CFT, AFT 2121, other plaintiffs: Settlement Agreement with ACCJC!

The campaign for fair accreditation in California led by the AFT 2121 and CFT has been incredibly successful.

– City College of San Francisco has full accreditation.

– Barbara Beno has been replaced with new leadership.

– Compton Community College is back on track for full accreditation.

Over the arc of the accreditation crisis these have been some of the markers that have defined our struggle and victories. The new Settlement Agreement with ACCJC is yet another defining victory.

In the settlement the ACCJC agrees to the following:

• Not to interfere with community colleges’ collective bargaining process;
• the commission’s executive committee recommends deleting the standard requiring student learning outcomes (SLOs) to be used as a component of faculty evaluation;
• to adopt a policy to ensure at least three active duty faculty members are assigned to each college evaluation team;
• to adopt a policy establishing clear criteria by which the ACCJC may extend for “good cause” the two-year period for a college to comply with accreditation standards as to which it has been found deficient;
• refrain from directing colleges what specific steps must be taken to achieve financial stability and apply its indicators consistently from college to college, and;
• to limit the practice of an eighteen month period of Accreditation; and
• to strengthen conflict of interest safeguards for commissioners and evaluation team members.

The settlement also establishes a dispute resolution procedure that begins outside of court in the event that CFT believes the ACCJC is not living up to its commitments.

Remaining vigilant

We expect this new agreement to marshal a better and fairer accreditation process for the California community college system.

Our victories will be short-lived unless we remain vigilant in enforcing and monitoring the agreement and holding ACCJC accountable. CFT is forming a statewide committee to do just that! We believe this agreement and our vigilance together will help sustain a fair and transparent accreditation system for California.