Board Amends AI Goal After Trustee Warns of Deskilling Risks

The Contra Costa Community College District Board of Trustees spent the bulk of its July 8 meeting wrestling with how far to push artificial intelligence into its annual goals — a debate that surfaced deep tensions about faculty governance, workforce displacement, and the speed of technological change. The board also received encouraging news on the state budget, heard a detailed overview of disability services, and approved a slate of policy revisions on consent and second reading.

• Board softens AI goal language after Trustee Rebecca Barrett raises concerns about deskilling, data privacy, and overstepping faculty authority

• State budget delivers 4.31% COLA and positions district to exit hold-harmless funding status within 13 months

• District joins statewide accessibility cohort to embed disability services across all operations for 3,500+ students

• LMC unveils five-year strategic plan rooted in anti-racist institutional transformation

• Community health organization pitches student wellness partnership to address basic needs barriers

AI on the Syllabus — or Not Yet?

The most substantive debate of the evening landed on Goal 5 of the board's 2026-27 governing board goals, which originally called for "thoughtful integration of artificial intelligence" into district operations and instructional practices. What followed was a 25-minute exchange that laid bare the board's internal fault lines on emerging technology.

Why it matters: The language a board chooses for its annual goals sets the benchmark against which it evaluates itself — and its chancellor. Embedding "integration" as a goal implies a mandate; "exploration" signals caution. The distinction matters for faculty who control curriculum under California's "10+1" shared governance framework, and for staff who would need guardrails before deploying AI tools that touch student data, hiring, or academic integrity.

Where things stand: Trustee Rebecca Barrett led the push for restraint. She told the board the word "integration" presupposes adoption before the district has defined what types of AI it is even discussing. She flagged governance risk, warning the board could be straying into the academic senate's purview over instructional policy.

"I also have concerns with the word encourage exploration. Encouraging is a hop, skip and a jump away from pressure that leads to demand," said Trustee Barrett.

Barrett cited the County of Santa Clara's nine-point AI guiding principles — covering transparency, equity, data protection, and prohibited use cases — as a model the district should consider before moving forward. She pointed to broader workforce data to underscore her concern about premature adoption.

"Early estimates right now is 1 in 4 people who graduated from college are what we would functionally call unemployed," she said, connecting AI-driven deskilling to shrinking entry-level job pipelines at tech companies that increasingly automate work previously done by junior employees.

The other side: Trustee Andy Li pushed back firmly, arguing that competitiveness demands the district lean into AI rather than study it from a distance.

"A couple months ago I read an article. It says for Google their code now is 75% was written by AI. So this developed so fast. I think we need to be ahead of the game," said Trustee Li, who compared resistance to AI to the historical reluctance to allow calculators in classrooms.

The Student Trustee offered a generational perspective that landed somewhere between the two camps: "I do fear for my computer science classmates...for them to get left behind."

Decisions: Chancellor Mojdeh Mehdizadeh brokered a compromise, proposing revised language: "thoughtful exploration and possible integration of artificial intelligence," and replacing "encourage exploration" with "assess AI's implications." Barrett accepted the change.

"I can vote yes on that," Trustee Barrett confirmed.

The board adopted the amended goals unanimously (For: 4, Against: 0, Absent: 1; Trustee John Marquez absent).

What's next: The amended language effectively defers classroom-level AI decisions to the academic senate under 10+1 governance while keeping the door open for administrative exploration of AI tools — a governance precedent that will shape how the district navigates the technology in the year ahead. The chancellor's implementation of the goals will be the next test of how aggressively the district pursues AI.

State Budget Gives District a Path Off Hold-Harmless

CFO Dr. Tony Wold delivered what amounted to a victory lap on the state budget, reporting that two years of district advocacy produced tangible results in the final spending plan.

Why it matters: Community colleges funded under the Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF) that haven't grown fast enough can get stuck on "hold-harmless" — a funding floor that prevents cuts but also caps growth. Exiting hold-harmless means the district can start earning revenue tied to actual enrollment and student success metrics, unlocking dollars that won't be available otherwise.

Where things stand: The signed budget includes a statutory 2.87% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) plus an additional 1.44% — totaling 4.31% — with the augmentation specifically funding a new law requiring 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave for community college employees. The SCFF now includes growth funding of 1% for the prior year and 1.5% going forward. The Student Equity and Achievement Program (SEAP/CEAP) received a 5.74% makeup COLA to compensate for two years without any adjustment.

"Our advocacy that we were part of did play into the final results of the budget. Two of the things that we were very focused on, the highest year versus the three year average, is built into the budget," said CFO Dr. Tony Wold.

He added that the district is moving away from the hold-harmless label altogether: "No longer saying the words hold harmless, but starting to talk about the concept of stability. And then fast forward about 13 months from today, we will likely be able to say that we have become funded on the highest year and have restored ourself to SCFF."

Chancellor Mehdizadeh credited the board directly: "If I may say, trustees, you've been advocating for this for the last two years, so they're hearing us."

One-time funding headed to the district includes approximately $3 million in student support block grants (from $150 million statewide), approximately $2.6 million in deferred maintenance (from $120.7 million statewide), plus statewide allocations for dream resource centers ($71 million) and LGBTQ student supports ($30 million). The unresolved $3.9 billion Prop 98 holdout remains outstanding, with language to begin restoring it to the rainy day fund.

What's next: The district anticipates adopting its budget in September.

District Joins Statewide Accessibility Cohort for 3,500+ Students

Associate Vice Chancellor Dr. Mandy Leung and Vice Chancellor Inez Zilczyk presented a comprehensive look at the district's disability support infrastructure — and signaled a fundamental shift in how the district approaches accessibility.

The basics: The district's Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) and Disability Support Services (DSS) served more than 3,500 students across Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, and Contra Costa College in 2025-26, a number that has grown each year. Services range from priority registration and testing accommodations to alternate media, note-taking, assistive technology, and interpreter services.

Why it matters: The district has been selected for the 2026-27 Accessibility Capability Maturity Model (ACMM) cohort, a statewide framework that evaluates and improves accessibility across seven areas including governance, web accessibility, procurement, and organizational culture. The shift moves the district from a reactive posture — fixing problems when they arise — to proactive, systemic integration.

"The ACMM is a transformative framework designed to help institutions move from a reactive approach which focuses on addressing accessibility concerns when issues arise, to a more proactive and ongoing effort to integrate accessibility into our everyday practices," said Associate Vice Chancellor Dr. Mandy Leung.

On the facilities side, the ADA Transition Plan serves as a long-term roadmap for identifying and prioritizing physical accessibility improvements funded through the Measure E bond, standalone projects, and Division of the State Architect-required renovations.

Board President Diana Honig, who identified herself as a disability rights attorney, shared a personal connection to the work: "Accessibility is an issue very close to my heart. I identify as someone who has a disability. It's an invisible disability, but it's definitely something that I identify with."

Honig called for disability to be included in all DEI data analysis and disproportionate impact reporting rather than siloed from race, gender, and other categories. Trustee Li asked about online learning challenges for students with disabilities; Chancellor Mehdizadeh confirmed faculty are trained in universal design. The Student Trustee noted that professors are proactively sharing disability resources with students.

LMC Charts Anti-Racist Five-Year Course

LMC President Dr. Pamela Raulston presented the college's new 2026-31 Educational Strategic Plan, developed over 18 months with participation from faculty, classified professionals, managers, students, and community partners. The item was informational — no vote was required.

Why it matters: The plan replaces static planning documents with a dynamic, web-based continuous improvement cycle tied to measurable student success and equity gap data.

"Our theory of change is premised on a systemic, anti-racist institutional transformation, not simple incremental fixes," said LMC President Dr. Pamela Raulston.

The plan features four overarching goals: fostering an inclusive, anti-racist campus culture focused on belonging and equity; increasing equitable enrollment, first-year success, completion, and transfer; enhancing dual enrollment, early college, transfer pathways, and work-based learning; and continuous improvement in efficiency, data use, technology, and fiscal stability. The planning cycle — discover, design, resource, implement, evaluate, reflect — is supported by a 114-page comprehensive document, an interactive website, and a portable executive summary designed by paid summer intern Justin Farinato.

Board President Honig praised the approach: "It's a phenomenal plan and I really liked the theory of change and looking at mattering and affirmation and the concept of collective ownership is so critical for things to get implemented."

Community Health Org Offers Student Wellness Bridge

Walter Perez, working in community partnerships at Soalo Health, was the sole public commenter. He introduced his organization, which connects families and community members to healthcare, behavioral health, and support services through CAL AIM initiatives and Promotoras de Salud (community health workers).

Perez, himself a community college graduate, emphasized that students dealing with housing instability, food insecurity, and untreated health needs face barriers to staying enrolled and completing classes. His ask: the opportunity to connect with college campuses and student support teams to link current students to trusted healthcare and social support services — and to introduce community members served by Soalo Health to district programs.

Minor Items

• Consent agenda (Board Reports 11B–15A) approved without discussion (For: 4, Against: 0, Absent: 1; Marquez absent).

• 2026-27 contract administrator salary schedule approved, incorporating June 10, 2026, contract addenda and performance evaluations for 10 administrators (For: 4, Against: 0, Absent: 1).

• Adult education consortium steering committee — two new voting members and two new alternates appointed (For: 4, Against: 0, Absent: 1).

• Board Policy 4010 (academic calendar) revisions approved on second reading (For: 4, Against: 0, Absent: 1).

• Curriculum and Instruction Procedure 4010 (academic calendar) revisions approved on second reading (For: 4, Against: 0, Absent: 1).

• Curriculum and Instruction Procedure 4016 (credit for prior learning) revisions approved on second reading, aligning with $35 million in state one-time funding for credit for prior learning (For: 4, Against: 0, Absent: 1).

• Board Policy 1004 (electronic recordings of board meetings) approved on second reading. Trustee Barrett requested a direct link to meeting recordings be added to the governing board webpage to improve public access.

• Chancellor's report recognized district staff for earning top-rated sessions at the statewide Association of Chief Business Officials conference; Dr. Jeffrey Michaels' monthly "How to Get Hired at California Community College" workshops have drawn over 500 total attendees and been adopted onto the state Chancellor's Office Career Connect portal; the district's faculty diversity internship program, facilitated by HR Director Dan Cueva, was spotlighted as a state best practice and will be featured in the upcoming Equal Employment Opportunity Handbook. A district-hosted job fair, supported by the state Chancellor's Office, is planned for November 2026.

• Board President Honig adjourned the meeting in memory of retired DVC music professor Kenneth Brookmeier.