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Board members cite communication breakdowns, urge adherence to policy after stipend letter confusion
Summary
Trustees said a weekend letter to staff sparked confusion and social media criticism; one trustee cited board policy DEA and urged better coordination among trustees and administration before public communications.
Trustee Jackie Suseta criticized a letter that reached employees before the board had taken action, saying the communication should have been held until trustees met. She cited board policy (policy DEA) and urged the board and administration to be on the same page about policy and messaging.
"We have to follow the policies because if we follow the policies, we'll be okay," Suseta said, and she added that the situation had "turned into a violation" of the board's governance constraints. (Jackie Suseta, SEG 446–448, SEG 507–508) The trustee said the miscommunication escalated on social media and that better internal coordination could have prevented the controversy.
Doctor Rivera accepted responsibility for sending the letter and apologized to the board. He said he sent the communication out of concern about the five budget factors and insisted his intent was to protect jobs; he asked the board to work with administration on longer‑term cost controls.
