California Instructors Earned Up to $793,000 Across Campuses
Payroll records for 2024 identified 72 instructors paid by at least five California community college districts or university campuses. Their median pay was $191,000, and 10 earned more than $343,000—the median salary for a community college president or chancellor that year.
The highest-paid instructor identified, Thien-Huong Ninh Villarreal, received more than $793,000 from 11 college districts or university campuses. Course catalog records listed her in at least 69 sections across nine community college districts. She teaches sociology, ethnic studies and business, and holds full-time positions at San Joaquin Delta College and Cosumnes River College.
Another instructor, astronomy professor Andrew Vanden Heuvel, said he earned $758,485 in 2024, including about $320,000 from California schools. He teaches online courses and labs, and reported having taught up to 1,000 students during a single semester. He defended his teaching and said he serves rural colleges where he may be the only astronomy instructor available.
Bobby Seals, an ethnic studies professor employed full-time by Evergreen Valley College, was listed as teaching 14 additional courses at four other districts, with about 930 students enrolled this semester. Several other named instructors taught at least 10 additional classes at other campuses.
California’s 73 community college districts are independently governed, and there is no system tracking instructors’ combined workloads across them. The payroll review used data obtained from colleges and universities through public records requests, with researchers checking potential matches against school listings and other public records.
No One Tracks the Workloads Behind Six-Figure Instructor Pay
The striking figures expose a basic accountability gap in California’s community colleges: instructors can work across multiple districts, but no statewide system keeps track of their combined teaching loads. A 2024 payroll review identified 72 instructors paid by at least five districts or university campuses; their median pay was $191,000.
Thien-Huong Ninh Villarreal, the highest-paid instructor identified, received more than $793,000 from 11 college districts or university campuses. Course catalogs listed her in at least 69 sections across nine community college districts. Ten instructors in the analysis earned more than $343,000, the median pay for a community college president or chancellor.
The concern is not that instructors should be barred from teaching widely. It is that independently governed districts cannot see the total number of courses an instructor teaches across institutions. Without that information, the system cannot readily assess how dozens of classes and large student counts fit together.
Other examples include full-time ethnic studies professor Bobby Seals, listed as teaching 14 additional courses at four districts, and astronomy instructor Andrew Vanden Heuvel, who said he earned $758,485 in 2024. Vanden Heuvel defended his work and said he teaches students at rural colleges where an astronomy instructor may otherwise be unavailable.
The review relied on public payroll records and checked potential identity matches against school and course records. The findings put the lack of cross-district workload tracking squarely alongside the striking pay totals.
High-Earning Instructors Teach Across California Campuses
California instructors are teaching across multiple campuses and earning substantial pay, with the top earner receiving more than $793,000 in 2024. A payroll review found 72 instructors paid by at least five districts or university campuses; the group’s median pay was $191,000.
Thien-Huong Ninh Villarreal was paid by 11 college districts or university campuses, and course catalogs listed her in at least 69 sections across nine community college districts. She has full-time positions with San Joaquin Delta College and Cosumnes River College, while also teaching elsewhere. Ten instructors in the analysis earned more than $343,000.
The numbers reflect a system in which California’s community college districts operate independently, with no central tracking of instructors’ combined loads. That arrangement allows instructors to work across campuses, but leaves each district without a complete picture of their teaching elsewhere.
Astronomy instructor Andrew Vanden Heuvel said he earned $758,485 in 2024, about $320,000 of it from California schools. He reported teaching up to 1,000 students in a semester and defended the quality of his instruction, noting that he can be the only astronomy professor available at some rural colleges.
The review also identified full-time professor Bobby Seals, listed as teaching 14 additional courses at four districts. The payroll analysis used records obtained from colleges and universities, with potential matches checked against public employment and course information.
Reported by CalMatters, New York Post.
