League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA March 5, 2013 Election
	Tom Oliver Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the Board of Trustees; Los Angeles Community College District; Office 6

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What is the single most important issue facing LACCD today? How, as Trustee, would you deal with it?

Fiscal uncertainty is the challenge of the future, and the role of leadership is to prepare our community colleges for the future. Since the State of California does not provide sufficient resources, the college must augment its financial base with fundraising, grants, and a strong community based foundation. Some of the ways of planning for the future are in establishing solid community and business partnerships, building long term endowments, local bond issues, aggressive donation programs, expanding community services and extension classes, contract education, and economic development programs.

2. What do you think should be the balance in LACCD between preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions and programs that provide workforce training?

One of the missions of a community college is to help all students meet their educational goals and be successful students. College success means different things to different people. Success can mean graduating from college, transferring to another collegiate institution, completing a course, achieving basic skills for college entry, upgrading existing work skills, or mastering new skills needed to get a job. The colleges should provide both transfer and workforce training classes. LACCD needs to promote the theme of the nurturing college by providing the finest educational programs to help students achieve their specific educational goals. A "Student Success Plan" is key that focuses on goal completion and outcome assessment strategies. The Student Success Plan is part of the college's road map identifying campus and student issues in helping students become successful in achieving their specific educational goals and making sure each student reaches his/her goal. This is missing throughout the LACCD system. Each college needs to set the balance between transfer and workforce development depending on its specific student needs and the communities each serves.

3. What experience in general management, fiscal management and budgetary oversight would you bring to the job of Trustee?

I have 31 years experience in a variety of educational and administrative positions. I served as the President of Pierce College, providing continued leadership to its campus and implementing the vision and Master Plan for the College's future. The College enjoyed a renaissance through an unparalleled era of both increased enrollment and revenue. I helped direct the development of an educational master plan and increase student enrollment from 13,000 to 19,000, while using my business management experience to turn the College's $2.3 million deficit into an $8 million surplus. I was also the President of D Cubed, Inc, a computer consulting company in Chatsworth and later served as President and Owner of Edison Technical Institute. I have been a statewide advocate for community colleges, serving on the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, California Community College Foundation Board of Directors, and Chief Instructional Officers Board of Directors.

4. AB 2572 (Furutani) seeks to give the LACCD Board of Trustees authority to make changes in the way Trustees are elected (e.g. by district instead of 'at large') and make it possible to eliminate one round of the two-round LACCD election. Where do you stand on this legislation and the issues involved?

I support this legislation, but as a member of the Board of Trustees would seek to ensure that eliminating a run-off election would not discourage new candidates from entering future LACCD races. It is estimated that this bill could save the District $3 million to $5 million every two years - funds that could be effectively utilized to better serve our students.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. 

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: January 4, 2013 15:04
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