Emails sent Friday to all six elected members of the St. Charles Community College Board of Trustees were returned undeliverable, 5 On Your Side found, as the college faces questions about public access to its governing board ahead of a trustee election Tuesday.
5 On Your Side attempted to reach the trustees using their official email addresses after three days of reporting on governance practices at the college, including a public comment suspension that has remained in effect since April 2020.
The college's own published board policy states that public comment was suspended "due to the COVID-19 pandemic" and would resume "when the College returns to in-person meetings."
The college returned to in-person meetings years ago. The suspension language remains active on the college's website.
A review of official board meeting minutes from recent years shows no public comment occurred at any regular board meeting during that period.
A source familiar with the board told 5 On Your Side that some trustees want to reinstate public comment but are uncertain they have the votes to do so. The source also said college attorneys have advised the board that keeping meetings closed protects trustees personally from being drawn into at least nine ongoing employment lawsuits filed against the college.
5 On Your Side contacted President Barbara Kavalier directly, engaged her public relations contractor, and submitted nine written questions over three days. The college declined to make Kavalier available for an on-camera interview.
Friday night, the college released a written statement saying it is "open and accessible to the public" and that its board meetings "are conducted in accordance with established policies and state guidelines."
The statement characterized concerns raised about the college in a separate op-ed as "claims made by a former employee" that are "misleading, lack important context, and in several cases are factually incorrect." The statement did not address the public comment policy, the undeliverable trustee emails, or the attorney advice described by the board source.
Karen Jones, who founded the college in 1986 after a yearslong effort that included attending every PTA meeting in St. Charles County and writing the founding proposal herself, said the governance structure concerns her deeply.
"Hope springs eternal that the board will come, will wake up and see what's happening," Jones said. "And will listen to some folk who've been intimately involved with the college who now have concerns. None of that has happened."
The college described Jones in its statement as "a former employee." Jones is a retired professor who served as the college's founding advocate and faculty union leader.
Don Crozier, a former SCC student who contacted 5 On Your Side two years ago with concerns about public access, said he has attended board meetings and encountered the same barriers.
"There's no public comment allowed at board meetings for a situation like that," Crozier said. "And that really bothers me."
"They don't seem to be interested in how the public feels that they're doing their job," he said.
The college's own board policies, published on its website, establish that employees who work for the college cannot bring concerns directly to the board. All communications must go through the president's office.
Complaints about the administration must be routed to the administration, not to the body of elected officials whose job it is to oversee the president. The president's decision on grievances is described as final, with no appeal to the board permitted.
Article III.05 of the board's policies gives the college president sole authority to discontinue academic programs with no board vote required. The college eliminated its Social Work program in 2023.
The college's operating budget has grown approximately 30% over the past decade, from $38.8 million in fiscal year 2017 to $50.6 million in fiscal year 2026, according to the college's own financial documents. Total student headcount declined from 16,118 in 2016 to 15,116 in 2026, a drop of about 6%, according to enrollment data provided by the college.
The college noted in its statement that tuition remains among the lowest in the state, that enrollment has grown for four consecutive years, and that its financial reserves are healthy. A bond for the college's Dardenne Creek campus was recently approved for early payoff, saving $633,650.
A review of community college board policies in Missouri found that St. Louis Community College, Meramec and Jefferson College all allow public comment at board meetings. Missouri's Sunshine Law does not require public comment at public board meetings, a fact the college notes on its own website.
Tuesday's election puts two board seats on the ballot. Both are currently held by trustees who have served throughout Kavalier's nine-year tenure. Four candidates are running for the two seats.
Why bring these issues to the public now?
"I held my tongue as long as I could," Jones said.