Andrea Arzola-ZunigaA petition made by colleagues calling on the district to reverse a decision not to renew the contract of Santa Ana College’s Dean of Counseling has drawn about 200 signatures from students, faculty and staff.
Over her last ten years in the position, supporters say Maria Dela Cruz has secured funding for student-centered programs, created more student support services through affinity centers, and expanded transfer partnerships for students.
“We are all affected when a respected leader is asked to leave despite a strong record of service including modeling shared governance” the anonymously started petition states.
The Rancho Santiago Community College District Board of Trustees voted in June to recommend that Dela Cruz’s contract not be renewed. Administrator evaluations and personnel matters are always discussed during closed sessions.
The petition, addressed to the board, calls Dela Cruz a leader who has “built trust through a proven track record, strong work ethic, and steadfast service” during her time overseeing counseling and student success at the college. It asks the board to reconsider its decision and to weigh the perspectives of students and staff who work with her before finalizing any change in leadership.
Maria Aguilar Beltran, a counseling faculty and coordinator who has worked with Dela Cruz since she was hired, said Dela Cruz was not notified of the vote in advance and learned of it only after contacting the district to confirm what colleagues had said about her contract being decided not to be renewed.
“So our performance evaluation is in closed session and when they came out of closed session they announced that they were recommending for her contract to not be renewed and that was a shock to me you know as a faculty who works with her closely,” Aguilar Beltran said.
Dela Cruz and Santa Ana College both declined to comment via email, citing not being able to discuss ongoing personnel matters.
Much of the petition is made up of comments from faculty and staff as well as current and former students describing what Dela Cruz has meant for them.
“Mrs. De La Cruz was instrumental in my adaptation to the college life and she is part of the reason I got admitted to UCLA! Not renewing her contract is a big mistake,” wrote Daniel Wong, a former SAC student.
“I’m a student at SAC and also a part of MESA-SAC,” wrote Linh Tran, a current student in the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program “Dr. Dela Cruz has done so much for our program and given us a bunch of opportunities to grow and find our path. She always prioritizes the students’ need and cares about her students.”
Luisa Ruiz, a high school and community outreach specialist at SAC, said the petition comments reflect what she sees in her daily work with Dela Cruz’s Counseling Department. She describes counselors who are available, students who are not left waiting, and services that run without disruption.
“She fixed all that,” Ruiz said. “Students don’t wait long. She makes sure to put enough counselors on it.”
Students, faculty and community members will be at the Sept. 14 Board of Trustees meeting to support Dela Cruz. It was not clear if Dela Cruz plans to attend.
