Dear Foothill-De Anza Community, 

 

At our October 12, 2026 Town Hall, we shared Designing the Future, our planning framework for the transition to a Community-Supported (Basic Aid) funding model. The framework identified four areas for institutional redesign: academics, operations, human capacity, and facilities. Human capacity includes optimized staffing structures and aligning our people, organizational capabilities, and roles with the institution we are becoming. 

As we continue Designing the Future, we must assess how we organize our work, deploy our resources, and support our students and employees. Our employee groups have asked the District for a staffing study. In response, the District is moving forward with an independent Comprehensive Staffing Study and Organizational Effectiveness Assessment. 

 

 

The assessment will examine three interconnected areas that reflect the framework’s focus on human capacity and operations: 

Together, these areas will help us better understand how our organizational structure and operations align with the institution we are today and the institution we need to become.  

 

 

The study begins with a districtwide assessment of the administration, including staffing, organizational structures, and spans of control, and reporting layers. This gives us a clear baseline of how administration is structured today and where to focus next. Beginning with administration reflects our commitment to institutional accountability and a thoughtful, evidence-based approach. This responds to concerns employees have raised about staffing changes across the institution. It will help us understand how administrative staffing relates to faculty and classified professional staffing, enrollment, workload, and evolving institutional responsibilities.  

 

No specific staffing reductions or organizational changes have been predetermined. Findings from the assessment will inform recommendations about how best to organize and deploy our resources to support our mission. 

Following the initial assessment, the study will establish a broader districtwide baseline and examine prioritized areas in greater detail. Priorities will be guided by institutional needs, student and employee experiences, fiscal impact, operational complexity, and opportunities for meaningful improvement.

 

Our decisions will continue to be guided by the shared interests we presented in October: mission and student success, equity and economic mobility, people and organizational capability, and fiscal and institutional sustainability. We remain committed to being an employer of choice, supporting employee well-being, and maintaining competitive working conditions.  

 

The District has selected Protivitias the independent consultant for this work. Protiviti is a management consulting firm whose team for this engagement includes higher education subject matter experts. The work will include an assessment, recommendations, and an implementation roadmap. Any decision to pursue implementation support will be considered separately.  

 

 

The District will hold a Town Hall via Zoom on November 10, 2026, from 12 noon – 1:00 p.m. 

 

 

The meeting will be recorded and shared on the Chancellor’s page here.

The study and our broader Designing the Future planning will inform decisions for the next fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2027.   Information about the study’s process and timeline will be part of the November 12 Board Retreat. We recognize that conversations about staffing, organizational structures, and resource allocation can raise important questions and concerns. Our responsibility is to approach this work with transparency, care, and commitment to listening. 

 

As we continue our transition to a Community Supported funding model, we have an opportunity to take a long-term view of our institution, build on the work already underway, and make informed decisions about how we use our resources. Our funding context may change, but our mission does not. We remain committed to supporting student success, advancing educational opportunities, and serving our communities with excellence. 

 

Thank you for your continued dedication to our students and to the mission we share. 

 

Sincerely, 

Lee D. Lambert

12345 El Monte Road

Los Altos Hills, CA 94022-4599

650.949.6100

650.941.1638 (fax)

Executive Assistant: Carla Maitland

 

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