Former WCC Board of Trustees Secretary Mark Freeman entered the following in the official minutes for the May 27, 2014 Board Meeting.
“Trustee McKnight-Morton spoke about the presidential search committee that had diverse people on it. She noted that the current board is an advisory board and a policy board, not a micro-managing board. President Bellanca is being a change agent as the Board has directed her.”
Except that the WCC Board of Trustees doesn’t actually make policy, according to the Board Policy Manual.
The Board receives policies written by the President and the staff. Unfortunately, Washtenaw County voters did not elect the College President. They elected the WCC Board of Trustees to oversee the community’s substantial financial interest in WCC. Under these circumstances, the WCC Board of Trustees merely eats whatever the President puts in front of it.
- Would the President advance a policy on Asset Protection, that requires her – as a condition of her employment – to prioritize the maintenance and upkeep of all of WCC’s assets?
- Would the President draft a policy requiring her to strictly limit the size and cost of her administration?
- How likely is it the President to propose the exclusive use of tax-backed bonds to fund capital improvement projects?
All of these policies are in the best interests of the voters. But none of these policies are in the best interests of the College president.
Shopping off policy creation to the College president and staff is an extraordinary disservice to the taxpayers. It is a disaster-in-the-making, because it effectively eliminates the Board oversight that Washtenaw County taxpayers are entitled to.
And it has to stop. Now.
Photo Credit: Joe13, via Flickr
