Despite significant decisions representing almost $500,000 in expenses, the Alamo Colleges board of trustees unanimously approved a string of minute orders with no discussion in the regular January meeting Tuesday in Killen Center.
District 7 trustee Blakely Fernandez was absent, making the votes 8-0.
In a phone interview today, Gary Beitzel, chairman and District 8 trustee, said trustees discussed many of the items during the committee meetings Jan. 17.
Beitzel said rather than repeat the discussion, trustees prefer to move through action items quickly during regular meetings.
He said most trustees regularly attend committee meetings and may address their concerns during those meetings or during the regular meetings.
"If someone on the board has a question, they can bring it up," Beitzel said.
Trustees unanimously approved the purchase of software that consolidates many human resources record-keeping systems in Banner.
The Banner HR Talent Management Suite can help institutions track employee training and development and faculty and staff evaluations, according to Sungard Higher Education's website.
The district will pay Sungard $469,800 over three years. The payments are scheduled as $207,900 for fiscal year 2012-13, $130,950 for 2013-14 and $130,950 for 2014-15.
The board also approved the purchase of software migration services to a server hosted by Innovative Interfaces Inc., a library technologies company based in Emeryville, Calif., to maintain access to each college's library catalog and materials.
Automation Librarian John Hammer previously maintained the library server located at this college and used by all colleges in the district, but when he retired in December, librarians requested the migration, library Director Eileen Oliver said Monday.
"We asked to have it," Oliver said. "This is not something that is being forced on us."
The purchase would cost the district a one-time fee of $12,000 for migrating data, an annual hosting fee of $7,788 and annual maintenance fee of $45,512.
The board also approved Northeast Lakeview College's annual financial report for fiscal years 2009-10 and 2010-11.
The Ranger reported in 2009 that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools denied Northeast Lakeview accreditation primarily because it did not have an audit separate from the other institutions in the district.
Dr. Eric Reno, president of Northeast Lakeview College, said Northeast Lakeview will resubmit its accreditation application to SACS in mid-February.
Northeast Lakeview opened in 2007 and operates under this college's accreditation to offer financial aid.
About 4,700 students who are officially registered at this college attend classes at Northeast Lakeview. As of Friday, 21,566 students were enrolled at this college.
Independent auditing firm Ernst and Young LLP gave the college an unqualified opinion, signaling proper handling of finances.
The board also unanimously approved a $5 million loan from the State Energy Conservation Office.
According to the minute order, the loan will be used to finance efforts to reduce energy usage and cost across the district. The district will repay the loan using expected savings in the utility budget.
John Strybos, associate vice chancellor of facilities, said Monday that the projected savings is $498,421.
In other business, the board unanimously approved a revision to district policy in response to incidents of child abuse at Pennsylvania State University.
Trustees added a clause for reporting any suspected child abuse, sexual abuse of minors or criminal acts against minors on campus.
The policy now reads, "No employee or student of the college district shall engage in conduct constituting sexual harassment, or in harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or sexual orientation and directed toward minors on college district property, students or college district employees."
The board also approved a revision of the memorandum of understanding, or MOU, between Alamo Colleges and the Alamo Colleges Foundation to specifically identify each college in the district.
According to the minute order, when Palo Alto College submitted its reaccreditation application to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2011, the accrediting agency noticed that the college is not specifically identified in the memo and requested that the district revise it to include Palo Alto.
SACS requested that the district revise the agreement to also include a provision shielding the individual colleges from liability from issues that may arise from the relationship between the district and the foundation.
Trustees approved the appointment of Jennifer Comedy-Holmes, interim dean of student success at Northwest Vista College, to the dean position effective today.
Comedy-Holmes has served as interim dean since August. Before serving as interim dean, she served as social sciences chair at Northwest Vista.
Fernandez did not return phone calls by deadline.
The board will conduct its next regular meeting on Feb. 21 in Room 101 of Killen at 201 W. Sheridan.
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