Panel will oversee workforce development

A key part of the oversight system that will take charge of San Antonio’s four-year, $154 million workforce development plan has been settled — mostly.

By a 10-1 vote Thursday, the City Council named a nine-member panel to guide the Ready to Work program — approved by voters in November — and advise Mayor Ron Nirenberg and council members on vital matters when it comes to helping some 40,000 residents enroll in job training and college degree programs.

The panel will weigh in on what skills are in demand from employers, how the city should determine the number of slots for training certificates and college degrees and how to support participants outside the classroom. City Council will have the final say.

But council members tussled over whether to expand the number of people on the board from nine to 11 to allow more room for employers and labor representatives. By a split 6-5 vote, council members tabled the idea for further discussion.

That’s not the only way the panel could expand. District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia pitched the idea of boosting representation from training providers or educational institutions — or adding a slot to represent workers with disabilities.

“We have great candidates,” Garcia said. “But if we had the opportunity to add two more, can we consider adding some additional slots that I think are greatly missing from representation right now?”

Others questioned whether the board needed more members. After all, the panel could put together subcommittees to provide advice to the larger board, District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran said.

“We do not have to stop the process,” Viagran said. “We can move forward with that today and then at a later time have a conversation about expanding the slots.”

District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry, who opposed the Nov. 3 sales tax measure that created the program, once more pushed for more geographic representation on the board. He argues that each council district could have its own representative and still have the qualifications the city is seeking.

The Northeast Side councilman also lamented what he saw was a lack of small business owners on the list.

“We’re totally ignoring our small business community here,” Perry said.

The advisory board has four representatives from local employers who have openings for high-paying jobs: Peter J. Holt of Holt Cat, Sonia Garza of Wellmed Medical Management, Benjamin Peavey of Accenture Federal Services and Rosa Santana, a staffing expert who heads Forma Automotive, a Toyota supplier. Those members can tell the city whether the program is equipping participants with the skills needed to get the kind of jobs their companies have available.

Council members also named Cynthia Teniente-matson, president of Texas A&M University-san Antonio, to represent higher education institutions on the board. Doug Mcmurry, executive vice president of the San Antonio chapter of the Associated General Contractors, will be the panel’s trade or labor representative. Daphene Carson, risk manager for Edgewood ISD, will be the board’s representative from a community organization.

The council also named two people who either enrolled in or have completed job training programs: Jerry Graeber and Emily Spurlock.

Sandoval, the lone council member to vote against the slate of panelists, raised concerns that three board members — Holt, Mcmurry and Peavy — live outside city limits despite the fact that they’ll oversee a program implemented with city sales tax dollars.

Council members often appoint people who don’t live in city limits to city boards and commissions, Sandoval noted, but she felt that the proportion of non-residents on the workforce panel is “a little high.”

“I know some members of the public think, ‘well, that shouldn’t matter if they have a business in San Antonio,’” Sandoval said. “I just want to make sure that we’re aware that 33 percent of this advisory board for a tax that was approved by the residents of San Antonio would be represented by individuals who may have businesses but do not reside here.”

The mayor’s office said board members don’t have to live in San Antonio; ideally, the members should represent businesses and organizations based in the city.

San Antonio voters approved the four-year, $154 million workforce development plan by more than a 3-to-1 margin in the Nov. 3 election.