The Mt. SAC Board of Trustees met Dec. 17 at 4:30 p.m. in Founders Hall for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting, where two hours of roughly 40 public comments were made in response to the college’s decision not to renew multiple manager contracts and to proceed with a proposed reorganization of student services.

Public speakers, which included counselors, equity leaders, faculty, students and community members, urged trustees to reconsider the nonrenewals, citing concerns about transparency, shared governance and the impact on student support programs.

Following public comment, the board proceeded with the nonrenewal actions discussed in a record four hour closed session.

As a result, 15 managers, who are not union represented and serve as “at will” employees, are scheduled to lose their positions when their contracts expire June 30, 2026.

Two academic administrator nonrenewal recommendations were withdrawn, according to the board’s report out of closed session.

The district said notifications to impacted employees were sent the following day.

Because personnel discussions are confidential, trustees did not publicly announce individual cases

Public comments were limited

Shortly after the meeting began, the board confirmed its closed session agenda and opened the floor for public communication, limiting speakers to two minutes per person, a reduction from the three minutes listed on the published agenda.

The change was met with audible groans, boos and yelling from the audience. One attendee shouted at the board to “Vote on it! ”When trustees briefly discussed the issue, Board President Peter Hidalgo reaffirmed the decision to limit speaking time due to the number of speakers.

Audience reactions continued throughout the night, with applause and cheering heard after multiple speakers, signaling broad support for calls to halt or reconsider the nonrenewals.

Administrator seeks investigation into nonrenewal

During open session, Francisco Dorame, the Dean of Counseling whose contract is set to expire June 30, 2026, addressed the board and formally requested an independent investigation into his evaluation and nonrenewal.

“I’m asking the board to postpone any further action being taken against me until a formal investigation of my complaint against the president, vice president of student services, and the vice president of human resources is completed with your monitoring of district retained legal counsel,” Dorame said.

Dorame said he had not been subject to corrective measures prior to being notified of alleged performance issues.

“Before being informed that I allegedly did not meet performance standards for my administrative position, there had been no preventive or progressive discipline, no performance improvement plan and no documented pattern of concerns presented to me,” Dorame said.

He alleged the process behind his evaluation and nonrenewal was improper.

“I’m submitting this statement of complaint because I believe that my evaluation and subsequent nonrenewal are not only flawed in their assessment of my work but also appear to reflect arbitrary, discriminatory and retaliatory conduct,” Dorame said.

Ultimatum and questions equity impact

Eric Lara, associate dean of student success and equity, also addressed trustees, confirming his contract would not be renewed and describing the circumstances surrounding the notice.

“I am here because I was notified of the nonrenewal of my contract and given an ultimatum,” Lara said.

“Either allow a negative mark to be placed on my personnel file or sign a prefilled resignation letter on the spot.”

Lara said the nonrenewal was attributed to a departmental reorganization rather than performance.

“My letter states nonrenewal due to a departmental reorganization, which is not a for cause action,” Lara said.

He questioned how eliminating his position aligned with the college’s stated commitments.

“I respectfully ask the board to consider how the elimination of this position advances student services, student success outcomes or access, particularly in light of leadership’s public comment that equity programs would not be reduced absent federal mandates or court order,” Lara said.

District legal counsel explains procedure

Alysha Stein-Manes, outside legal counsel for the district with Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, explained why some administrators were allowed to address their nonrenewals in open session while others were not.

“If a manager is being nonrenewed for performance, out of an abundance of caution because the board’s closed session discussion could discuss charges or complaints against them, then they were given a 24-hour notice,” Manes said.

“If a manager is being recommended for nonrenewal for another reason such as a reorganization, they do not get the right to an open session discussion of the reasons, but they are provided the right to provide open comment,” Manes added.

Secrets behind closed doors

Many speakers described the process leading up to the nonrenewals as sudden and opaque, saying managers and campus groups were not informed in advance or given opportunities to respond.

“We’ve heard rumors. They’ve been really clandestine, very secretive,” Will Daland, a counselor at Mt. SAC, said in an interview following the closed session comment but before the meeting resumed.

John Vitullo VI, the acting dean for the arts department, said the actions could discourage future leadership.

“If this type of action happens, nobody’s going to want to be a manager at Mt. SAC,” Vitullo said.

“Managers don’t have a union. They’re “at will” employees.”

Jesse Lopez, a full time tenured faculty member, told trustees the institution no longer felt recognizable.

“I’ve been connected to Mt. SAC for over 20 years, and I don’t recognize Mt. SAC anymore,” Lopez said. “Mt. SAC has always been a place of opportunity, trust, transparency and integrity and I don’t see that.”

Lopez said concerns about transparency and governance had intensified alongside increasing obligations.

“I’ve never complained about the workload because there’s shared vision, shared governance and input,” he said. “And this year alone, I felt more of that workload than ever.”

“I’m urging the board to have true transparent processes and shared governance for people that actually affect students,” Lopez added.

Counseling and student services raise governance concerns

Counseling faculty raised specific concerns about shared governance and professional standards.

Luis EcheverriaNewberry a counseling faculty member, urged trustees to halt agenda items related to student services.

“I am here to request and urge the board to cease action on items related to student services,”EcheverriaNewberry said, citing “serious concerns regarding the lack of shared governance and transparency.”

“When counseling faculty are excluded from such processes, it creates barriers for our students, EcheverriaNewberry said.

Dr. Sara Mestas, a counseling faculty member and Counselor for Rising Scholars at Mt. SAC, said the nonrenewals and related restructuring left departments uncertain about the future.

“I’ve not seen the dismantling of student services the way I am right now,” Mestas said. “I’ve also never felt so in the dark about our future plans.”

Mestas said counseling faculty learned of leadership changes only by reviewing the board agenda.

“Had my department not read the board agenda, we would have no idea that we’re losing our dean of counseling,” Mestas said.

“I would like to express my disappointment in the lack of shared governance, collegiality and transparency,” Mestas added.

Eddie Lee, a counseling faculty member, referenced the college’s “Culture of Care” values.

“Institutional goal number one: Culture of Care,” Lee said. “This is a nice statement, but a statement is only as good as demonstrated action. And in this moment, that statement has no meaning.”

Equity leaders and faculty rally around student success programs

Multiple speakers referenced Lara’s role overseeing equity focused programs, including ARISE, DREAM and REACH, and questioned how eliminating his position aligned with Mt. SAC’s long term plans.

April Tellez, a faculty member in history and ethnic studies, said she learned of closed door decisions affecting equity leadership.

“I recently found out about closed door dealings to not only terminate Dr. Eric Lara, but to eliminate that vital position altogether,” Tellez said.

She framed the decision as a departure from the college’s stated goals.

“This act is a direct attack on equity,” Tellez said. “It is a direct attack on Mt. SAC 2035.”

Tellez said institutional language surrounding the changes opposes their impact.

“As a historian, I am fully aware of the use of the word ‘reorganization’ as a mask for what it really means: elimination,” Tellez said.

Post-meeting interview with Eric Lara

In an interview following the meeting, Lara said he felt the board heard the concerns raised by faculty, staff and students, particularly around equity and transparency.

“I feel that the board listened to what I had to say,” Lara said.

He said the turnout demonstrated broad campus support for equity-focused work.

“The campus community showed up in support of DEI work,” Lara said. “They let the board know, and the president know, that we want to see DEI on this campus. We’re a family here and that we want transparency.”

Lara said transparency was a consistent theme throughout the night.

“That’s what they were asking for, was just transparency,” he said.

Despite uncertainty surrounding his position, Lara said he plans to continue his work at Mt. SAC.

“For me personally, I’m gonna continue doing the work that I’ve done for 10 years,” Lara said. “I’m not stopping that. My team isn’t stopping that.”

He emphasized that equity work extends beyond a single department or center.

“The equity work is not just within student services. It’s not just within equity center,” Lara said. “The equity work is campus wide, and that showed out today.”

Looking ahead, Lara said he hopes trustees respond to the message delivered during public comment.

“I hope that the board of trustees heard that we do come and unite when it’s needed and that there will be more transparency on this campus as we move forward,” he said.

Lara said long-term commitment to the college is rooted in its community.

“There’s a reason we stay a long time at Mt. SAC,” he said. “It’s community. It’s the students that we serve. It’s the colleagues and the friendships that we’ve made.”

He closed by thanking those who spoke publicly.

“I just want to say thank you for showing up,” Lara said. “Thank you for believing in the process and for speaking out in what they felt might have been an injustice or a lack of transparency.”

Board actions and outcome

After public comment, the board moved into closed session to discuss personnel matters and later reported approving multiple contract nonrenewals, while two academic administrator nonrenewal recommendations were withdrawn. The district said notifications to impacted employees were sent following the meeting.

Trustees also elected new board officers, naming Dr. Robert Hidalgo as president, Trustee Laura Santos as vice president and Trustee Jay Chen as clerk.

The meeting adjourned shortly before 1 a.m.