For immediate release: January 14, 2015

Today the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) announced it has granted the application by City College of San Francisco for its so-called “Restoration Status” policy. The agency, responding to growing critical scrutiny of its arbitrary, inconsistent and illegal actions after it sanctioned CCSF and pulled its accreditation, devised the new policy last year, and basically forced CCSF to apply for it.

However, “restoration status” leaves CCSF with no right of appeal or review, and allows the college to be shut down even if it meets a standard of “substantial compliance,” while other colleges can remain open if they meet the “substantial compliance” standard.

Tim Killikelly, president of the CCSF faculty union, AFT Local 2121, said, “The Commission always had the authority to grant a two-year “good cause” extension for CCSF, as it has done for many other colleges. Restoration is a deceptive policy, meant to take the heat that has been growing for two years off the agency as its practices have come to light. It is a ticking time bomb for CCSF, not a real solution to the problems the ACCJC has created for us and our thousands of students.”

“The decision is more of the same from this rogue commission,” said CFT president Joshua Pechthalt. “Its press release says “The termination implementation was suspended to permit time for CCSF’s appeal of the action.” Nothing is further from the truth. The college stayed open only because a San Francisco Superior Court judge granted an injunction, stating that closure would be a terrible harm to the community. That is still the case today, and we await Judge Karnow’s decision this month in “The People vs. ACCJC” for a fair remedy to the commission’s destructive actions.”

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The CFT represents more than 25,000 faculty in thirty community colleges districts, and 120,000 educational employees at every level of the education system, from Head Start to UC. More information: cft.org.