Ahead of Thursday’s “Use Your Voice Forum” presented by the San Benito County Farm Bureau and BenitoLink, today’s election preview looks at the race for Gavilan College trustee, which pits Danielle Davenport and Rachel Perez. The forum will be held on Thursday, Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m., at the Hollister City Council Chambers, 375 Fifth St. It is produced in conjunction with BenitoLink’s media partner, CMAP-TV.
BenitoLink contacted each candidate in order to give the public a glimpse into their positions prior to the debate. Davenport and Perez responded to questions by email:
BenitoLink: What do you find fulfilling about working with the college?
Davenport: The goal of public education is to build the next generation of leaders and I won’t rest until all of our students are college and workforce ready. I truly enjoy teaching and mentoring students in the sciences and innovation. I am motivated by students who “light-up” when they recognize their own endless potential. I would like to work with business to create an accelerator for ideation/innovation: a space for students to tap into their critical thinking skills, innovate, and dream big.
Perez: It is so rewarding as a life-long educator to work with students, faculty and the community to see first-hand when students set their educational goals and, then, reach them. It is also inspiring when I run into former students and we catch up and I have seen that the education they received has helped them with their current lives. One of my former students is the Vice-Mayor of Milpitas and is running for Mayor! I have always believed that education “levels the playing field” because it did for me and can for others. I also am gratified when students at graduation acknowledge and thank their families, their teachers and the college in general for supporting them and helping because no one makes it on their own. Although I retired two and a half years ago from Gavilan College, I continue to work with as a community college consultant on adult education, Noncredit and basic skills programs. These are some of the programs that I started or worked with at Gavilan College through my work as a dean. I have maintained my interest and support of community college work and have kept informed about best practices and evidence-based research that can eliminate existing or potential barriers for students. As a Trustee, I believe I can continue the progression of my educational career to further the job of advocating and representing the demographic of the community who does not often have a voice in college matters.
BenitoLink: What are some of your goals for the college?
Perez: These are challenging times for community colleges. Many, including Gavilan, are faced with lower enrollment due to the improved economy. New mandates from the state require more accountability and transparency in how we are teaching and supporting student success. The focus is on “completion of college” rather than the previous “access to” college. This new focus is on helping students identify the reason they are attending, helping them identify their goals and developing a plan to complete and reach their goals. This allows more students to transfer, improve their basic skills and/or complete a career degree or certificate. I will ensure that we are meeting the requirements of these new mandates by supporting the efforts of college staff to reach them.
California Community Colleges serve as the main avenue for 1.2 million students towards higher education, training, and workforce preparation and development. The community college system offers more than 175 fields as is the main training ground for many students. With the ever-changing global economy, affordable access to higher education, training, and completion of credentials is the key to narrowing the skills gap that many employers are facing. Higher education means more and better jobs that will help bring the nation prosperity.
I will advocate for more well-articulated regional partnerships with business/industry, the labor councils, K-12 schools for the development of bridge programs, career pathways and apprenticeship programs because we have a significant student population that present needing these skill sets and can be successful in this area if given the opportunity.
Davenport: High Standards: A shocking 70 percent of California’s community college students fail to graduate or transfer. And many can take up to five years to complete their degree or transfer units. Many of our students are frustrated with the frequency, quality and relevancy of courses. We must focus and strengthen critical course offerings. We must provide better services and create a seamless and swift transfer process for students to achieve their post-secondary goals. I am dedicated to implementing measures to speed student graduation rates, including refining faculty focus, redesigning courses and reducing the number of programs that require more than 120 credits to complete.
Readiness: About one-quarter of incoming students to post-secondary institutions are fully prepared for college-level studies. The remaining 75 percent need remedial work in English, mathematics, or both. This leads to an extra 20 units on average per student, which can add an additional year to their program. I am particularly focused on improving career and four-year college readiness; we must be addressing this gap and increase collaboration between our local high school districts and community college districts. We must work together to improve secondary support structures and free up our community college to focus on career training and career pathways. By moving students swiftly through the system, we improve their chances of sustainability and graduation or transfer.
Innovation: The 21st-Century labor market pivots quickly and changes in technology create new fields seemingly overnight. I have watched these dynamics for 20 years and have seen our curricula change with astonishing speed. This requires that we train a greater number of high-tech citizens, workers, and professionals. Gavilan must improve technology relevance and STEM transfer pathways with leading tools and curriculum. Together, we will create academe-industry partnerships and work with corporations to implement “Learn and Earn” models – increasing our student’s engagement with and career pathways to the corporations that are hiring both in the South Bay and the greater Silicon Valley.
BenitoLink: What’s the future of Gavilan in San Benito County?
Davenport: In San Benito, we need to mend community relations and deliver critical programs. We must strike a balance with all stake-holders and provide a comprehensive strategy that meets the needs of our diverse population. I plan to improve fiscal transparency and work to extend Gavilan’s classroom footprint in San Benito County.
Perez: I believe that the future for Gavilan College is secured as we have continued to maintain a presence as a campus at the Briggs Building in downtown Hollister offering transfer and workforce preparation classes meeting the diverse needs of the students in our community. Along with these classes we are offering student support services to ensure that students can complete their educational goals in a timely manner and move forward towards gainful employment. In addition, Gavilan’s Noncredit Program also offers a variety of free course offerings at seven off-site locations for students who need remedial and development classes in ESL, VESL, High School Equivalency Prep, basic and computer skills and workforce preparation. These classes are offered at the San Benito County Library and Jail, elementary school campuses and other city locations, and are done in collaboration with them. I am extremely proud of having created and developed the Noncredit Program because it has served thousands of students in remedial and developmental education and given these students the start on their educational continuum. This is and excellent example of working together to close the educational gaps for all residents in our community.
I have approached my work as a former dean at Gavilan College working to ensure that there is parity in all geographical areas of the college district with regard to programs and services offered. This is why you have the seven sites and free Noncredit classes for area residents. Access to college and the availability of student support services should be available to all students at times that are opportune for them. We must continue to collaborate with all of our communities throughout the District and take a regional approach to listening to the issues, work in closing the gaps, leveraging our collective resources for solutions. We all have unemployment, housing, health and educational issues confronting our communities and need to work together so area residents can better their lives. I will advocate that Gavilan College is present in addressing issues of workforce preparation, career ladders and transfer opportunities that meet the diversity of our community. The challenge now, is the need for educational services in the San Benito County/Hollister area continues to grow and the access for quality educational programs is increasing. Gavilan College will need to meet the demand for these programs and services. The community deserves this.
For more information on the candidates, visit their websites:
Thursday’s forum will also feature candidates and board members running for Congress, Assembly and the San Benito County Health Care Board.