Both PCC’s Academic Senate and Management Association Announce No Confidence Votes in PCC Superintendent Search

On Thursday, the Pasadena City College Management Association and the College’s Academic Senate both submitted votes of no confidence in the College’s search process for a new Superintendent/President. 

Representatives from both organizations read statements raising significant concerns about the conduct of the Superintendent/President search process by the Board of Trustees and specifically its President, Kristine Kwong, during the public comment portion of the Superintendent/President committee meeting.

The Management Association is made up of Vice Presidents and upper-level management at the College. The Academic Senate is comprised of faculty.

In their statements, both groups separately accused the PCC Board of Trustees of violating Board Bylaw 2431 by altering the composition of key committees involved in selecting a new Superintendent/President.

The groups further alleged that the Board violated the Brown Act, a California law requiring transparency in local government meetings, by unilaterally changing committee compositions, possibly outside of a public meeting. 

These allegations suggest that decisions were made without public oversight, raising serious governance and public trust concerns.

The statements also expressed a lack of confidence in Board President Kristine Kwong, accusing her of disregarding bylaws, disrespecting colleagues and community members, and manipulating the hiring process. 

Both the Academic Senate and the Management Association said they intend to file formal complaints with the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).

Efforts to reach Kwong were unsuccessful on Thursday.

The Management Association statement was made by David Steiman, the Association’s coordinator. 

“The Management Association executive board formally submits a vote of no confidence in the Superintendent-President Search process overseen by the Board of Trustees, led by Board President, Kristine Kwong,” the statement reads.

According to the Association, in November and December, the Board unanimously approved the composition of the Screening/Application Committee and approved the Candidate Interview Committee, respectively.

The statement further says the Board violated the Brown Act when it unilaterally changed the composition of both groups. 

“By adding the BOT [Board of Trustees] to the screening and interview committee, the Board President has solely, and without consultation, disregarded the process,” the letter states, “Since the previous decisions took place at the respective Board of Trustees open meetings, it is clear that this modification was made behind closed doors.”

The College is searching for a replacement for former Superintendent-President Erika Endrijonas, who left the College in June and later took a job in Santa Barbara.

The Pasadena Area Community College District Board of Trustees approved a contract in July with Dr. José A. Gómez and officially appointed him as PCC’s Interim Superintendent/President for one year.

Dr. Endrijonas’ tenure at PCC was mired in controversy.

Full-time PCC faculty affirmed a vote of no confidence in Dr. Endrijonas’ administration last May after strife related to Endrijonas’ handling of the post-pandemic return to in-person teaching led to clashes on a number of issues.

The newly-elected Board has grappled with the issue of a contract extension for Dr. Endrijonas, partly by retaining legal counsel some argued was better spent on education.

“The Management Association executive board cares deeply about Pasadena City College and the selection of the next leader for this organization,” the Management Association’s statement said. “These ongoing accreditation violations will not be tolerated, and we will be issuing formal complaints to the ACCJC related to the Board’s inability to follow its own published Board Bylaw.”