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UKIAH, Calif. – Mendocino College Human Resources Director Karen Chaty was recently honored for 35 years of service to the college.
“Karen is a tremendous support to me in my job as president,” said college Superintendent/President Kathy Lehner. “I would even venture to say that I couldn’t do my job without her. The knowledge she has gained from her years of experience, and her continual review of new laws and regulations, make her invaluable to me and to Mendocino College.”
Chaty was originally hired in 1976, when MC was still located at the Ukiah Fairgrounds.
“I was an administrative assistant to Dean Robert Barnett,” she said. “At that time, I assisted with the employment of part-time faculty and scheduling their classes.”
She remembered sharing an office with Arlene Colombini, who, Chaty said, “was one of the first College employees and a great mentor for me.”
Three years later, she moved to Personnel Services, as it was then known, along with some of her job duties, to work as the personnel technician, when the college first established the department.
Later renamed Human Resources, the department moved to temporary quarters several times as the new college campus was constructed, including a warehouse on Mazzoni Street and a building behind the Ukiah Theatre.
“We were so excited when we finally moved to the permanent Ukiah campus,” she said.
While working at Mendocino College, Chaty completed a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Sonoma State University and a master's degree in human resource management from Golden Gate University. She became the director of Human Resources in 1986.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Chaty's family moved to Southern California when she was a young child.
In the 1960s they lived in Fort Bragg, where she attended junior high and graduated from Fort Bragg High School.
Chaty then earned an associate degree from Santa Rosa Junior College while working as an administrative assistant for Santa Rosa Shoe Co., a manufacturing business.
She said that she always worked while attending college, completing her education without going into debt.
“It was also an opportunity to gain skills along the way,” she said.
As a bonus, she met her husband, Dennis, through a coworker at the shoe company.
When she was hired at Mendocino College, the couple moved to Ukiah, where Chaty’s family had settled. Her father, John Brumett, owned United Land & Timber Realty for many years.
Chaty said what she enjoys most about her job is resolving complex issues, opportunities to be creative and the many wonderful people with whom she has worked over the years. She said keeping up with the ever-changing legal aspects of human resources is the most challenging part of her job.
“Everything about the college has changed in the last 35 years,” said Chaty.
She said she feels fortunate to have started working in Human Resources early on, as she was able to learn the increasingly complex rules and regulations as Mendocino College and the California Community College system evolved.
“The college has had such a positive impact on our communities over the years, and I have very much enjoyed being part of it all,” said Chaty.
In her free time, Chaty and her husband have fun keeping up with their daughter, Melissa, who was Miss Mendocino County 2002 and Miss California 2007.
In August they traveled to San Diego where Melissa sang with the San Diego Symphony, and this fall they are going to New York, where she currently resides, to see her in the play “Camelot.”
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UKIAH, Calif. – The American Association of University Women's Ukiah chapter recently donated $600 to the Mendocino College Foundation to sponsor six English as a Second Language student book vouchers.
The $100 book vouchers are good in the Mendocino College Bookstore towards the purchase of textbooks and dictionaries.
“The growing English as a Second Language Program at Mendocino College serves an important need in our communities,” said Sarah Walsh, full-time ESL instructor at Mendocino College.
“Our ESL program is good for our students and for our communities,” Walsh said. “We are training an important segment of our workforce, providing them with the language skills they need to be successful in their lives.”
The college ESL program offers classes in Ukiah, Willits, Lakeport and Kelseyville.
In Ukiah, classes are not only offered on the college campus, but also at Grace Hudson Elementary School and at St. Mary’s School.
“By forging relationships with our community partners, we are better able to meet the needs of our students – we go to our students, offering classes that they can easily access,” said Walsh.
The program, headed by Walsh, offers courses at all levels, from beginning to advanced.
In each class, Mendocino College ESL instructors teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.
Beginning this year, when students complete the ESL program, they can receive a Mendocino College Certificate of Completion in ESL.
Since Walsh was hired in 2008, the ESL program has grown exponentially, and now serves over 500 students a year.
One of the recipients, Juan Manuel Martinez, stated that he came to Ukiah in 2000 and is married with two children.
“English is important to me because I have plans for the future. I want to speak with people, and I want to work in a bank or be a nurse in the future. Thank you for helping me,” said Martinez.
“The ESL book vouchers are a new program for the Foundation and we are pleased to provide support for the ESL community and would encourage donations or any type of support towards this worthy and exciting new program,” said Executive Director Katie Wojcieszak.
Contact the Foundation Office at 707-468-3164 for more information about this program.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Christian Center Preschool is hosting an orientation night on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The orientation will begin at 6 p.m.
Lakeport Christian Center Preschool offers pre-kindergarten, preschool and daycare.
All parents of pre-kindergarten students and preschoolers/daycare are encouraged to attend this special evening.
This is a great opportunity to become acquainted with the staff, programs and the school.
NCO is accepted. Multi-child discounts are available.
Lakeport Christian Center Preschool is located at 175 C St. on the corner of C and S. Forbes streets in Lakeport.
For information call 707-262-5520 or look the school up online at www.lcchub.com.
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The group in Davis called 25 Teachers’ Salaries wrote the proposed bill and is looking for a member of Congress to introduce it and a member of the legislature to carry the joint resolution.
Earlier this year the Jefferson Elementary School Board in Daly City and the Konocti School Board in Lower Lake, California endorsed the joint resolution proposed by 25 Teachers’ Salaries for the California legislature and the related proposed bill, America’s Weapons Rebate to Education Act.
The purpose of the bill is to restore the level of state support provided to pre-kindergarten through post secondary education to the level of the 2005-2006 school year and maintain it for ten years.
Former CTA President David A. Sanchez wrote to Speaker John Perez and President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg pointing out the disparity between military and education spending.
“The average starting teacher’s salary in California is $42,000. Meanwhile the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) buys bombs and missiles costing $1 million and up.”
For the price of one bomb, California school districts could pay about 25 starting teachers’ salaries.
Noting that the United States has spent over $1 trillion – much of it from California taxpayers – fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Sanchez said, “A reallocation of a percentage of the DOD weapons budget to the states for the purpose of hiring K – 12 teachers and other educators would greatly benefit California students and public schools.”
The CTA letter is on the Web site of the 25 Teachers’ Salaries campaign.
The proposed legislation is on the “Proposed legislation” page under the tab “Campaign Documents.”
On the first day of this year’s military action in Libya NATO fired 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles, each of which cost $1.5 million, an expense of $168 million.
This year the U.S. is spending $160 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, over $5,000 per second or $400 million per day. Each ten seconds these wars cost as much as one starting teacher’s salary including benefits.
In contrast to the intense scrutiny of and deep cuts made to state and school district education budgets, the Pentagon budget has grown at a 9 percent annual rate and its financial statements have not been audited since 2001. See the Office of Inspector General, Independent Auditor’s October 19, 2009 Report No. D-2010-002 found at www.dodig.mil/audit/reports/fy10/10-002.pdf, pages 1-2.
The FY 2010 Pentagon budget of $685 billion includes over $200 billion in weapons spending, broadly defined including procurement, research, development, test and evaluation; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/32_1.pdf.
Mark Graham of Davis, founder and campaign organizer of the 25 Teachers’ Salaries, believes this is a tradeoff that a large majority of Californians and Americans will support.
“A college education at the University of California used to be free, provided by the state,” he said. “Today we are shortchanging our students when we should be investing in the next generation. Laying off teachers, cutting programs and closing schools directly impacts California’s students. The legislature can only do so much, but we know where the real money is going; it’s being spent on weapons. It’s all taxpayer money in the first place. It’s not like we are asking for somebody else’s money to pay teachers’ salaries.
“A joint resolution is a way for California to find its voice. Education should be part of the national budget debate. We are very grateful for the support of the CTA and we invite other stakeholders including local school boards and local teachers unions to add their voices to this campaign,” Graham added.