Faculty gives Goldsmith ‘no confidence’ vote

The unionized educators of the region’s college district want a local leader removed from office.

The community college faculty of the State Center Federation of Teachers (SCFT) met on Thursday, Nov. 13 to execute a unanimous Vote of No Confidence in the top administrator of the State Center Community College District (SCCCD), Dr. Carole Goldsmith.

Goldsmith the same day announced her retirement effective September next year. She has held the position since January 2022.

SCFT is the union which represents the SCCCD faculty. The SCCCD serves the Central Valley region by operating two centers and four community colleges, including Madera Community College and its Oakhurst Campus.

The faculty union SCFT said in a Nov. 17 statement the Nov. 13 meeting was planned months in advance of the Chancellor’s retirement announcement, was standing room only as a record number of faculty gathered to review devastating results of a recent climate survey.

A vote of no confidence symbolizes that a leader is unfit to hold the position and often results in that person resigning or being removed from office.

They reportedly shared stories of retaliation and dereliction of duty by top district administration including Goldsmith. Under her leadership, union officials said, “the district’s legal expenses exploded (and) a team of bullies enacted a culture of retaliation and fear, ignoring faculty expertise and silencing college voices.”

“Faculty morale is at an all time low,” officials said. “Goldsmith preaches kindness but the faculty’s experience of her leadership is very different from her carefully crafted public persona.”

The Resolution of No Confidence in Goldsmith was set to be read aloud to the California Community College (CCC) Board of Governors at their regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The union said copies of the resolution would be issued to the SCCCD Board of Trustees, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and the Superintendent of Public Instruction with a call for her immediate removal from office regardless of her self-scheduled retirement date of September 2026.

Despite the tensions, the faculty union officials said, their negotiation team still planned to meet again with the district at the negotiation table, “in good faith, on Friday, Nov. 21.”

The federation is planning to host a city-wide town hall on higher education, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m.

The Oakhurst campus of Madera Community College serves Oakhurst, Mariposa County, Yosemite Valley, Bass Lake, North Fork, Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Fish Camp, O’Neals, Raymond, Wishon, Yosemite Lakes Park and surrounding communities.

The existing modest campus near the library these days offers around 25 classes with about 10 in person in portables, a huge drop from prior to Covid.

Meanwhile a new $325 million Measure C-funded Oakhurst college campus is currently under construction near the Sheriff’s Substation in Oakhurst.