Cabrillo Community College District Governing Board of Trustees, Area 6
Three candidates are vying for one position on the Cabrillo Community College District Governing Board of Trustees, Area 6.
The candidates for this race filled out surveys answering the same set of questions. We are publishing their answers directly as submitted, only edited for clarity.
Meet the candidates
Karen Cogswell
Age: 71.
Occupation: Retired small business owner.
Political background: First time candidate.
Milissa Ales-Barnicoat
Age: 68.
Occupation: CEO, AlliedUp Cooperative.
Political background: First time candidate.
Benjamin Finke
Age: 31.
Occupation: Bus Operator with the Santa Cruz METRO.
Political background: First time candidate.
Candidates on the issues
How will you address faculty concerns regarding livable wages?
First, to listen and learn what the issues facing the faculty are to ensure I have a clear picture based on their experiences and point of view. Although this is my first time to run for public office, I have been involved with the Cabrillo Foundation for many years and thus have experience working with different stakeholders on campus. One of my priorities if elected will be to meet with as many Cabrillo College stakeholders as possible to listen to their concerns, learn about the issues impacting their work and build trust.
Cabrillo is a special place, and it is most successful when all involved work together in a collaborative manner. Affordability is a critical issue facing all communities in Santa Cruz County. I plan to work collaboratively with my colleagues on the board and members of the faculty to address the issue of livable wages in a manner that is fiscally sustainable.
We have to start with the reality of living in Santa Cruz County. If faculty can't afford to live here, Cabrillo will struggle to attract and keep the great teachers our students depend on. I would listen to faculty and make sure I understand where Cabrillo's compensation falls compared with other colleges and where the biggest gaps are. I support working toward fair, competitive wages through the collective bargaining process.
I also know there isn't an endless pot of money. That's why I keep coming back to both sides of this—being responsible with the resources Cabrillo has and being much more aggressive about finding new ones.
For me, taking care of the people who make Cabrillo what it is is part of taking care of the college.
Cabrillo Faculty and Staff are paid at a rate below community college employees in other similar counties across the state. In a county where cost of living is among the highest in the country, I see this as a travesty.
I think the first thing to do would be to look at what other schools are doing differently, the way their budgets are allocated; etc. and make incremental adjustments to try and close that gap with practices already enacted by those schools that pay their faculty at a better rate. Secondly, I would advocate for front-line labor not just as inherently deserving of comfortable benefits and pay, but that in fact--well compensated and generally supported faculty and staff improve the overall health of the school at large.
When instructors feel respected, when they feel they have the support and resources they need--they are best able to focus on students and student success, which translates directly into public perception, which translates directly into community satisfaction with and support for the school. I will ensure that this logic is always emphasized and advocated for on the Governing Board.
How will you work with fellow trustees to stabilize the budget?
I will apply my experience as a member of the Cabrillo College Foundation Board and my long career in finance to ensure we stabilize the budget in a manner that is fiscally responsible. During my years of service on the Foundation, I have always been on the finance committee and am currently chair.
After my career in finance, I feel I can add real value to the trustee board by digging in and understanding all aspects of the complex funding system for community colleges. With declining enrollment, the college must look for any revenue available to keep the funding as robust as possible to close the current $2,000,000 funding gap.
I would start by making sure we all have a clear understanding of what is driving the financial challenges and what our choices really are. I’m used to working with boards and having difficult conversations about money. You don't always agree, but you do need good information and a shared understanding of the problem.
I also don't think we can cut our way to long-term stability. I would want us looking hard at new sources of revenue—state and federal funding, grants, private funding and partnerships. That's an area where I have experience and where I believe I can bring something useful to the Board.
At the end of the day, we have to make responsible decisions while protecting what matters most: students and the people who make Cabrillo work.
I believe that one of my strengths is my ability to cooperate and collaborate in an objective, analytical and efficient way. I heavily prioritize gleaning the core meaning and reasoning behind another’s perspective, and I use that to move the conversation forward, engaging directly with the heart of complex issues and people’s individual positions on them.
Regarding the budget--the deficit still exists, but it has shrunk. The previous fiscal year was around a $4m budget deficit, and recently, the board approved a budget with a deficit around $2m. I would ask each existing board member what was done to decrease the deficit, and would work with them to continue that trend.
Further, I would ask Cabrillo Administration and Leadership--as well as work with the Community College League of California--to lobby the state and advocate for diverting funding from Calbright online community college back towards traditional locally-serving public institutions. In this vein, I would also advocate for amendments to the SCFF formula to better accommodate schools like Cabrillo which don’t only serve first-time college students, but also a large number of people looking to change or advance their careers later in life. I also understand that Cabrillo recently lost some bond measure funding--I would work with other Board members and our public constituency to reintroduce such bonds and eliminate the deficit by freeing up general funds from being locked into facility maintenance costs.
Cabrillo is a Hispanic Serving Institute. What is Cabrillo doing to bridge the gap created by the Federal funding cuts implemented by President Donald Trump?
I think that's a question for the current board of trustees and administration. If elected, supporting the success of all students will be my top priority. Funding reductions and cuts to our budget are challenging issues that we must address collaboratively to ensure all students--no matter their educational or career path--can succeed in life beyond their time at Cabrillo.
I know Cabrillo is working to respond to these cuts, and with a new president there is also an opportunity to look at new approaches. I don't know enough yet about all of the steps being taken, and I don't want to pretend that I do.
What I do know is that losing federal funding that supports students is a real concern. This is also an area where my professional experience could be useful. I work with government and private funding, grants and partnerships, and I would want us looking everywhere we can—state and local funding, philanthropy, grants and community partnerships. We can't just accept that because one source of funding disappears, the work it supported has to disappear too.
Being a Hispanic-Serving Institution is also about much more than federal funding. It's about whether students can get in, feel supported, stay in and succeed. Whatever happens in Washington, that commitment can't change.
The school is still reeling from these cuts. I was recently chatting with a current Board member, and learned that a program prioritizing Latinx participation and success had to be cut because of the changes in Federal funding. I also understand that the wait lists for such high demand programs are quite long--as a Board member, I would explore protecting, if not expanding holistic and needs-based criteria in admissions and waitlist lotteries. With such policies supported and strengthened, Cabrillo could ensure that historically underrepresented and low-income students are offered access to programs that lead to lifelong careers.
I would likewise explore ways to expand the high school dual enrollment program, ensuring local students a stable and accessible pathway to Cabrillo and beyond--being sure to pay careful attention that south county schools remain a priority. I also believe that this is where advocating for state legislative support applies--with decreasing programs and funding from the Federal Government, California needs to adjust its priorities--and support all of our diverse working class Californians in helping them realize their potential to become true participants in the American Dream, while leaving none behind.
We’ve heard from dozens of students that Cabrillo College doesn’t have a strong sense of community. How will you address this concern and work with other trustees to make students feel more pride and more excitement about being part of Cabrillo?
Based on my experience, I believe Cabrillo College does have a strong sense of community and pride. However, it can always be improved. If elected, I plan to work with my colleagues on the board and stakeholders to ensure we are always creating cohesion and pride at Cabrillo College. I've served the college for over 12 years in a volunteer capacity, earning the Meritorious Service Award for Exception Service and Dedication to the College in 2007. I know Cabrillo is a special place with a wonderful community of people, but we can't ever take that for granted and we must work proactively to improve and grow in this area.
I think the first thing we have to do is really listen to students. Not ask for their input because we're supposed to, but listen without already deciding what the answer should be.
I run a worker-owned cooperative, so I understand how important voice is. But giving people a voice only matters if you're willing to actually hear them and sometimes make a change because of what you've heard—even when you might not personally agree. One thing I've learned during this campaign is that some Cabrillo students don't feel heard. That's a problem. If students care enough to speak up and don't believe their voices matter, it's hard to expect them to feel connected to the college.
I would want the Board to hear directly from students more often and, just as importantly, let them know what happened with their input. That doesn't mean students will always get the answer they want, but they should know they were heard. And I would ask them what would actually make Cabrillo feel more like their community rather than assuming we know.
I don't think pride is something a Board can create for students. It grows when students feel seen, included and heard, and when they feel like Cabrillo really is their college.
Firstly, I strongly believe that the new Costa Vista student housing development will play a massive role in helping resident students to feel a part of a community--having to commute to campus, and only having limited free time outside of classes--leaves the student body fractured. I understand it would be a massive undertaking, and would need to be done carefully and responsibly--but, I would be committed to exploring and creating a long term plan for a similar development in Watsonville, as well would always keep the Watsonville Cabrillo campus in mind when it comes to extracurricular activities investment and further introduction and development of student communal spaces.
I also believe that student and community outreach are the answer to a number of the hurdles Cabrillo is currently facing. Cabrillo already offers many coalitions, study groups, clubs, campus/sporting events, and artistic productions--ensuring that our students and community are aware of and able to participate in or attend such local gems will not only do so much to help students feel united, but would also bridge the gap that may be felt between the school and non-student residents.
We’ve heard from dozens of teachers that Cabrillo College doesn’t offer enough faculty support in the form of trainings and connecting colleagues to one another. What will you do to offer more support to teachers to keep them from leaving for another college?
This is an area I want to learn more about by meeting with faculty and staff. We must ensure both groups have the support and resources they need to be successful. When they are supported and empowered our students are supported and successful. Once elected I plan to meet with faculty and staff to learn how the Board of Trustees can better assist them in their work.
What I heard from faculty is that training and connection are important, but pay, benefits and stability are the bigger concerns. If we want to keep great teachers, we have to take that seriously.
I was especially struck by what I heard from part-time faculty, some of whom have taught at Cabrillo for many years without the same compensation, benefits or job security as their full-time colleagues. There is a lot of frustration there, and I think it's important for trustees to understand why.
Professional development and opportunities for faculty to connect with one another absolutely matter. But I don't think we should talk about retention without looking at the whole experience of working at Cabrillo—compensation, benefits, workload, stability, support and whether people feel valued.
As a trustee, I would listen to faculty, understand how Cabrillo compares with other colleges, and make faculty support and retention part of our larger conversations about priorities and the budget. We won't be able to fix everything overnight, but we shouldn't shy away from the hard parts of the conversation either.
While I am sensitive to budgetary concerns, I would continually and strongly advocate for the integration and support of adjunct faculty. Cabrillo already has many resources available to teachers for training in professional development and cultural sensitivity, but many of the in-person resources are offered at the Aptos campus. This leaves teachers primarily operating out of the Watsonville campus further out of the loop, and, part time teachers are currently not provided the same ease of access to participate in and benefit from such programs afforded to full-time faculty.
Similarly, I would advocate for the emphasis and expansion of interdisciplinary connection--I would encourage Cabrillo to host faculty/staff socials, not just to build on collective knowledge, but to further empower and support the people who directly are responsible for student success. I’ve also heard from faculty that, while it is understood that the broader technological landscape is changing rapidly, it sometimes feels that switching from one program to another for common tasks introduces unnecessary difficulty where a need didn’t necessarily exist.
I think that acting on such faculty concerns would not only ease the burden of needing to learn new technology arbitrarily, but would also help them to feel respected by the school, and happier to participate in a collaborative teaching ecosystem long-term.
What else should voters know about your background?
I don't come from a traditional political background. I come from more than 30 years in workforce development, working across education, labor, employers, government and community organizations to create opportunities for people.
As CEO of AlliedUP Cooperative, I work regularly with public agencies, elected leaders, unions, colleges and community partners on workforce policy, funding, grants and programs. I also lead a worker-owned organization, so listening to different voices, building consensus, managing budgets and being accountable to a governing board are part of my everyday work.
I believe that experience translates well to public service. I know how to bring people together, ask difficult questions, advocate for workers and students, and make decisions while balancing different perspectives and limited resources.
I've been a registered Democrat and have voted in every election since I was 18. I am a very active union member, participating in all SMART 0023 meetings and events, participating in all MBCLC Delegate's meetings and many events and actions with other unions, am an elected Member-At-Large with the MBCLC Executive Board, participated extensively with the Friends of Santa Cruz Metro Citizens Initiative Campaign, and was previously a Worker/Owner at PedX Courier and Cargo for 7 years.
I've also voluntarily attended every SCMTD Board of Director's meeting for the last two and a half years, and have attended several RTC/RTC ITAC meetings. I've also been on several efforts/actions an ambassador for SCMTD, representing the district to Cabrillo students leading up to the most recent Cabrillo/METRO contract ratification, as well as many other community events, such as Earth Day, the Strawberry Festival, and Santa Cruz Kid's Day.
About the district governing board
The Cabrillo Community College Governing Board delegates authority to and through the Superintendent/President to administer the District. The Superintendent/President and District employees are responsible to reasonably interpret Board policy as well as other relevant laws and regulations that govern the District.
The Board consists of representatives from seven areas across all of Santa Cruz County along with a Student Trustee who represents enrolled students. The college has more than 17,000 enrolled students per year in two locations — Aptos and Watsonville.