The following will be sent to membership and the HCBOT as soon as Outlook returns to service.

Dear HC Presidential Search Committee and Board of Trustees:

The current presidential search has been a cause of great concern for the WPEA. Feedback from our members, stewards, as well as members of the broader community have led us to question both the candidates and search process in general. 

The role of labor at Highline has historically gone unrecognized, as well as the role that staff play in the student and faculty experience. We are committed to protecting our members’ roles, working conditions, and wages, as well as providing an equitable, safe experience for members and students where they can be received with dignity and respect. 

This mission becomes challenging when leadership does not share our commitment to collective bargaining or fails to adhere to shared governance. 

Regardless of the candidate selected to be the next leader of Highline College, we will continue to bargain in good faith for our members. We hope that the search committee, Board of Trustees, and the new president will share this dedication, which depends on trust, respect, equity, clear communication and transparent processes, flexibility, empathy, and a willingness to collaborate, ask questions, and receive feedback with grace and a willingness to change. 

While it is WPEA’s mission to serve our members, it is our members’ mission to serve our students and the community. That commitment has been unwavering in good times and in bad. We ask that the search committee consider the needs of staff, and the impacts they have on the student experience, retention, and the ability of faculty to do their jobs effectively. As every candidate has reiterated in their interviews, we are the front line of service at Highline, and our members deserve to be treated with dignity by whomever next takes up the presidential mantle. 

As of right now, the presidential search process is giving the unions pause and a worrisome concern that the choice of candidate may not reflect the core of what makes Highline College or what the college and its students need. We hope that you take into consideration not just what makes a good candidate but the kind of leader that would make Highline thrive on every level, not just at the surface.

Sincerely, 

The WPEA Steward team and Presidential Interview Committee:

Alex Lawrence, WPEA Steward

George Babcock, WPEA Steward

Sheena Pennell, WPEA Steward

Shay Kelley, WPEA Steward

Romute Barkauskaite, WPEA Steward