City College of San Francisco
Several top administrators have also departed, according to a board member. The California Federation of Teachers, the union that represents the college’s faculty members, says the size of its collective bargaining unit has shrunk from more than 1,800 to fewer than 1,600.
The college’s woes began two years ago when its accreditor, the Accrediting Commission for Junior and Community Colleges (ACCJC), determined that, although the college was academically sound, it had significant funding and administrative issues. The agency gave the college eight months to prove that it was viable and could fix its problems.
In July 2013 the agency announced it would revoke the college’s accreditation.
Members of the college community cried foul. The accreditation agency’s actions angered residents of the San Francisco area, who have been served by the college for more than 75 years.
“The college generates millions of dollars for the local economy,” says Rafael Mandelman, a lawyer who was elected to the college’s board in 2012. The board has since been suspended as a result of the accreditation crisis.
“Every single industry in San Francisco relies on graduates of City College, whether it’s restaurants, businesses that need people with technical skills, those working in the nursing profession, hospitals, and thousands and thousands of new immigrants,” says Mandelman.
