As Santa Monica College drowns in debt and students abandon ship, the ongoing crisis appears to have torpedoed the current search for new leadership at the school.
SMC has paused its search for a new superintendent/president, just weeks after the committee tasked with vetting candidates completed its work, according to a message sent to college employees.
SMC’s Vice President, Human Resources, Tre'Shawn Hall-Baker, Ph.D., wrote in the message that the search committee — made up of representatives from students, faculty, classified professionals, management and the broader community — worked "thoughtfully and diligently" over several months to advance the recruitment before wrapping up earlier this month.
"Since the committee completed its work, unforeseen circumstances have required us to temporarily pause the recruitment process," Hall-Baker wrote, adding that officials remain hopeful the process will resume soon and pledging to keep the campus informed of the timeline and other details as things move forward.
A follow-up statement said the SMC Board of Trustees and the college "remain fully committed to identifying an exceptional leader" and believe it is in the institution's best interest to take the time needed "to get this decision right." As part of the pause, the Board of Trustees will evaluate the search process and consider the best approach for moving forward, the statement said.
No official explanation of the “unforeseen circumstances” or additional details on why the search has been paused were provided but some college officials speculated the ongoing problems at the institution may have prompted some candidates to scuttle their own applications.
Officials emphasized that no current staff contracts are pending approval that are tied to or affected by the search timeline, and that the college's leadership team continues to actively manage enrollment and financial initiatives independent of the presidential search. The college said it appreciates the community's patience and will provide further updates as the process continues.
The pause comes as SMC works to fill the seat currently held by Superintendent/President Kathryn E. Jeffery, who will retire effective Dec. 31, 2026.
A College Under Fiscal Strain
The search pause arrives amid one of the most difficult stretches in SMC's recent history. In July, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges notified Jeffery that the college scored "at-risk" on the commission's Composite Financial Index, automatically triggering enhanced monitoring. Colleges that remain on enhanced monitoring for three consecutive years without resolving their fiscal issues could face adverse action.
The commission pointed to four factors: a structural deficit in which expenses exceeded revenue for three straight years, from 2022-23 through 2024-25; a significantly unfunded retiree benefits liability; a 34% decline in cash reserves over three years; and multiple expired labor contracts.
Jeffery said the data underlying the warning predated cost-cutting measures the college has since taken, including layoffs, furloughs and pay freezes, and noted that SMC has ratified contracts with two of its unions, though faculty negotiations continue. Still, Academic Senate President Vicenta Arrizon said the tentative 2026-27 budget shows a structural deficit of roughly $7.6 million with no clear plan yet to close it, and that the college meets five of seven state indicators of fiscal distress.
Enrollment troubles are compounding the budget strain. Non-resident enrollment has dropped sharply, driven in part by a federal rule change restricting international student visas. Trustees have also criticized the state's Student-Centered Funding Formula, which cut the college's cost-of-living adjustment and capped enrollment-growth funding among the lowest in the state.
The warnings follow a difficult spring in which trustees voted 6-2 to finalize the termination of 45 classified employees — including custodians, administrative assistants, parking enforcement officers and tutors — amid a $14.7 million deficit. College reserves have fallen 61% since peaking at $43.9 million in 2021-22, driven largely by rising salary and benefit costs and a wave of retirements. SMC's final adopted budget is expected in September, following a state budget revision.
Jeffery's Tenure and Mounting Criticism
Jeffery became SMC's superintendent/president in 2016, succeeding Dr. Chui L. Tsang with her recent compensation of about $498,000.
Her tenure has drawn increasing scrutiny as the fiscal crisis has deepened. Last year, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved an amendment to her employment agreement establishing a $250,000 post-retirement supplemental income plan, to be distributed over five years following her retirement, along with retiree medical benefits and two paid 30-day sabbaticals. The plan, described as recognition of her "below-market salary," passed on the board's consent agenda during the same period the college was cutting classes and laying off classified staff — a move unions and faculty condemned as a betrayal of frontline workers.
The Faculty Association has been among the most persistent critics, arguing the crisis stemmed largely from local decisions rather than unavoidable external forces.
Trustees themselves have recognized broad leadership failures but have not singled out Jeffery while defending their past approval of raises for administrators.
Jeffery has defended her record and the college's transparency, pushing back on criticism and casting the layoffs as decisions that weigh heavily on her. She has said the accreditation data was "backward-looking" and did not reflect steps already taken to address the deficit.