Doug Robb is running for the West Valley Mission Community College Board of Trustees.  Please VOTE for Doug.  He will make an AMAZING Board of Trustee Member.  AFT 6157 supports Doug.  Click here for information on his campaign.  Click here for more information on why he is running.  Contact us if you can help walk AREA 7 to campaign for him.  

For every dollar the West Valley - Mission Community College District will spend in 2026-27, just 11¢ goes into the teaching of classes.  When one follows the money, it is clear that the District leadership has prioritized construction and using its voter-approved bond funds over offering classes to the community.

Source:  WVMCCD AY2026-27 Budget

The voters need to elect better stewards of their tax dollars.

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It’s time for leaders who will fulfill the mission of the community college by offering quality classes and services to the community.

Many students come to Mission College or West Valley College and end up on a waiting list.  10% to 20% of students are waitlisted each semester in the District.  When a student remains on a waiting list it is analogous to a public school turning away a student.  West Valley – Mission CCD is one of the wealthiest community colleges in the State of California, but each semester it turns away students by not offering all the classes needed by students. 

In Fall 2026, over 4000 students were waitlisted for classes.

In Spring 2026, the situation was worse.  Two faculty wrote this about the Spring 2026 semester:

"We had thousands of students on waitlists this spring – 1614 students were on waitlists of 15 or more students, which should have immediately trigger class additions. Unfortunately, most of those waitlisted students were ignored and had to find classes elsewhere outside of our District.  Students in STEM programs, GE classes, and those interested in ESL and Kinesiology classes were some of the most impacted, with waitlists reaching 30+ students, and with one reaching 60 students. Our core business is providing a quality education to students in our community, and we are sorely lacking in our ability to meet their needs with our current budgeting structure.  In recent years, many programs have had their budget cut dramatically and replacement faculty have not been added. For such a well funded district as ours, it does not need to be this way.”

"I’m speaking as a Mission College counselor.  For nearly 30 years, I’ve worked directly with our students in their educational planning.  I’m here tonight because I’m concerned about the negative impact on students when classes fill early in the registration cycle and waitlists grow quickly, and when classes are cancelled.

§ Counselors want students to complete their educational plans in a timely manner.

§ I notice that students usually feel anxious about being waitlisted vs. being enrolled.  Rather than get on a waitlist, many of these students look elsewhere for a guarantee that they are enrolled, or end up delaying critical courses in their educational plan.

§ Delays in completion impact a student’s motivation level, and some leave our college and don’t return if they find another college that better accommodates their course and schedule needs. 

§ Waitlists can have unintended consequences for transfer to university, especially regarding STEM classes.  These courses are often part of a sequence of courses in a discipline like Biology, Chemistry, Math or Physics.  If a student splits a sequence between different colleges, this can be detrimental to transfer admissions, because universities typically require that students complete an entire sequence at the same college.”

It’s time for leaders who will prioritize offering the classes that students need and who will act quickly to open new sections when waitlists begin forming.

From 2013 to 2026, the West Valley – Mission Community College District’s ending fund balance in their unrestricted fund (e.g. the fund used for classes and counseling services) has grown from $10,769,937 to $122,680,341.

Source: WVMCCD Budget Reports

This revenue primarily comes from local property tax.  So instead of offering classes that students need, the District leadership retained this money in its reserve.

Meanwhile approximately over this same time period, the West Valley – Mission Community College District has more than doubled the number of administrators while decreasing teaching faculty by 7% and decreasing support staff by 17%.     Source: California State Auditor

From 2013 to 2026, the West Valley – Mission Community College District’s ending fund balance in their unrestricted fund (e.g. the fund used for classes and counseling services) has grown from $10,769,937 to $122,680,341.

Source: WVMCCD Budget Reports

This revenue primarily comes from local property tax.  So instead of offering classes that students need, the District leadership retained this money in its reserve.

Meanwhile approximately over this same time period, the West Valley – Mission Community College District has more than doubled the number of administrators while decreasing teaching faculty by 7% and decreasing support staff by 17%.     Source: California State Auditor 

There is now one administrator for every 3.37 full-time faculty.  Quality education need not cost this much!

The District is governed by an elected seven member board.  These trustees are entrusted to use tax revenue to provide to the community quality instruction and academic services.

Instead those who have served on the board for many years are emphasizing construction and capital outlay over the academic needs of community members.

It’s time for the WVMCCD to refocus on the core purpose of a community college.  The best way to do this is for the voters to elect Doug Robb (Area 7) and Colin Glaves (Area 3).

Union Workers earn 10-20% more than non-union workers.  A large empirical study by economists at Columbia and Princeton, tracking millions of workers over decades, found that unionized workers typically earned 10 percent to 20 percent more than similar workers.  

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Filing for Unemployment, If you have any questions, please contact an AFT 6157 Executive Board Member for assistance or email info@aft6157.org

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