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Students and classified staff plea for reinstatement as board approves layoffs; unions call for partnership
Summary
During the public forum and constituency reports, student support specialists and unions urged the board to reinstate classified staff after lay‑offs; commenters said the May Revise indicated funding that should spare frontline employees and asked for transparency on rehiring and student support.
Multiple public speakers and constituency representatives used the May 20 meeting to press the board on the human impact of personnel actions and to request transparency and partnership.
Maria Reynoso, who identified herself as a student support specialist at Calbright, asked the board how the college plans to reinstate classified staff given new funding signals and stressed that classified staff provide the "high touch" support that sustains student success. "Who did I think offers the high touch? Classified," Reynoso said, noting concern about having seven student‑facing staff to support roughly 8,000 students on July 1.
Jonathan Nesser, also a student support specialist, framed the cuts as abandonment and said the May revise had removed the budget requirement for the layoffs. "The budget no longer requires them," Nesser said, urging the board to explain re‑hiring processes and to be transparent with staff about rehiring prospects.
Earlier constituency reports reinforced these concerns: Michael Stuart (Academic Senate) praised counseling faculty and student support roles; Cindy Carney (Calbright Faculty Association) outlined contract bargaining proposals on working conditions, counselor workload and part‑time participation; and Donna Howard (CSEA) urged the board to engage classified staff in collaborative planning and said the union had offered contingency plans.
Why it matters: frontline classified employees and student support specialists are central to Calbright’s mission to serve working adults; multiple speakers warned that the cuts threaten students’ ability to receive timely help and asked for a clear rehiring plan.
What’s next: attendees requested a transparent timeline for recall determinations once the state budget is final and urged the administration to engage unions and affected staff in planning for rehiring and preservation of student services.
