City College of San Francisco Chancellor Mark Rocha has resigned days after being placed on paid administrative leave amid the college's years-long budget crisis.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Rocha's resignation comes after Board of Trustees officials said last week that the reason for his administrative leave was a confidential personnel matter.
The college has been in a deficit for years, and Rocha's decision to cut hundreds of classes and his attempt to double executive salaries garnered dissatisfaction from the college community. His plan for the administrative pay increase was ultimately rejected, and he and the Board of Trustees instead voted to raise most administrators' pay by 10% during the budget crisis.
Rocha has been chancellor since 2017.
The college has been in a deficit at least since then—the year City College emerged from a five-year accreditation crisis, according to an internal audit. However, the college never regained its financial footing, and Rocha has had a series of public missteps.
An internal auditor told the trustees in January that City College spent nearly $14 million more than it took in as of June 30, causing a 58% drop in the unrestricted general fund.
The college has little money in reserve.Trustees have expressed dissatisfaction with how the chancellor communicated efforts to get spending in line with revenue. Rocha cut more than 600 classes, often springing news of the cuts on students and faculty at the last minute, which outraged teachers and students.
As part of his resignation agreement, the San Francisco Community College District will pay Rocha his yearly base salary of $340,481 over the next year, continue paying his health insurance for the next year, pay him $24,476 in accrued and unused vacation days, and pay him an additional $11,000 to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses.
Board of Trustees President Shanell Williams says college officials are opening a search for a new chancellor and will hire an interim to start serving as soon as possible.
