Mission Language and Vocational School (MLVS) at 2929 19th St., May 16, 2017. Photo: Cassie Ordonio

Amid the ongoing financial and legal troubles that Mission Language and Vocational School is currently experiencing, El Tecolote spoke with an MLVS student, who expressed some concern over the school’s quality of education.

The student—who spoke with El Tecolote on the condition of anonymity for fear of repercussion—confirmed that they are currently enrolled in MLVS’ professional cooking program, an intensive 27-week program designed to prepare students for entry-level positions at restaurants, cafeterias and production kitchens.

The student only learned the extent of the MLVS’ difficulties through El Tecolote’s coverage on the school, which ran in the May 18 issue.

“I don’t understand where all the money is going. Sometimes money for the food needed for class is running short and our professor makes do with what we have. We’ve also had to use class time to help cater events MLVS is commissioned to do.”

During a community meeting on May 11, MLVS Board Chair Tony Fazio said the organization’s financial trouble dated back to 2013. According to the student, students were told not to help set up for the meeting on May 11. The professor said that he could do it himself and there was no need to stick around because it was “ just a community meeting.”

No students from the professional cooking program attended the meeting.

“Students should have been there, we should have been invited and informed it was an institutional matter at hand,” the student said.

Following the May 11 meeting, the professor announced that students would no longer be required to help with commissioned catering events during class, but that class would be canceled on those days.

The student also claims that the syllabus for a Monday through Friday course that requires English classes has not been strictly followed.

“Having classes cancelled takes away from our learning,” the student said. “MLVS also rents out the kitchen space and we’ve had to share it with those renting and keep in mind, we don’t have spares of much of the equipment.”

The student said they get the impression that the institution is more concerned about generating money, but they cannot comprehend why, because MLVS is supposed to have a funded budget. According to MLVS’s website, the 47-year old institution receives federal, state and local funding and has an operating budget of $1.25 million.

Recently, all students were asked to sign a revised contract they had initially signed when they enrolled in the institution because according to an administrator, MLVS is being audited. The student compared both contracts and noticed items had been taken out of the original contract—for example, some books were missing, replaced instead with photocopied sections of the books.

“If it’s supposed to be included it should be. I know I would have liked these books to serve as reference for myself and for the future. A knife set is also included but we only received one small knife,” said the student. “It would be nice to have a spare uniform but we’re lucky to have these. The class before us had to go to City Hall and fight to get the institution to grant them uniforms.”

The student wanted to emphasize that their motivation for speaking out wasn’t from a place of financial burden, but to speak up for future students and ensure MLVS’ education is quality, consistent and inclusive of students in the process.