Citrus College’s Board of Trustees, composed of six members, has almost always voted unanimously, 5-0.
At Citrus College, the Board of Trustees approves educational plans, establishes policies and promotes growth and development amongst the students and staff.
The current board includes President Anthony Contreras, Vice President Cheryl Alexander, trustee Mary Ann Lutz, trustee Patricia Rasmussen, trustee Laura Boillinger, and student trustee Jonathan Johnson. The student trustee offers an advisory vote to the board and is not counted.
In the past 10 years, the Board of Trustees has had a total of 163 meetings and around 2,653 items voted on.
Of the 2,653 items voted on, 2,607 had a 5-0 vote, 44 had a 4-1 vote, and two had a 3-2 vote.
Of the 44 votes that were 4-1 votes, 42 had been abstained votes.
Abstain votes aren’t disagreements or No’s, but instead usually occur when there’s a conflict of interest or a board member is absent, Contreras said.
This is Johnson’s first semester as a student trustee on the board.
“I believe the high rate of a vote of 5-0 represents consensus and unanimous agreement on business items that support the students and operations of Citrus College,” Johnson said.
Two of the 4-1 votes were actual No’s from a board member.
Both of the No’s occurred during 2019 and were from the same person, former Trustee Board member Edward C. Ortell, who served as a board member for 51 years.
Of the two 3-2 votes, one was an abstain vote and the other was an actual No.
Taking place in 2020, this No, while not a disagreement, was the most recent in the past years. Both present Trustee Patricia A. Rasmussen and former Trustee Susan M. Keith were the board members who voted No. This vote was for the continuance of exploring the feasibility of a potential obligation bond measure.
All trustees will know what they will be voting on around five days ahead of the meeting and will receive a packet of information around 60-100 pages, Contreras said.
“We have rules, all trustees can’t get together and talk about how we will vote beforehand,” Contreras said. “We actually have to do everything independently.”
Citrus Superintendent/President Greg Schulz said each trustee determines how they will vote, without any interference from others.
Contreras said trustees have to prepare beforehand and the decisions they make at their Tuesday meetings are well thought out and made with a lot of preparation time.
“We had a lot of options to ask questions about the information we received before that Tuesday meeting so we’re fully prepared,” Contreras said.
The minutes of the board meetings give details on the voted items, as well as overviews of discussion topics, but it doesn’t talk about the process the board members go through to reach their decisions.
“Our board has taken much time to thoughtfully create, discuss, and agree upon goals and initiatives that create a path for the college,” Lutz said.
The board members communicate effectively with each other during meetings to ensure their views and opinions get across.
“I, for one, will always verbally provide my thoughts regarding voting on financial issues, explaining my vote, and the education I received to inform my vote,” Lutz said.
The decisions the board reaches at meetings affect both the college and the students.
“As you can see from past and recent experiences, our trustees work well together, and they are diligent, collegial, and collaborative,” Schulz said. “They take great care as they provide leadership in their role as trustees.”
The main goal of the Board of Trustees is to help students, Contreras said.
