Standing up for Aeronautics and Evans faculty
Background
The Aircraft Maintenance program has lost its lease at SFO and is scheduled to vacate the location by December 31, 2020. The district has proposed moving the program to the Evans campus, which is problematic for several reasons.
First, the campus is located in a mixed-use neighborhood made up of primarily Black, Latino, and Asian families, and has the largest concentration of children in the city. Moving the program into the area brings with it many potential health concerns such as lead pollution from jet fuel, excessive noise from riveting, and the running of jet engines. This is not an industrial neighborhood.
Second, there is not enough space at the Evans location to properly house the aeronautics program and maintain the existing programs, such as Automotive, Motorcycle Repair, Welding, and City Build. These programs, all of which serve residents from the Bayview-Hunters Point area, and lead to well-paying jobs for their graduates, are at risk of being squeezed out if this move goes forward as currently planned. Faculty and students in all of the impacted programs are against this move. The Aircraft Maintenance program needs to be located at the airport.
Current status
Though the Aircraft Maintenance program has been on hold due in part to the COVID-19 crisis and restrictions on in-person instruction, faculty, and students have been working with AFT 2121 to push back on the move and encourage the district to find a new airport location for the program. These efforts have won the program a temporary reprieve. Late last week the district sent a letter announcing plans to postpone moving the Aircraft Maintenance program to the Evans campus. It is not clear how long this deferment will last, but it is only a temporary postponement. The district cited the need to complete environmental impacts reports, and FAA approval before finalizing the move. Current plans are to vacate the SFO site by 12/31/20 and to store the program’s equipment and materials until all logistics of the move can be completed.
Next steps
We see this pause as an opportunity to find an alternate airport location for the program. Faculty have located potential sites at SFO which could house the program, but we need the administration to work with airport officials to make this a priority.
If you have not done so, please sign the petition urging the CCSF administration to work with officials at SFO to find a location for the program at the airport.
You can also attend the community forums to give input directly to the Chancellor, VC Boegel, and Dean Bynum. The next forum is Wednesday, November 18th from 4:30-5:30 PM. You can access the meeting here: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/91417320080
Post-election celebration and info session
Join us for a post-election mobilization celebration Happy Hour on Tuesday, November 24, 4-6 PM. Although some uncertainty still lingers, it’s important to toast all of our volunteers who worked on phone and text banks, literature distribution, sign posting, and other volunteer work to get out the vote around the city, state and nation!
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