Edward Pohlert, a MiraCosta College counseling faculty member, is running for the Area 2 seat on the Palomar Community College District board of trustees. The San Diego Union-Tribune asked all the candidates running in community college districts around San Diego County about their policies, plans and priorities. Here’s what Pohlert told us about his. Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? I’m a 32-year resident of San Marcos and have seen the value that Palomar College is as a pathway to the California workforce and higher education institutions. I have 41-plus years’ experience in higher education spanning the California State University and community college systems. Edward Pohlert (Melinda Finn Photography) My past roles as staff, administrator, statewide chair, faculty director and college counselor have provided insight into higher educational organizational structures and policies. It’s also provided me with a wide range of perspectives on campus climate, diverse student populations, comprehensive services, and organizational resiliency. As alumnus of Los Angeles Community College, I understand the community college mission and the value it holds for all communities across ideological, economic, cultural and educational contexts. I hope that education is still the great equalizer, especially for communities that have been denied opportunities and want to be full contributing members of our society in its socioeconomic, cultural and educational contexts. What is the most important issue currently facing your community college district? Palomar College is still recovering from post-pandemic enrollment drops. Potential students are re-evaluating career choices, basic living needs, economic change, mental and physical health and potential employment opportunities. The college needs to let our community know about the value and cost of education. More intentional outreach, personal engagement, and presence at community centers, Sprinter stops, supermarkets and public spaces where people gather ensure more potential enrollment in the many courses and programs we offer. We must also develop relevant educational programs that enable community members to join a dynamic workforce. Developing paid internships and job-ready skills that relate to our local and regional economy ensures partnerships in the community that benefit our students. Finally, we need to support curricular innovation, cultural proficiency and student development as our society becomes more multicultural, intergenerational and complex. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? We are a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), serving over 48 percent Latinx student populations. Ensuring educational access and cultural programming to this emerging community is essential in being accountable to the community at-large. We need to analyze current policies, organizational structures and practices that do not serve our Latinx students. Palomar College benefited from an educational bond in 2006 Proposition M, which produced new educational facilities improving instructional spaces. However, there are older campus facilities that need modernization housing instructional programs and student services. Deliver more online options for community members who are in more rural areas of our district. These online options must be innovative as not all students benefit from solely online instruction. A hybrid/hyflex option where students have the ability to Zoom into class and/or attend that same class is a viable method to keep students and faculty engaged in the learning process. What would your approach be to budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? My approach is always to ask the following question: “How does this plan or expenditure benefit students?” With collaboration and consultation with key groups and leaders of faculty, staff and students, a plan and budget can be crafted with intentionality and purpose to fulfill the college’s mission. In addition, the state of educational budgets in California is unpredictable given the enormity of the economic engine and needs in a state this size. I have three principles: How do we preserve educational quality and services to students and community members? Where can we reduce, suspend and postpone expenditures that do not impact employees’ livelihoods? How can we collaborate and share resources as a college community so that students still receive a functional education? Fortunately, Palomar College has been fiscally responsible and accountable to have a healthy budget surplus that enables it to function as an effective organization. What would you do to make community college more affordable and accessible? There are several Palomar College programs and initiatives that make community college more affordable. The Palomar Promise, the Food and Nutrition Center Services and Comets Affordable Learning Materials all assist students’ needs in providing free tuition, food insecurity and low/zero textbook costs. Sustaining and strengthening these programs to be permanent fixtures is essential to students’ foundation for success. As stated before, I believe that college access starts with engagement with the community. Developing faculty and staff teams that go out into the district’s designated areas where people gather is essential. Having a presence in social media and local public television platforms keeps Palomar College in the forefront of community members’ minds and thought processes when deciding about acquiring practical employment skills and/or striving for educational aspirations leading to university study. How should your community college district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? Develop student, faculty, staff surveys and focus groups to assess the implementation of the mission and values. Utilize data dashboards and identify where the gaps are and how departments can work collaboratively to revise, enhance, increase and value program, instructional and student service learning outcomes. Establish educational equity services in traditional programs such as learning centers, tutoring, instructional pedagogy and career education so that the colleges match the needs of non-traditional students with equity serving structures. Why do you think more students are not transferring to four-year colleges or completing a degree/program? What, if anything, do you think should be done to address that issue? The cost of higher education is still high, and there are many competing interests such as seeking secure employment, poverty, mental health and secure housing. I propose the following questions: a. The traditional framework of a 15-16-17-week semester is an old model that inhibits innovation and creativity. What various semester models can be offered that enhance student choice, yet keep the integrity of teaching content for each discipline? b. What is the ratio of online asynchronous/synchronous courses versus on-ground? Are we assessing adequate retention/persistence goals for each and is it meeting student needs adequately? c. Are we over-inundated with offering multiple programs/disciplines (certificates, AA, transfer) that don’t allow us to be excellent in all? d. Do we establish career workforce academies that address the emerging and changing economy that includes AI development, hybrid/EV technology, culturally proficient communication teaching and other dynamic areas that keep emerging? Do you think anything currently offered in community college district curricula, libraries or programming should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? No, I believe we need to keep moving forward in education as we meet the challenges of the 21st century. There are incredibly gifted community college faculty and staff that provide expertise and brilliance in the room consisting of lifetime educators, students/community members and educational innovators leading us in promising practices and policies that move us forward. The Institute for the Future provides us with future-ready guidance and frameworks for organizations. We must build on our current curricula, strengthen our library collections, on-ground and online, and expand programming that meets the diverse needs of our emerging student populations. Our alignment with California state requirements for transfer to the CSU and UC university systems is essential for students to align their transfer course patterns with their field of study and areas of language, ethnic studies and history, Constitution and American ideals.