TSC TRUSTEES STAND UP TO GARCIA, UT SYSTEM

By Juan Montoya
The headline and first two paragraphs announcing the passage of a new partnership agreement had already been written before the meeting of the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees Thursday.

However, as the debate over the Juliet Garcia administration's partnership agreement wore on, it soon became apparent that a very different story would have to be told.

"Get me rewrite," became the order of the day.

In no uncertain terms, a majority of the board decided to reject the proposed pact in favor of drafting one on their own that did not give the assets of the 75-year-old community college district lock, stock, and barrel to the oil- and gas-rich UT System and place unbridled power in the hands of Garcia, the only president the UTB-TSC hybrid has ever had.

Instead, the trustees voted unanimously to set about and draft an agreement to replace the existing one on their own. And instead of being pressured to meet the biennial session of the Texas Legislature, they opted to take their time before agreeing to compromise the assets and mission of the junior college that has served the area's residents well in lean and good times.

“This was a compromise that seems to address the board members’ specific areas of most concern. If we are successful on this new endeavor, it will be very beneficial and successful to the community,” said board chairman Francisco “Kiko” Rendon.
For the first time anyone can remember, there was real debate on the issue.

Before, Garcia's initiatives were rubber stamped by the trustees, often hand-picked candidates of the administration who were installed on the board by the president's well-oiled political machine.

Leading the charge against Garcia's agreement was trustee Adela Garza, who showed that Los Fresnos residents were very much against the idea of turning over all the assets to an institution that has run behind in its rent to the college to the tune of almost $11 million with no hope of payment in sight.

"Our district residents have been supporting this community college for more than 75 years," she said. "They elected us to represent their interests, not the interests of the UT System. If we had accepted this agreement as drafted, it would be like giving away your home to a tenant who had not paid you rent for the last 10 years. Would you do that?"
The board will ask its legal counsel to work with the UT System to craft a counter-proposal to create a new agreement that will focus on open admissions, local oversight to preserve the junior college mission, phase out the community college taxing district, assume bond debt and offer competitive fee and tuition rates for certificate and associate programs.
Rene Torres, who had expressed misgivings about the Garcia proposal said UTB-TSC will continue to operate under the old agreement that is not due to expire until 80 years from now. He said the board does not want to dissolve the partnership as many administration supporters claimed during the debate.
“Without the UT system, we wouldn’t be here today,” he said after a two hour executive session. “Please understand that while TSC collects local taxes and that while 65 percent of the credit hours are taken by TSC students, we the TSC Board of Trustees should have the right to have a say so in determining the destiny of TSC.”
Under the proposed agreement, control and management of the new entity would be under the UT System Regents, with the TSC trustees serving in merely and "advisory" capacity and still continue to run the district as a taxing entity.

Additionally, the power to hire and fire personnel within the new entity would be solely Garcia's domain.

The politics surrounding this decision have been brutal, according to college staffers. Garcia has surrounded herself with a coterie of followers who they say do not hesitate to retaliate against anyone who would oppose her edicts. With her defeat at the hands of popularly elected trustees that she cannot control, it is now just a matter of time before she reads the writing on the wall and seeks a gracious exit.

Some trustees said the pressure on them to swallow the Garcia pact was intense, with many community bigwigs assailing them to toe the line. In the end, Trey Mendez, Garza, Torres and Rendon convinced Garcia supporters Robert Lozano, Robert Robles and David Oliveira to heed the desires of the district's residents.

Oliveira and Robles are up for re-election in the next go-round.