Contra Costa College cuts staff who support student wellness, academic counseling, enrollment

When the Contra Costa Community College District released a list of layoffs to address a budget deficit, one proposed cut drew immediate backlash: the undocumented students program coordinator at Contra Costa College.

Eliminating the position would have ended a program designed to support undocumented students and those from mixed-status families — some of the most vulnerable students on campus.

After pressure from students, staff and community members, the college district’s governing board decided to save the position. But the victory was bittersweet. Several other jobs were cut across the district’s three colleges due to ongoing budget constraints, with Contra Costa College (CCC) facing the most reductions.

The district faces a $1.8 million structural deficit this year, and projections for the following years are worse because there won’t be enough reserves to continue current operations. 

“Ninety percent of our budget is dedicated to salaries and benefits, and therefore, with an ongoing structural deficit, we need to make ongoing budget reductions while we have reserves,” said Jeffrey Michaels, the district’s chief human resources officer. “Unfortunately, due to the state’s funding formula, we currently have an ongoing structural budget deficit, and we are fiscal stewards responsible for ensuring ongoing financial stability and viability.”  

In February and March, the district approved layoffs for seven positions at CCC, including the dean of enrollment services; roles in academic counseling and scheduling; a learning disabilities specialist; and support staff in fine arts and dramatic arts. Seven staffed jobs were also cut at the other two campuses.

Tensions came to a head during a March 13 board meeting, when trustees were set to vote on most of the cuts. Dozens of students, faculty and community members spoke in opposition. While many focused on saving the undocumented students program coordinator, others criticized the layoffs more broadly.

The board failed to reach a majority vote that night, and had to call a special meeting two days later. There, trustees approved the cuts but spared the undocumented students position.

Governing board president Diana Honig said the decisions were not made lightly, noting there is an intensive process behind choosing where to make cuts. 

Trustee Rebecca Barrett also noted that the cuts are resulting from many factors outside of the district’s control, such as the absence of cost of living adjustments from the state and the loss of federal funding.

“We are the least-funded education system on a per student basis in California,” Barrett said. “We are funded less than the K-12 system, the (California state university)  system and the (University of California) on a per student basis and in higher ed, we, by far, educate the most students. We are the largest higher education system in the country.” 

In the weeks since the vote, students and staff have been reeling, trying to understand how the cuts will impact campus services in the coming year.

Students say they need more support, not less

Sophie Khouri, the student trustee who sits on the governing board, said while the review process for cuts is “laborious,” and that budget adjustments are needed, she disagrees with where the district made cuts. 

“(These) are some of the main people on the frontline supporting students through things like basic needs,” Khouri told Richmondside. “It’s all these positions or people who are working face-to-face with students every day, collaborating with them.” 

In addition, she criticized the district’s lack of transparency and failure to communicate. In an email sent to students, the district said that CCC will introduce a senior program coordinator for international non-resident and undocumented students. What it failed to say was that this position is being created to replace part of the work the undocumented students program coordinator, Stephanie Figueroa, who would be laid off, was doing. 

“Students don’t get any info on the layoffs and the elimination of the position, and it completely rewrites what’s happening as something that’s beneficial for students,” Khouri said. 

Khouri, a high school student enrolled in Middle College on the Contra Costa College campus, serves as a liaison between the district and students across all three colleges.

She said despite multiple meetings with district officials and reviewing plans to shift services to other positions after layoffs, she didn’t feel like there was a clear and sufficient enough plan to support students, particularly those most vulnerable like undocumented students. 

So she worked with student groups to raise awareness about the proposed cuts ahead of the board meeting. 

While much of the attention focused on the undocumented students program coordinator, Khouri also flagged that the loss of even a single position can have ripple effects across campus, such as student workers who are employed under the cut positions. 

Last year, for example, the district cut a staff tutoring position, and the number of student tutors fell from 70 to 15, she said. 

“It’s not just the people who are doing the work,” Khouri told Richmondside. “It’s also the dozens of students who work under them that are not included in the (board) resolution.”

Undocumented student program hangs on a thread

Figueroa, CCC’s undocumented students program coordinator, said that although her job was saved, she hasn’t been able to celebrate.

“I feel horrible. I feel devastated,” Figueroa told Richmondside weeks after the vote. “For lack of a better word, I have survivor’s guilt because yes, undocumented students need support, but the arts need support, students need counseling … all these other positions are needed. There’s a reason why they were there in the first place.”

Figueroa said the district has been chipping away at student services for the last few years, pointing to the undocumented students program as one example. When the program first launched, it included a dedicated office space and two staff members who provided academic and emotional support and financial aid advice in a setting designed to feel safe for students.

But in the past two years, the district eliminated the program’s dedicated space and reassigned staff. Since the physical office closed, Figueroa said the number of undocumented students seeking support has dropped by 75%, according to her meeting log. 

“There are less people coming now, and it’s not because there is less need,” she said. “It’s because they are scared to talk, and there is no safe space dedicated for them.”

With only one staff member remaining, outreach has also been curtailed. Previously, the program’s team visited local high schools and community spaces to connect with prospective students and encourage them to pursue higher education regardless of immigration status. Now, that work has largely stopped. Figueroa added that she does not have the bandwidth to do outreach to current students who may not know of these services. 

Osmara Velazquez, president and co-founder of a Latino advocacy student club at CCC, Concilio de la Comunidad, was among the students who helped organize efforts to save the position.

“We already have a little issue with a undocumented students program, because we feel that they’re not getting the attention or help they should be getting from the school,” Velazquez told Richmondside. “(Figueroa) is already overworked … this would’ve been a huge loss.” 

Without targeted support, she said, more undocumented students could fall through the cracks, emphasizing that students are already too scared to ask for help or discuss status because of fear around the immigration raids, which have increased nationally. 

College costs can also be much higher for undocumented students without the right support, adding a barrier to getting a higher education. 

Undocumented students are automatically classified as out-of-state residents, meaning they are charged significantly higher tuition. At CCC, the in-state cost is $46 per credit, compared to an out-of-state rate of  almost $500 per credit. California law allows undocumented students to qualify for in-state rates, but the process can be complex — and the program coordinator plays a key role in helping students navigate it.

Velazquez said the support is not just logistical, but emotional. While she is not undocumented herself, she has family members who are and said Figueroa has helped support her with their ongoing cases.

When one staff job is cut, additional student workers lose positions too

Kerry Sciacqua, a wellness coordinator at CCC, is losing her position.  Her role includes front desk operations, coordinating student appointments, and connecting students to off-campus mental health services.

With her position eliminated, three student workers in the office will also lose their jobs.

“There’s one other permanent classified staff in the office, and it will fall to her solely to cover all of the hours that the office is open … and I don’t know how one person can do all that work,” Sciacqua told Richmondside. “It is already an impacted process, especially at particular times of the year. Our phones are very busy. We do get lines at our counter.” 

She said her position being cut probably won’t impact the quality of the counseling, but instead will slow down the process of how quickly a student can see a counselor.

Classified staff,  who make up the majority of layoff notices, must decide by Wednesday whether to accept the layoff, apply for another position within the district, or “bump” a less senior employee out of a similar role.

“It just feels horrible,” Sciacqua said. “I am trying to find an open position, even if it’s a demotion because I don’t want to take someone else’s job.. But I also need a job.” 

Hope Dixon, CCC’s first full-time basic needs coordinator, is among those at risk of being displaced through the bumping process.

Because her role falls under the broad classification of “program coordinator,” a more senior employee from another department could take her position.

Since the board vote, Dixon said she and many other colleagues have been waiting anxiously.

At CCC’s financial aid office, no one received a layoff notice, but three people from the financial aid team received the bump notice, Dixon said. 

“Displacement of expertise in the financial aid department is a huge disservice to our students and will result in longer processing times,” Dixon said. “And if I get bumped out of my position, somebody else may need to start from scratch, and I am so close to finally opening the basic needs center, which will open this summer.” 

Critics say cuts could’ve been more equitable

Rodolfo Santos, the college’s dean of enrollment services, a position being cut next year, said he is taking a 20% to 30% pay cut to stay in the district. While he doesn’t have the right to bump someone out of the role, he does have the credentials to become faculty and is in the process of interviewing for a job. He doesn’t want to leave CCC, but for the time being, he needs to be able to continue paying his bills. 

His husband has a rare form of multiple sclerosis and uses a motorized wheelchair. For the past few months, he has been in a rehab center. 

“So in my particular case, it hits a little bit more personally, because I’m in a position where I still have to be able to pay for caregiving, a mortgage,” Santos told Richmondside. “And I’ve been very public with my situation. A lot of people know about it. So, I think a lot of people were surprised that it was my position that was cut.” 

Santos has worked for the district for seven years, bringing more than 25 years of experience working in higher education. He was the person who started the undocumented students program and has been the go-to person for students needing help with registration. 

He said he understands that the cuts are necessary, but wishes the district was more intentional about which positions and the people being impacted. 

For example, while the district gave layoff notices to seven people at Contra Costa College, it gave six to Diablo Valley (two of which were funded by grants that are now sunsetting) and only one for Los Medanos. Many other positions that were vacant were also cut, Santos said. 

Officials said the reason Contra Costa College saw more is because it’s the only campus with a budget deficit. 

On paper, the decision appears logical, Santos said, but the community college located in San Pablo also serves a more vulnerable student population, so it needs more funding to support students.  

“It’s not necessarily equitable because the amount of need that is in say Diablo Valley College, like in the central part of our county, where it’s more affluent, those needs are different,” Santos said. “There should be more funding going to Contra Costa so we can help sustain our enrollment (the main driver of funding), keep them coming back and help.” 

Local 1 President Jeanie Smith, who represents the classified staff, said if the district was so worried about its structural deficit, it shouldn’t have approved an 8% merit increase last year for its top administrators. She said classified staff are the backbone of the colleges and the systems that serve students “simply do not function as they should,” without them. 

“The last time this district faced significant layoffs, measures were taken to help the district weather the crisis. Those decisions sent a clear message. Leadership shares in that sacrifice,” Smith said, noting the district should’ve done the same now. “The district does face financial challenges. Every college does. But budgets are not just financial documents. Budgets are expressions of values.”