Antelope Valley College Cuts Roles Amid Management Restructuring

LANCASTER, Calif. — The Antelope Valley Community College District’s governing board unanimously voted on Monday night to abolish three confidential positions and nine vacant classified positions, responding to issues surrounding management restructuring.

The positions eliminated included general counsel, paralegal/legal assistant, and project supervisor for first-year and second-year experiences. The project supervisor role is the only one currently occupied; the employee will transition to a new role as Project Supervisor in Student Services effective July 1.

Bridget Cook, the former general counsel, was placed on administrative leave last December, with her contract set to expire on June 30. Megan Aceves, her legal assistant, has since transferred to a different position within the college.

Physics professor Jason Bowen, who is also the president of the Antelope Valley College Federation of Teachers, expressed support for the board’s decision. “This is good news,” he stated. “Eliminating the general counsel and paralegal positions is the right move. Honestly, these positions never should have been approved in the first place.”

Bowen raised concerns about the impact of having an in-house attorney, suggesting it would change the campus culture. “When you put an attorney… at the center of every decision, every issue starts getting treated like a legal case,” he noted. “Not a misunderstanding or a tough conversation, but a liability.”

The vote to abolish the positions was unanimous, with the board also agreeing to eliminate nine classified positions, all of which are vacant. The positions include clerical and administrative roles, some of which have been unfilled for extended periods.

Among the positions abolished, the clerical assistant II in Fiscal and Financial Services has been vacant since September 2020, the administrative assistant for Risk Management since May 2023, and coordinator for the Instructional Multimedia Center since April 2022.

Pamela Ford, president of the Antelope Valley College Federation of Classified Employees, criticized the decision, expressing the need for discussions regarding these cuts to be included in bargaining sessions. “We have asked earnestly for the district to roll this matter into bargaining; the district continues to resist,” she stated.

Ford pointed out the lack of communication from the board regarding the abrupt nature of the cuts for unfilled positions. “I would like a written response from the board of trustees as to why this matter is being rushed, as the district itself acknowledges these positions have been vacant,” she said.

Trustee Michael Rives concurred with Ford, suggesting that the issue should be revisited at a future meeting. However, the board ultimately voted 4-1 in favor of axing the nine classified positions.