Features

Peralta Joins Groups Calling For Accreditation Reform in State

J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday May 12, 2006

The Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees has joined the list of educational organizations calling for a change in the accreditation process for California community colleges. 

At Tuesday night’s board meeting, trustees unanimously voted to support resolutions passed earlier this year by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and the California Community College Academic Senate requesting the change as well as an investigation into the activities of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).  

ACCJC is the accrediting commission for the Peralta Community Colleges, which just got off the organization’s “warning” list last January. 

Included in the Peralta trustee vote on Tuesday was a request, authored by Trustee Cy Gulassa, that the CFT and the state academic senate add a clause to their resolution which criticizes “ACCJC officials who have refused to recuse themselves from evaluation of institutions even though they have been previous employees of that institution.” 

The clause was a reference to ACCJC President Barbara Beno and Vice President Deborah Blue who were earlier employed by the Peralta district but left under unfavorable circumstances. 

In offering the request to trustees, Gulassa said that the accreditation process for state community colleges “has become way too punitive.” 

The CFT and academic senate resolutions were sparked by ACCJC’s pulling of the accreditation of Compton Community College. That action is currently under appeal by the college. 

CFT representatives had earlier said the organization was calling for an investigation of ACCJC by the state Legislature.