SYNOPSIS:

A report from Superintendent/President Karas is presented as information.

This is the first regular meeting of the board for the Spring 2026 semester. It has been a busy start of the semester with Welcome Week activities, Club Days, Athletic Games, and more. Thank you to the many people who have volunteered their time and talents to make these events successful. We may reach many significant milestones this semester related to enrollment, student housing, and facilities.

Enrollment

The district continues to post strong enrollment numbers. Spring 26 is 2% higher than last spring and 37% higher than spring 2023. Many districts in our State are experiencing enrollment declines or flat at best. Our enrollment indicates the value our local community has placed in the educational opportunities provided by our district. Also, the continuous efforts of staff, faculty, and administrators to adapt to community needs provides the foundation for excellence.

SEMESTER ACTIVE ACTIVE FULL PART TOTAL

SPRING 2026 13492 5962 967 4995 1250.10

SPRING 2025 13383 5641 990 4651 1222.20

SPRING 2024 11799 5029 932 4097 1025.12

SPRING 2023 9956 4187 721 3466 912.30

Student Housing

On January 21 the Student housing process had a critical local approval. At the Ukiah City Council meeting our demolition permit application for the Perkins/Main property was on the agenda for consideration. I attended along with Nicole Marin and Mac Lojowsky to answer questions related to the application. Our demolition permit was previously accepted by the Ukiah Demolition Review Committee. The permit will allow us to remove the existing structures in Spring 2026 and have a shovel-ready site required for the State grant application due June 2026. Thank you to the community members that submitted letters of support to the city council and/or spoke in support at the meeting. The Ukiah City Council voted unanimously to approve our application.

Assemblyman Rogers Visit

On Friday, January 30, Board President O’Neill and I met with Assemblyman Chris Rogers. We reviewed the progress on the North County Phase II building, the affordable student housing application in Ukiah, our Native American Student Support Services Program, Enrollment increases, and more. The visit ended with a stroll through campus highlighting the location of a future allied health building, automotive to view the new EV Lab, and to Agriculture to view the medicine garden. Assemblyman Rogers stopped and took several pictures of the new planting, which included the salmon life cycle installation in the dry creek. Thanks to the agriculture students for design/planting and the ceramics students for the salmon.

Phillip “Ed” Nickerman 1930-2026 OBITUARY – UKIAH DAILY JOURNAL

Ed Nickerman passed away peacefully at the age of 95 on January 5, 2026. Born in Salt Lake City, Ed was one of five children. He and his siblings were free-range kids, roaming the mountains and valleys around Salt Lake, jumping park benches on ice skates in the winter and damming levies to create swimming holes in the summer. When his family moved to Los Angeles, Ed’s adventurous bent only accelerated. Ed took road trips with his siblings, ran away from home on the train, and lost his left index finger when he was 13 due to a shooting incident, inadvertently becoming the first patient to receive penicillin in Los Angeles, which saved the rest of his hand. When Ed was 16 he lied about his age to join the army and honor his brother who died in the war, serving in Japan during the occupation. After returning home he put his GI Bill to work, graduating from Pasadena City College, Pomona College and Claremont Graduate School, receiving a scholarship for B students that would be A students if they didn’t have to work so hard to support themselves. Education became his passion, working as a teacher and administrator in Los Angeles, Alaska, and Mendocino County. He fell in love with Alaska, spending his spare time fishing, hunting, flying his Cessna 180, and building a home and cabin. He was also there to witness the 9.2 magnitude earthquake of 1964, describing the road he was driving on at the time as having turned into a wave. After moving to Potter Valley, he spent 20 years as Assistant Superintendent at the Mendocino Office of Education, where his greatest professional impact might have been in a completely different field – healthcare. He introduced one of the most innovative coverage concepts of the last 50 years – the nation’s first high-deductible plan with a health savings account, the StayWell Plan, for which he received national recognition and created significant savings for the district. After retiring, he served on the Mendocino County Board of Education in his 60s and 70s, and the Mendocino-Lake Community College Board when he was in his 80s and 90s. Ed’s dedication to educating kids was unwavering, early on he started a teacher training program to get more Mendocino County residents involved in teaching and up until his death he was working on getting resources for the auto shop at Mendocino College and a pool for Potter Valley. Ed’s curious nature and work ethic also led him to start the Redwood Empire Auctioneering Company, which helped the county and other local agencies dispose of used equipment and cars. If this weren’t all enough, he built homes on the side, including the house on his farm in Potter Valley, which he worked for decades, dabbling in raising sheep, pigs, chickens, donkeys, hay, vegetables, and, his passion, apples. Ed’s community involvement was never ending as well. He served on the Grand Jury and was a member of the Rotary Club of Ukiah, where he raised funds and was involved in countless local, national, and international projects. Lastly, Ed’s vacations, if you can call them that, were no less prolific. After moving to Potter Valley, he took trips in his airplane and routinely landed it in the back field at the farm. After selling the plane in the 1980s he took up sailing, joined the Lakeport Yacht Club and sailed his Catalina 25 around the San Juan Islands and through Alaska’s Inside Passage. Above all, Ed loved his family, raising 8 children and serving as a father figure for many more. He loved his community of Potter Valley where he had resided for 50+ years. Ed is survived by his wife, Janice “Jan” of 47 years; 8 children: Kim, Chuck, Diana, Lisa, Tanna, Renee, Luke, and Jesse; 19 grandchildren; and 10 great grandchildren. He will be missed dearly. Services for Ed will be January 17@ 11 am at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church, 900 S. Oak Street, Ukiah, CA. Donations in memory of Ed may be sent to Potter Valley Youth and Community Center, P.O. Box 273, Potter Valley, CA 95469

Report on Funding HSI/Retention Support Operations Pursuant to Resolution #12-25-04

At the December 17, 2025 Board of Trustees meeting, Resolution #12-25-04 (Authorizing Contributions From the Unrestricted General Fund to Support Federal Programs Upon Termination or Defunding) was approved. This resolution was in response of the U. S. Department of Education terminating funding for our Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) grant. This grant, which was awarded in 2023-2024, was intended to support District student retention efforts through 2027/2028. However, with the Department of Education’s September 10, 2025 notification, the District would not be receiving the allocation from the grant in 2025/2026 and beyond.

Detail of Program

With funding from the HSI grant, the District hired an HSI Program Manager and three Retention Specialists. The retention team developed a plan to focus on the following:

1. Identifying undeclared students, supporting career exploration and connecting students to the Career Hub 2. Identifying students who do not have an Education Plan and getting them connected with the Counseling Office 3. Supporting the enrollment and completion of the four (4) required transferable courses/areas including following up with first-year students to help them complete their Math and English requirement 4. Supporting the re-enrollment of first-year students from Fall to Spring and second-year students’ enrollment from Spring to Fall

In addition to these student-based goals, the program also had the following professional development goals as outlined in the grant:

1. Implementing equity-based practices and training student-facing staff with 80% of student-facing staff being trained 2. Having (80% of) student-facing staff participate in equity-based training facilitated by the Career Ladders Project.

In support of these goals, the retention team worked closely with multiple departments, such as the Counseling Office, Financial Aid, and Career Hub, to facilitate student connections and support. The District also utilized grant funding to enter into an agreement with Career Ladders Project to deliver multiple equity-based professional development opportunities for staff every year.

Moving Forward

In order to sustain HSI Program efforts, the District has undertaken two significant funding paths. First, since the notice by the U.S. Department of Education to cease grant funding, the District has utilized Equal Employment Opportunity funding to continue the professional development for student-facing staff through the rest of the 2025/2026 year.
However, our partners at Career Ladders Project have been notified that the District will not continue this specific equity- based programming with them. Therefore, this component of the grant operations will be sunsetting at the conclusion of the Spring 2026 semester. Staff still have other professional development opportunities through their departments, the District, the region and the Chancellor’s Office.

Second, the District has communicated to the HSI grant manager and retention staff that it aims to fund their salaries/benefits through the originally intended 5-year HSI grant cycle. We have already used the HSI Grant’s 2024/2025 carryover amount of $270,383 to fund staff salary/benefits through the end of the Fall 2025 semester. Subsequently, the District, through the Board’s approval of Resolution #12-25-04, will be tapping into the General Fund to cover the remainder needed to cover their salary/benefits for the entirety of the 2025/2026 academic year. It is currently estimated to be in the amount of $235,000 which will cover staff salary/benefits and amounts for in-district travel as they support the District’s Centers, a reduced amount for supplies and professional development.

Beyond the current 2025/2026 academic year, the District will utilize Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) Energy Rebates expected to be around $1.05 million to cover salary/benefits for the program’s staff and manager. This rebate is expected as the District participates in combined solar and energy storage systems.

Lastly, the Student Services area will include the retention team positions in the yearly program review staffing requests. This will ensure that we follow the District’s process for institutionalizing the positions in future.

Student Services Department Updates

Eagles Rise Program -Eagles Rise Program Manager Jimmy Bailon and students presented to faculty during their in-service training before the start of the spring semester. They shared their experiences, personal growth, and engagement with Eagles Rise, helping faculty better understand the program’s impact and the needs of justice-impacted students. Jimmy also shared some best practices about how to better support justice impacted students. This semester, the program launched a College and Career Success class (CCS 100) inside Mendocino County Juvenile Hall. Six youth enrolled in the 6-week course.

Basic Needs -The Basic Needs Office has resumed full operations. Our food pantry is now open and ready to serve students. Additionally, Produce Wednesday will begin during the first week of February along with a Student Clothing Closet. We will be at the Lake Center on February 3, followed by the Ukiah Campus on February 4.

Pride Program- During the month of January, the Pride Program organized 4 information activities to align with Eagles Welcome events and intentional social gatherings. The events were held on January 20th, 22nd, and two on the 27th. The activities are intended to support students in sustaining a Club on campus and build community.

Expanded Access and Just-in-Time Counseling Support -Counseling Services continued to offer three days per week of drop-in opportunities, for the two weeks prior to the semester's start date, and the first two weeks of the Spring semester. These were available both in person and via Zoom, to support new, continuing, and returning students. These drop-in sessions provided just-in-time assistance with enrollment, education planning, and general counseling needs during a critical point in the spring semester. This flexible approach helped remove access barriers and ensured timely support for students navigating registration and academic planning.
Eagle Connect Scheduler Implementation -On F ebruary 2, the CalWOR Ks and EOPS programs successfully transitioned to the Eagle Connect Scheduler for student appointments. This transition reflects the college’s commitment to putting student needs first. Eagle Connect is a web-based system that allows students to access scheduling tools 24/7, enabling them to book appointments, make changes to existing plans, and reschedule as needed. Increased accessibility is expected to significantly reduce appointment no-shows while improving the overall student experience.

The Eagle Connect system is also actively collecting data to support counseling reporting needs and is streamlining internal processes for staff. Based on the positive outcomes from this initial rollout, all remaining counseling faculty will transition to Eagle Connect, with the next groups scheduled for March. The department plans to complete the transition by the end of June, with intentional timing ahead of priority registration dates to better support summer and fall enrollment.

Financial Aid -The Financial Aid Office has been hosting FAFSA/Dream Act Workshops across the district to have students complete their 2026-2027 applications by the March 2nd Cal Grant deadline. Students who had their financial aid file complete were disbursed their Pell Grant on January 15th for the spring semester. In addition, we have been contacting students who were enrolled last fall and are still missing requirements to complete their financial aid file.

Additionally, Financial Aid staff will be attending trainings in the upcoming weeks to prepare for the changes associated with the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA/OB3/H.R.1). We are actively monitoring the implementation timeline and guidance as it is released from the Department of Education.

Update from the Centers

Coast-The Coast Center is honored to recognize Mendocino College Photography instructor’s recognition in recent publication. From the Real Estate Magazine (February 2026 Edition) “Photography classes at the Coast Center of Mendocino College are turning photo-neophites into photographers and those who’ve been taking pictures for years into even more skilled masters of the craft. Instructor Markus Pfitzner brings years of educational and professional experience to his teaching. A range of students –from teenagers to retirees –find freedom and confidence in the art of ‘drawing with light.’” RealEstate Magazine-compressed.pdf

North County - ESL Open House on January 14, 2026, Jackeline Orozco hosted a successful open house at the North County Center to boost ESL recruitment. Accompanied by faculty members Sarah Walsh and Colina Crismier, Jackeline delivered an informative presentation to more than 40 attendees-a turnout that significantly exceeded expectations. Thanks to the team’s dedicated outreach, 27 students enrolled in the ESL program at the North County Center. Furthermore, students registered for courses in Administration of Justice, Child Development, and Construction, all of which are offered in Spanish or with Spanish support. The event concluded with a shared meal of tacos to celebrate the day’s achievements.

Lake- The Lake Center is excited to welcome local community college and high school students to the upcoming College and Career Day on Thursday, March 5th. In partnership with LCOE and the Mendocino College Career Hub, we are looking forward to welcoming over 50 tablers across student services, academic departments, local universities, and industry partners to engage with our 300+ expected attendees! Join us for a robust welcome to what college can do to support your future goals and aspirations.
Upcoming Events

Details can be viewed on the Events page, https://www.mendocino.edu/events, or the Athletics page, https://www.mendoeagles.com. The monthly student newsletter https://www.mendocino.edu/newsletters, The Eagle, provides a listing of upcoming events and campus news too.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AGENDA - REGULAR MEETING

Meeting Information

Supporting Documents