SYNOPSIS:

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

Over the last month, I held our 2026 commencement ceremony. This is the largest celebratory day of the year. We are inexpressibly proud of the students; thankful to everyone who supported our students during their journey; and appreciative of the faculty, staff and managers that curated a learning environment so that everyone can thrive. As I noted in my remarks “And wherever your path takes you, I encourage you to lead with kindness and to live with appreciation. In a world that can feel rushed and divided, simple acts of respect, gratitude, and generosity still have the power to heal, to build bridges, and to remind people they matter. Say thank you often. Lift others up. Notice the good around you—and add to it. If you do, you will not only find success; you will help create the kind of world we all want to live in.”.

At tonight’s board meeting there are some items to draw particular attention to. One item is to authorize the district to apply for a State student affordable housing grant. This is a competitive grant, and we will have preliminary feedback in early 2027. If awarded, there will be a small local match. We are grateful to Congressman Huffman, State Senator McGuire, Assemblymember Rogers, Mendocino County Supervisor Mulheren, and the City of Ukiah for supplying a letter of support. Having support from every local governmental representative and jurisdiction in which the project is located is a powerful statement.

Second, the June 2026-27 tentative budget will be adopted tonight. The district is in good fiscal health. The budget is balanced, in the black, does not deficit spend, and continues a prudent general reserve.

Measure A

I want to provide a brief update regarding Measure A.

Current election results show a majority of voters in the district support Measure A. However, the measure requires 55% approval to pass, rather than a simple majority. At this time, Measure A has not yet crossed that threshold. Updated election results are expected Friday, June 5, 2026. These results will provide a strong indicator of the final result.

The Board of Trustees placed Measure A on the ballot so voters could decide whether to invest in updated training facilities for the critical workforce programs that serve our community. While the measure has not yet reached the required threshold we want to thank everyone who participated in the election.

Like you, we continue to await the final results. With recent changes in USPS postmark deadlines, we want to make sure that every vote submitted by residents on a timely basis is properly counted. We expect to have further updates on Thursday and will share more information as it becomes available.

Thank you for your continued professionalism, patience, and commitment to our students and communities as we await the next update.

Spring 2026 & Summer 2026 Enrollment

Our summer session has begun. This is the first week of classes. Enrollment numbers for summer are up 7% over last year. This summer each of our locations have planned a Summer Scholar Program. The Friends of the Coast Center, North County Center, and Lake Center have collaborated with the Mendocino College Foundation to support the Summer Scholar’s program.

SEMESTER	ACTIVE STUDENTS	FULL-TIME	PART-TIME	TOTAL FTES
SUMMER 2026	2391	17	2374	392.34
SUMMER 2025	2199	14	2185	366.47
SUMMER 2024	2126	17	2109	339.51
SUMMER 2023	1504	7	1497	238.79

Running similar to summer enrollments initial fall 2026 enrollments are up 6%. There are still many weeks until the beginning of the fall semester, but this is very positive news.

SEMESTER	ACTIVE STUDENTS	FULL-TIME	PART-TIME	TOTAL FTES
Fall 2026	1941	383	1558	452.93
Fall 2025	1598	374	1224	423.22
Fall 2024	1480	397	1083	403.04
Fall 2023	1096	302	794	311.14

BoardDocs to Boardable

BoardDocs, the meeting management system used for Board of Trustee meetings, is being retired by Diligent. We will transition to a new meeting management system, Boardable, beginning August 2026. To check out another District that has already migrated to Boardable, go to Ventura Community College District https://site.boardable.com/ventura-county-community-college-district

Coast Center (Fort Bragg)North County Center (Willits) Registration Fiestas

Congratulations on another amazing year! As we transition out of one year, we look forward to the next. The Lake and Coast Centers were excited to throw our fifth annual end of the year Registration Fiestas sponsored by MLACE! These parties were aimed at supporting our Spanish and English speaking communities register for summer and fall classes with support from community and college services. A big thank you to the college support and academic services who attended back to back events last week, as well as the many local community agencies who provide additional support. With expert coordination from Lake Center Manager, Dariela Lopez, and Coast Center Manager, Christine Samaniego, we were able to partner with Clear Lake and Fort Bragg High Schools to provide games to keep children busy while their parents explored higher education and registered for courses. Registration was skillfully provided by Center Assistants, Neydi Rodriquez Zamora, Tammy Carlson, and many others who came together to support these events. With strong community attendance across both events, we were excited to culminate with free raffled Chromebooks donated by the Friends of the Mendocino College Lake and Coast Centers. Save the date for next year, and join us on Thursday May 6^th 2027 at the Lake Center and Friday May 7^th 2027 at the Coast Center!

Coast Center

(Pictured is Ceramics Student Randy Gulck and Part Time Ceramics Instructor Sarah Logan)

"I fell in love with ceramics in high school. When I retired, I built my own studio and spent several years working by myself, but I was lacking fellow artists' collaboration. I enrolled in fall of 25' and have really enjoyed taking classes with Sarah and other students. As you can see from my work, I enjoy sculpting fanciful creatures!"- Randy Gluck

(The Coast ENGL and ART departments celebrated student work via Good Words in May and Randy’s work was recognized)

North County Center

Tuesdays are produce days at the North County Center!

We are fortunate to receive fresh produce along with other essential items such as eggs, rice, potatoes, pasta, and onions- twice a month to share with our students. They truly appreciate this wonderful service and look forward to the variety available each time.
A special thank you to Naoto and Alex for delivering these items, which they pick up from our local Willits Food Bank.

Lake Center

Students from Ceramics class with Instructor Jacqueline Adams. Both students currently have their ceramic artwork exhibited at the new Visions Art Gallery in Lakeport, CA! In addition, in June, both students will be highlighted by the gallery as artists with work on display for the month of June.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AGENDA - REGULAR MEETING

Meeting Information