Via The Olympian
About 50 people attended the South Puget Sound Community College Board of Trustees’ meeting on Tuesday, several of whom shared their concerns about two culinary programs that have been recommended for closure.
In all, the community college recommended in February that three programs — paralegal, culinary arts and a baking and pastry arts program — close as a way to stabilize the college’s financials.
“In recent years, tuition increases have not kept pace with growth in employee salaries, benefits, utilities and other essential expenses, resulting in a budget increasingly dominated by fixed personnel costs, now totaling 83% of the college’s budget,” the college announced last month. “At the same time, the timing of state funding no longer aligns with when expenses are incurred, creating recurring cash flow gaps early in the fiscal year.”
Although three programs have been recommended for closure, it is the food-related offerings that have touched a nerve with many in the Olympia area and spurred them to attend the Tuesday afternoon gathering.
The Board of Trustees, whose members include former Olympia Mayor Doug Mah, former Lacey Mayor Mark Brown and Thurston County Assessor Steven Drew, did not interact with the speakers, but listened.
Josie Bush told the board she was in her fourth quarter of the culinary arts program.
“These courses have changed my life, giving me so many opportunities, such as going abroad and finding work at my current job of two years as a pastry chef,” she said. “... Hearing that these programs are under consideration for being closed or taught out is extremely sad in an industry where respect is already a scarcity. This would be another blow that would deprive our community of important resources and a wonderful education. I’m here to say, please consider other options. I’m sure you have, but losing this program would be devastating.”
Faye Hervieux said the programs got her into a pastry school in France that she starts in the fall.
“The only reason I actually have the guts to do it is because of these amazing chefs that have been uplifting me from the beginning, and have given me the confidence to say yes to that opportunity,” she said. “It makes me sad to think of all the younger versions of me who won’t have the same options because of this choice.”
Junior Higgins, who is set to graduate in the culinary arts in June, talked about what he has learned. “Since starting this program, I’ve made hundreds of dishes,” Higgins told the board. “I’ve researched for countless hours. I’ve learned how to butcher quail, rabbit, cow, pig; I could do it with my eyes closed. I made gallons of soup, pasta, rice, risotto, sandwiches, cakes, scones, pies, tarts, meats, salads, drinks and so much more.”
Carlos Garcia, who said he used to work for a competing community college, said the programs mean more than just food.
“It teaches food safety, management, growth, leadership, entrepreneurship, hospitality. We’re going to be taking that away from people. And when we talk about the culture of Olympia, it can affect the culture of it. A lot of these people are in Olympia. And the one thing about community college that I’ve known my whole life is that it creates opportunity. And we’re not creating opportunity when we cut programs.”
Recent SPSCC graduate Rae Watkins spoke up for restaurant workers, telling the board she was once one, too.
“I worked in restaurants from 2012 to 2022, 10 years of elbow to elbow with some of the hardest working, most blatantly undervalued people I’ve ever had the privilege to know,” she said. “Low-enrollment, trade-specific programs help students connect with more than just a knowledge base, they connect up with this community that allows for a deep and meaningful experience and generates a passion that is often harder to bring to a larger program.”
What happens now?
The college is working through a process that began after the programs were recommended for closure, said college spokeswoman Kati Sagawa, who also attended Tuesday’s meeting.
“After the initial recommendation from the vice president for instruction to the president, that kicked off a 14-day appeals process,” she said, adding that faculty in the baking and the culinary arts programs opted to contest the recommendation.
They responded to the vice president for instruction with their opposition and provided additional information and data they want to be considered, Sagawa said.
The vice president for instruction now has 14 days to review and respond to that information, and then there’s another 14-day window in which faculty can request a hearing, she said.
Given the timing of the process, Sagawa does not expect the recommendation to come before the board for a vote until May, she said.
“I don’t anticipate anything going to vote next month,” she said.