The Voice of Butte College
since 1997
News
The Board of Trustees meeting
By Rae Morrison
At Butte College’s Board of Trustees meeting, at 1:00 pm on April 12, at the main campus, a series of items were discussed.
Erik Shearer, the new vice president of instruction, reported that enrollment has increased by 250 FTEs for a total of 7500 FTEs.
Friday classes will be held at the Chico Center next fall. Management is looking at better use for all locations.
The STEM building construction groundbreaking will be occurring, and the additional room capacity will eventually help all STEM students achieve their goals faster.
Vice President Shearer also noted that Bill AB 1187 will enhance the ability to provide foundational skills for students. More will come on this subject.
Shearer discussed his quest for information from students about what they are looking for in a community college. Because of the transition to remote learning due to the pandemic, many students want more flexibility in attending classes at alternate times or online, even though students may achieve a better understanding and retention of a subject in person.
Probationary faculty tenure recommendations were approved by all. Contract, property, out-of-state travel, and other items were approved unanimously.
Butte Child Development Center may be receiving expansion funds.
Commencement is May 26, Cowan Stadium, at 7:00 pm.
The next regular Board of Trustees Meeting is Wed, May 17, at 1:00 pm in the District Board Room in the Student and Administrative Service Building, main campus. There is time set aside in each meeting for the public to introduce comments or concerns. Look at the Board of Trustees page under butte.edu for more information.
Valley’s Edge Referendum Update
Garrett Green, senior staff writer
The city of Chico has been home to an ongoing debate surrounding the 1400-acre site Valley’s Edge continues as Chico’s city council considers its next steps.
After Valley’s Edge was approved by the council in a vote on January 3, 2023, an opposition movement, led by Smart Growth Advocates, began circulating petitions. Enough signatures were gathered from registered Chico voters to warrant a referendum.
The city council had several options. Councilmembers could have voted to rescind their approval of the development. Otherwise, the council must decide the best way for the public to vote on the matter.
The referendum could be placed on the next general ballot in November, on the primary ballot, or on a special election ballot. At the April 4 meeting, City Clerk Debbie Presson estimated the cost of including it on the general ballot to be $100,000, while a special election would cost $266,000. Before making a decision, the council directed the City Clerk to ascertain the cost of including the referendum on the Primary ballot.
The council was also curious how much the plans would have to be changed to constitute an entirely new development and directed their staff to research this.
The meeting featured 24 public speakers, offering their opinions and perspectives on Valley’s Edge; 20 of whom expressed that they were against the development for one reason or another.
Many of the speakers advocated for the idea of building developments inside of Chico, rather than expanding the city's borders and “sprawling” outwards.
Some questioned whether or not the houses would actually be affordable, and others focused on the environmental impacts.
Jared Geiser, one of the principal organizers of the referendum petitions, labeled the claims that the site would be beneficial to the environment as “Greenwashing.” Geiser stated that the people have seen through these greenwashing attempts.
On the other side of the issue, the developer, Bill Brouhard, defended the development as an important opportunity for Chico and emphasized that "rescinding your approval eliminates protection of thousands of oak trees, 700 acres of open space, jobs, economic development, and a landowner's ability to give back something to the community."
