California community college profs rake in up to $800K a year teaching dozens of online classes at once

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Some California college professors are raking in more than the state’s highest-paid education officials by teaching dozens of online classes at once, many using pre-recorded lectures, according to a CalMatters investigation.

The nonprofit outlet identified more than 70 instructors who taught across at least five California community college districts, Cal State or UC campuses in 2024, largely relying on online courses students could complete on their own schedules.

There are no rules in place to limit how many districts a community can work within and no tracking systems in place to monitor a teacher’s workload.

Colleges have no way to see an instructor’s full course load because each of the state’s 73 districts is governed independently. One instructor in the CalMatters analysis was listed as teaching at least 69 course sections across nine districts in 2024, the outlet reported.

The highest earner CalMatters identified is Thien-Huong Ninh Villarreal, who teaches sociology, ethnic studies and business. She holds full-time jobs at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton and Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, and also teaches part-time at seven other community colleges and Cal State Sacramento, the outlet reported.

This fall, she is teaching about 30 classes with more than 1,100 students, according to CalMatters. She made nearly $800,000 in 2024, more than any community college administrator in the state, including the system’s chancellor.

Ninh Villarreal did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Astronomy instructor Andrew Vanden Heuvel teaches about 50 online classes and labs from an office above his garage in a small Michigan town on the shore of Lake Michigan.

He said he has taught as many as 1,000 students in a single semester, at colleges including Santa Monica, Salinas, San Jose and Visalia, as well as schools in New Mexico, Michigan, Washington and Florida.

He told CalMatters he earned $758,485 in total in 2024. About $320,000 of that came from California schools, the outlet reported.

Vanden Heuvel defended his teaching, telling CalMatters his students get an excellent education and that at some rural colleges he is the only astronomy professor available. He posts much of his material on YouTube, where his videos have drawn nearly 5 million views.

“Now, did I push it further than some people think is morally conscionable? I don’t think so,” he told the outlet.

Vanden Heuvel declined to comment to The California Post.

Full-time professors are doing it too: CalMatters reported that Bobby Seals, a full-time ethnic studies professor at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, teaches 14 additional courses at four other districts, with about 930 students this semester.

Others named in the report include Faramarz Mortezaie, a computer science department chair at Mission College in Santa Clara; Nicholas Nardi, a psychology professor at Santa Ana College; Timothy Durfield, a business professor at Citrus College; and Walter Meyer, an art history professor at Santa Monica College.

Each teaches 10 or more extra classes at other campuses, according to CalMatters. None responded to the outlet.

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