeting access

General Session called to order at 10:15 a.m.

General Session Minutes

Roll Call

Board of Trustees: Trustee Bowman, Trustee Swenson, Trustee Exstrom

Executive Cabinet: Emily Lardner, Jordan Mellott for Danielle Slota, Ay Saechao for Jamilyn Penn, Josh Gerstman, Mariela Barriga for Maribel Jimenez, Stefan Feller for Michael Pham, Melanie Lawson, Tim Wrye 

Assistant Attorney General: John Clark 

Public Comment

Gerie Ventura, Associate Dean Library and Student Learning Resources – Spoke to new library hours

Jason Ramirez – Advocated for recorded board meetings

Approve minutes

Approve minutes of the regularly scheduled meeting of July 11, 2024, July 22, 2024, and July 25, 2024

Trustee Bowman motioned, Trustee Exstrom seconded, all in favor, motion passed.

Standing Reports

• Highline College Education Association: Dr. James Peyton

  • Acknowledged the hard work of staff and faculty and expressed appreciation on behalf of faculty

• Faculty Senate: None

• Associated Students of Highline College: None

• Highline College Foundation: Sharon Vail

• November 2, 2024 Signature Event
• Trisha Moreno, Highline Nursing Faculty who recently passed away included Highline in her estate and this donation will provide $15,000 a year in scholarships

Board Report Presentation

• Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Startzone Team (20 minutes including Question & Discovery), Rich Shockley & Colleagues
  • The SBDC and Startzone help community members set up and run small businesses and their advisors provide advising on all aspects of small business development
  • They offer classes, workshops, trainings, business plan development, funding and credit resources
  • Will probably serve between 300-400 small businesses in the community this year

Action item(s)

• Action item a. Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget

Trustee Exstrom motioned, Trustee Bowman seconded, all in favor motion  passed.

Area reports

• Academic Affairs:  VP Dr. Emily Lardner

Written report stands as submitted. 

Enrollment is up about 500 FTE from what it was this time last year. Running Start is exceeding expectations and is responsible for about 187 of these FTEs.

• Administrative Services:  Stefan Feller for VP Michael Pham

Written report stands as submitted

• Equity, Diversity and Transformation: Mariela Barriga for VP Dra. Maribel Jimenez

Written report stands as submitted

• Institutional Advancement: VP Josh Gerstman

Written report stands as submitted. 

Ribbon cutting is happening next week and all are invited to attend..

• Student Services: Ay Saechao for  VP Dr. Jamilyn Penn

Written report stands as submitted

Discussion

Acting Co-President’s remarks

All members of EC are putting together division plans. EC is doing a two-day retreat at the end of the month.

OFM over allocated funds to our system and we are being asked to return these funds. We will keep the Board informed on this issue as soon as we know more. OFM is agreeing to only require the return of funds from this fiscal year.

Unscheduled business

Trustee Exstrom motioned to add an executive session to discuss Performance of a Public Employee. Trustee Bowman seconded, all in favor, motion passed.

• Executive Session*
  • Performance of a Public Employee

*The Board, as and when deemed necessary, may call an Executive Session for appropriate purposes under the Open Meetings Act.

(g) To evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee. However, subject to RCW 42.30.140(4), discussion by a governing body of salaries, wages, and other conditions of employment to be generally applied within the agency shall occur in a meeting open to the public, and when a governing body elects to take final action hiring, setting the salary of an individual employee or class of employees, or discharging or disciplining an employee, that action shall be taken in a meeting open to the public;

Executive session called to order at 11:27 for 20 minutes, board called for an extension, adjourned at 12:57

Adjournment

General Session was adjourned: 12:57 p.m.

Minutes Signed and Approved

The meeting minutes from Sep. 12, 2024, were approved and signed into record by Chair Johnson and Acting President Dr. Jamilyn Penn on Oct. 10, 2024.

Mission Statement: As a South King County college striving for social justice, Highline College partners with global students as they envision, plan and achieve their educational and professional goals.