Being named Student-Athlete of the Year was never a goal Emily Tonascia outwardly expressed during her two years at Gavilan College. But it certainly was something she wanted.Â
Three seats on the Gavilan College Board of Trustees are up for grabs in the November election, one each in the Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Benito County areas.
It’s a happy day for local community college students: Gavilan just got a hefty chunk of money from the government that will help streamline the process of getting a four-year degree in nursing, computer science or digital media at California State University, Monterey Bay.
The revelation that the top 20 earners at Gavilan College earn more than $3.4 million a year, or about 15 percent of the total personnel costs at the college, begs this question: Are they worth it?
The top 20 employees at Gavilan College made $3.4 million in salaries and benefits in 2011, which is about 15 percent of the total personnel expenditures at Gavilan College.
Gavilan College board president Laura Perry responded in a letter to Assemblyman Luis Alejo to claims by an advocacy group that the Gavilan board should re-agendize its October approval of the president's $42,000 pay hike in light of allegations trustees violated the state open meetings law in their decision.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has supported allegations that the Gavilan College board violated Brown Act provisions in October of last year when it increased the president’s pay during closed session, but also confirmed the deadline had passed to invalidate the action.
Gavilan College President Steve Kinsella’s $42,000 salary raise is under fire again – though this time it’s because a local Latino advocacy group alleges the Gavilan College board violated the Brown Act in an October meeting when trustees approved increasing his pay from $234,090 to $276,090 by 2015.