City College of San Francisco Leaders Push To Hire Teachers

City College of San Francisco's elected officials held an emergency meeting Thursday to address the demand for courses in the fall.

Course waitlists exceeded 1,600 students, according to the San Francisco Examiner. American Federation of Teachers 2121, the college’s faculty union, estimated 6,000 students would be on waitlists by the end of August, according to a news release.

The college’s Board of Trustees, a body of seven elected officials charged with oversight of the institution, held an emergency meeting on Thursday, July 27, to discuss the matter.

Numerous constituents registered their experiences and concerns during the two-hour meeting’s public comment period.

Much of the conversation dwelled on a May resolution that directed the college to hire back faculty laid off in May 2022.

The administration, led by Chancellor David Martin, developed a plan for rehiring over a few years.

After discussion with counsel over the way the meeting was organized on the agenda and compliance with open meeting laws among other complexities, the board passed a motion similar to the one in May that called for the college to bring back faculty in departments where there is urgent need.

“Going forward, faculty will be brought back in the subsequent semesters without delay through the summer of 2024,” the resolution states.

The college is undergoing something of a bumpy transformation.

Earlier this year, it was spared sanctions from its accreditor despite warnings over its financial situation.

Vick Chung, Anita Martinez and Susan Solomon joined the board after running a joint-campaign to unseat three longtime incumbents.

Two new buildings are underway, a classroom building dedicated to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) disciplines and a new student center that will greet the neighborhood as a gateway.

Yet in May, the state’s Public Employment Relations Board found the college in violation of labor laws in its dealings with the faculty union.