I write to support the incumbent board of trustees of SBCC.
We have a jewel in our community college, and it is no accident that SBCC has a stellar reputation. The trustees, unlike our legislative leaders in California, or our prior leadership in Santa Barbara, have been very prudent with taxpayer money, far-sighted in developing innovative programs, following the mission of the college and the desires of the community.
A recent opinion writer said that “current board members have done poorly when it comes to listening to the community and taking responsibility for their actions.” On the contrary, the trustees have faced the severe financial crisis we are all facing and have responded admirably by realigning expenditures to those that fit within the core mission of the community college and making sure that only those courses that can meet the appropriate requirements are continued.
We should be applauding the SBCC trustees for making us all take financial responsibility for what we choose to do and not expect taxpayers to subsidize those who can afford to pay their share. The people who can’t afford to pay have been offered scholarships to help, if they qualify, to continue their courses. This seems eminently fair!
The responsibility of the board of trustees is about priorities and, thankfully, we are fortunate to have an extremely thoughtful current board.
I am asking you to join in and vote for incumbent trustees Desmond O’Neill, Sally Green, Joe Dobbs and Kathryn Alexander.
Let’s keep SBCC excellent!
Richard Fulton, M.D.
Goleta