Jill Yee

• Office: Board of Trustees
• Election Date: November 8, 2022
• Candidate: Jill Yee
• Due Date: Monday, August 29, 2022
• Printable Version

Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the November 8, 2022 general election! GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous city via common sense solutions and effective government.

The GrowSF endorsement committee will review all completed questionnaires and seek consensus on which candidates best align with our vision for San Francisco and have the expertise to enact meaningful policy changes.

We ask that you please complete this questionnaire by Monday, August 29, 2022 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.

Table of Contents

• Vision
  • Short-form questions
  • Education
  • Budget
  • Instruction
  • Long-form questions
  • General
  • Instruction and Curriculum
  • Budget
• Policy
• Personal
• Thank you

Vision

GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous San Francisco. And we believe that great public schools are necessary for a great and prosperous society.

This section of our questionnaire seeks to help us gain an understanding of your alignment with our vision for San Francisco.

Short-form questions

Please mark the box that best aligns with your position. You may explain any position if you so desire, but this section is designed to be a quick overview of your view of the city's problems and what solutions you might propose.

Education

In general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to…	Too hard	Just right	Too easy
Enroll in City College	X
Hire good teachers	X
Fire bad teachers	X

If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:

Navigating the application and registration process is challenging even for faculty.

Hiring faculty is largely under the control of faculty and there has been little process in diversifying the faculty rank.

The evaluation of faculty is flawed and gives a pass to bad faculty. AFT enables and defends faculty who should not be in the classroom.

Budget

In general, is City College budgeting too much, just enough, or too little on…	Too much	Just Enough	Enough, but badly	Too little
Facilities				X
Extracurricular activities				X
Teacher salaries	X
Administrative salaries			X
Support for students like tutoring, scholarships, career counseling, etc				X
Classes which count toward degrees	X
Classes or programs which don't count toward degrees	X

If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:

There are too many general education classes offered, which results in competition within and between Departments. I counted 163 classes available to satisfy a 3 unit general education requirement.

The college has great difficulty saying "no" to faculty and the curriculum reflects what faculty is interested in and not necessarily what students need. Scheduling reflects faculty personal preferences rather than what's optimal for students.

Why is City College facing a budget crisis? Please provide a short answer here, and a longer answer in the "Long-form questions" section.

CCSF has denied the reality of declining enrollment and instead continued deficit spending. The cost of salaries and benefits exceeded enrollment and existing funding. Rather than adjusting to declining enrollment, there is an expectation that somehow there will be a bailout.

Tell us about the quality of education available at City College, and what should be done to improve it, if needed.

CCSF has many excellent faculty and students get the benefit of smaller classes and more individual instruction as compared to UC or CSU. Teaching skills at CCSF is better than 4-year universities, where teaching is a low priority. I believe students get a better education their first 2 years at CCSF than at the 4-year universities. I heard from many students who transferred to CSU and UCs that CCSF prepared them well and classes at CCSF were more rigorous. CSU exams are mainly multiple-choice, with over a hundred students and course material repeating much of what they already learned at CCSF.

Needs to improve:

1. Oftentimes the needs and preferences of faculty come before the students.

2. Curriculum is not culturally relevant, and doesn't reflect current innovations, research, best practices.

3. Support for diversity is largely performative and doesn't translate into the course content or teaching methodology. Faculty lacks an in-depth understanding of institutional and systemic inequities and its impact.

4. Need to stop protecting, enabling bad teachers.

Tell us one thing you think needs to change about City College that the average voter wouldn't know about.

Community colleges are governed by the State, not local government. All California Community Colleges are facing declining enrollment. All community colleges are currently receiving funding from the State at a higher level of enrollment than the current lower enrollment. In other words, community colleges are funded for students above actual enrollment level. This is referred to as "Held Harmless" funding. This is expected to end in 2024-25, so the college must prepare for reduced funding which will be based on actual enrollment.

Between 2013 and 2017, as the college struggled to retain its accreditation and retain students the State poured an average of $39 million a year into CCSF. No other college received this extra funding and there is much resentment across the State that while every other District is expected to live within its budget, CCSF gets bailouts for overspending.

Last year, CCSF received $45 million from local sales, property, parcel taxes and Free City and $145 million from the State. (Not including grant funding). CCSF received more local tax funding than any other District in the state. Asking for more funding may allow for more classes and more teachers, but that doesn't result in more students.

Long-form questions

General

In what ways is City College succeeding?

CCSF offers free tuition, smaller classes and more individual attention for students as compared to CSUs and UCs.

CCSF is a gateway for career and job opportunities to students who would otherwise be denied access to a college education.

CCSF is a cost effective means to increase social mobility, providing pathways to jobs which pay a living wage.

In what ways is City College failing?

CCSF is currently under heightened fiscal monitoring by the State because of a history of deficit spending. This jeopardizes their accreditation. CCSF must balance the budget and face the issue of declining enrollment and funding.

CCSF is free for students. Yet, enrollment is declining. This tells me that we're not offering what students want. CCSF must stop allowing low-enrolled classes to continue and redirect funds to courses and programs that are in demand. Not all courses and programs are created equal.

Facilities are sorely in need of upkeep and maintenance, yet many at the college feel every dollar must fund classes and faculty salaries, even if there isn't sufficient enrollment.

CCSF needs to close the opportunity gap among Black and Latinx students. All employees need anti-bias training and examine implicit bias and institutional racism. Most of the efforts to address racism are largely performative.

There is a lack of will to examine the institutional barriers which impede closing the opportunity gap. The causes of disparities between black and brown students and white and Asian students are due to unequal and inadequate educational opportunities, not inherent difference in capability, motivation or values.

Instruction and Curriculum

What can the Community College Board do to improve student performance at City College?

Every employee at the college should be culturally competent and work to ensure a college culture that respects cultural differences. Cultural competency training provides a foundation for engaging with students from diverse backgrounds. Cultural competency training encourages teachers to value diversity, be culturally self-aware, understand the dynamics of cultural interactions, and incorporate cultural knowledge into their teaching.

Make the curriculum more inclusive. The curriculum too often does not allow students to see the diverse contributions made by people who look like them in core math, science, English, history, or arts and humanities courses. A culturally relevant curriculum uses the students' lived experiences to understand the relevance of the content and connect it to their community.

There needs to be better alignment between a student's education plan and an identified career or job. Students should be provided intensive career counseling to identify pathways, semester-by-semester, to an end goal.

Not all students want or need to transfer to a 4-year university. CCSF needs to expand vocational training programs.

Are students graduating with the skills necessary to obtain a good job? Why or why not?

No, the majority of 1st generation college students do not end up in jobs related to their majors. CCSF needs to develop programs that will be a pipeline to jobs by partnering with community and government organizations and businesses to develop internships for students.

There are 4 growth sectors in the Bay Area, health care, hospitality and tourism, the tech industry and training for government employees. CCSF should be a feeder for these employers.

What is the City College curriculum lacking which the Community College Board could rectify?

Focus more on vocation training—there is a shortage of construction workers, plumbers, electricians, the trades, CCSF needs to address these potential growth areas.

CCSF has increasingly become more elitist and isolated from the local communities. CCSF needs to develop programs and opportunities that allow lower skilled workers, i.e. restaurant workers with limited english skills, small businesses in the trades, to

improve their skill sets and job prospects.

Budget

Why is City College facing a budget crisis? Please explain the nature of this budget crisis.

In spite of the fact the CCSF is free for students, the college faced declining enrollment since 2010, even before the accreditation crisis and the pandemic.

Too many at the college engaged in what I call "magical thinking," expecting some windfall or bailout would solve the shortfall and somehow tens of thousands of new students would enroll, if only we had the right marketing.

While other Districts were gradually adjusting their budget to the declining enrollment, past Chancellors and the Board kept kicking the can down the road to avoid layoffs. The college went into the reserves and took out a loan from OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) to meet expenses, mainly salaries. This placed the college in heightened fiscal monitoring by the State and once again jeopardized its accreditation.

CCSF must be strategic about growing the college, and that means directing resources to some programs and not others.

What hard choices must City College make to fix its budget crisis?

In Spring 2022, classified employees, faculty and administrators were laid off. There was no other option, given that more than 85% of the budget is for salaries. This was the first step towards facing the new normal.

CCSF must learn to live within its means and not expect to be bailed out by the generosity of taxpayers. It can no longer continue to support programs and classes for which there is little interest or demand. Not all programs are created equal. Scheduling classes and programs must be tied to enrollment.

Also, not all resources need to go to instruction, adding more classes to support more faculty. CCSF needs to make deferred maintenance a priority. Classrooms are flooded, ceilings are leaking, rat infested and unlivable. Students and employees should not work under such conditions.

CCSF needs to make student-centered decisions and ensure the sustainability of the college.

What courses or programs should City College cut to improve its budget situation?

Programs that do not lead to jobs or a career pathway. Many programs offer a degree or certificate, but it isn't worth the paper it's printed on. For example, if someone wants to major in English, what do they hope to do with it? If majoring in English is viewed as preparation for a law degree or being a teacher, that makes sense. Then the student needs an educational plan that clearly maps out what the student needs to transfer, how much it will likely cost and how long it will take to transfer. Too often the aspirations and the outcome aren't clear to students.

What new revenue streams might City College tap into to address its budget crisis?

I believe CCSF needs to explore more partnerships with private businesses and public entities to fund programs. A model program is the Social Work program, developed under my supervision. The Social Work program provides a pipeline to jobs at UCSF and paid internships from Episcopal Services.

Where I differ from other candidates is that I don't believe throwing more money at a problem is necessarily the answer. In fact, it's counterproductive if it commits the college to a particular path that doesn't consider enrollment patterns, student needs or results in closing the opportunity gap.

CCSF needs to live within its means and evaluate which programs are in demand, meeting student needs and interests. CCSF must stop relying on bailouts from taxpayers with little accountability.

Policy

Now that we know where you align and differ from our vision for San Francisco, we'd like to get some details about how you intend to use your elected office to achieve your goals.

Why are you running for Community College Board?

I have a deep personal and professional connection to CCSF. I was born in SF and raised in the Western Addition. My parents were immigrants and CCSF was my only option for higher education. I know how CCSF can change lives and its legacy extends to future generations.

I have over 40 years of service at CCSF, first as a part-time faculty teaching Psychology, then became a tenured full-time faculty, was elected the first Asian and first woman Department Chair of Behavioral Sciences. I recently retired from my position as Dean of Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Ethnic Studies and Social Justice.

My experience and knowledge of the college is unmatched. I know the institution inside out and I know the challenges that lie ahead.

I am running for the Board because I believe leadership is needed to make strategic decisions that will set the future course of the college. It's too easy to say we need to grow the college, grow enrollment. If growth is not strategic, we will saddle the college with programs that are not sustainable. Because I have an inside view, I know we can't just throw money at the college and assume classes will fill. Adding more classes, more teachers, doesn't mean it will produce more students. We tried the "build it and they will come" approach and that's what led up to fiscal disaster.

Because I know how the sausage is made, I know what questions to ask, I can discern fact from fiction and hold individuals accountable.

What is your #1 policy goal?

My top priority is to ensure the college maintains sufficient fiscal reserves, balance the budget, and build a sustainable infrastructure.

How will you build the coalition and political capital to enact your #1 goal?

My North Star will always be what's in the best interest of the students and what is needed to develop an infrastructure that is sustainable. This is the common ground for all college leaders and constituencies and the bases to build buy-in.

Will the power of the office of Community College Board be enough to achieve this goal?

The Board has the authority and fiduciary responsibility to develop a balanced annual budget, as well as determine and control the District's operations and capital outlay budgets.

What are your #2 and #3 policy goals?

#2 I would require that all employees complete anti-bias and cultural competency training. For years, the Unions have resisted requiring anti-bias training of employees. Instead, leaving it optional. This should not be negotiable. As a college policy, all employees would be required to comply.

#3 Initiate a strategic plan to evaluate the feasibility of continuing to support 7 Centers. The college needs to evaluate its properties to determine the most cost-effective use to serve students and the communities in which it resides.

Will the power of the office of Community College Board be enough to achieve these goals?

#2 The Board has authority to determine broad general policies, plans and procedures to guide its officers and employees.

#3 The Board is responsible for developing a balanced annual budget and determines the District's operations and capital outlay budgets.

What is an existing policy you would like to reform?

The faculty evaluation process needs to be reformed. Administrators are not part of the faculty evaluation process unless the faculty request a peer-management evaluation, which is rare. Faculty are largely evaluated by their peers or can opt for self-evaluation. . It has become a system of "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine." Faculty are very reluctant to be critical of their peers in order to maintain "collegiality".

What is an "out there" change that you would make to state/local government policy, if you could? (For example: changing how elections work, creating a Bay Area regional government, etc.)

An "out there" change is the need to eliminate tenure for faculty. Tenure has outlasted its original purpose to protect faculty who teach controversial course content. Once a faculty is granted tenure, it's impossible to get rid of bad teachers who do not belong in the classroom and do real damage to the educational future and the well-being of students.

For the past 2 years, while classes were remote, I had a faculty who refused to learn how to use Zoom, required students to show up for class for 3 hrs./week where she would type questions to students, who then typed back answers. The students never saw or heard the instructor for the entire semester. The college provided individual training, a mentor, and lots of support to develop her tech skills. Yet, she still refused to use Zoom. The Union defended her and to this day there's nothing to be done.

The highest rating a faculty can receive is "satisfactory or better", which means the mediocre faculty gets lumped in with the excellent ones.

The evaluation process is such that it's impossible to terminate bad teachers and the Union will provide legal representation that will go on for years, maybe the faculty is put on an improvement plan, will clean up their act temporarily, a student makes a complaint and the process starts all over again.

Faculty who are willing to give honest evaluations give up in frustration because of the burden placed on them to defend a critical evaluation, invariably nothing will come of it, so faculty learn to just look the other way.

There is no other profession that protects incompetent employees to this degree and grants lifetime employment regardless of performance.

Personal

Tell us a bit about yourself!

What is your professional background?

I hold a Master's in Clinical Psychology and a law degree. I have over 40 years of experience at CCSF as a tenured faculty, Department Chair, and Dean of Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Ethnic Studies and Social Justice.

I also have experience in community mental health as a family counselor at Chinatown Youth Center and Central City Day Treatment Center in the Tenderloin.

Are you currently or formerly enrolled at City College, and/or do you have any children who are currently or formerly enrolled at City College?

I was enrolled at CCSF full-time and it prepared me to transfer to U.C. Berkeley. More recently I was enrolled for 2 semesters and took Cantonese classes.

I credit CCSF for allowing me to give my children more educational opportunities than I had. They went straight to a 4-year college, didn't have to hold down a job during their undergrad, they lived on campus and graduated with no college loans. I wanted to make sure they had the college experience I couldn't have. I attribute this to the foundation CCSF provided for my success. This is the legacy of CCSF.

How long have you lived in San Francisco? What brought you here and what keeps you here?

I was born and raised here. I have also lived in Berkeley and Palo Alto for education, but San Francisco is always home to me. My extended family lives here and my son was born and raised in San Francisco, while my daughter was adopted in China, she was raised here since she was 5 mos.

What do you love most about California and/or San Francisco?

1. Progressive politics

2. Diversity and inclusivity

3. SF neighborhoods have distinct characters, restaurants and climates

4. The combination of nature, culture and arts that SF has to offer

What do you dislike the most about California and/or San Francisco?

1. The polarization of politics, and the expectation to follow an ideology blindly rather than looking at the nuances of each issue.

2. People who believe they're "woke".

3. High cost of living, housing, property taxes which squeezes out the lower and middle class.

Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.)

In my capacity as a Dean at CCSF, I partnered with Five Keys to bring college classes to SF County Jails. I was awarded 2 grants to establish a program, New Directions, for formerly incarcerated students to support their transition to CCSF.

I partnered with the Mayor's Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs and community agencies to bring SF Pathways to Citizenship to CCSF, offering free legal and translation services, assistance completing the U.S. citizenship application and fee waivers.

Thank you

Thank you for giving us your time and answering our questionnaire. We look forward to reading your answers and considering your candidacy!