Board has added 10% to president’s salary for three consecutive years. Recall that in November 2022 the Board also altered president’s contract regarding ability to fire her for cause and set three achievement goals, however, the Board has refused to divulge the goals so the public could hold the president and the Board’s decision making process accountable for the past year’s performance
The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board decided in a secret executive session to increase the base pay of Yavapai Community College President, Dr. Lisa Rhine, by ten percent at the Board Workshop held Tuesday, May 23, 2023. It also agreed during the same secret meeting to increase all of her additional benefits by 10%. Among those benefits are apparently a car, travel, and living allowance and possibly more.
Recall that six years ago, July 18, 2017, a Yavapai County wage study was published by the Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc. The highest-paid County official at the time was found to be Yavapai College President Penelope Wills. Her annual salary was reported at $277,811. According to the study, this salary exceeded the “second highest paying government job in the region,” which was held by the Yavapai County Medical Examiner. Dr. Wills’ salary exceeded the Medical Examiner by $63,611.
If one uses as a rough gauge the the 2017 study as a base, and knowing that Dr. Rhine’s salary has experienced a cumulative increase of 30% since her arrival in February 2019, one can calculate a minimum salary of sorts now being paid. This speculative calculation, using the aforementioned data, suggests a minimum estimated salary increase of $83,100 since 2019 [0% * $277,000 = (30/100) * $277,000 = $83,100]. This would put the salary around $360,000. It could be much more. Or, less.
There are obvious problems with the speculative amount stated above. For example, it remains uncertain whether Dr. Rhine was hired at a lower or higher salary than her predecessor, Dr. Wills.
It is regrettably that County residents are left unaware of the accuracy of the aforementioned salary calculations, even though they were derived from the announced percentage increases in Dr. Rhine’s salary since her appointment in February 2019 and the wage study conducted by the Verde Independent in 2017. Additionally, the undisclosed list of benefits associated with her position further contribute to the opaqueness surrounding the compensation she receives.
Considering the rural nature of Yavapai County, with a population of less than a quarter million, it is concerning that such a substantial sum is being allocated to a community college president without greater accountability to the public. The significant amount being paid, if the above calculations are anywhere near correct, raise natural concerns about the appropriateness of the compensation within the context of Yavapai County’s resources. The Governing Board members should with data allay these concerns.
The Blog has requested the College to disclose the comprehensive information regarding Dr. Rhine’s total base pay following the increase, as well as a comprehensive list of the benefits included in her new contract with the District. This would avoid speculation. Unfortunately, the College has not yet responded to this inquiry, leaving the residents of the County uninformed.
It is worth noting that during a confidential session held in November 2022, the District Governing Board established three specific goals for Dr. Rhine to accomplish. However, despite requests, the Governing Board declined to disclose those goals to the public, making it impossible for the citizens of Yavapai County to hold either Dr. Rhine or the Governing Board members accountable for her performance because they lack knowledge of the goals and whether they were successfully achieved. The general lack of transparency hinders the ability of the public to assess Dr. Rhine’s work and the effectiveness of the Governing Board’s decision-making process.
It is also worth noting that at the same November 2022 meeting the Governing Board agreed to insert an unusually odd new provision into her contract. This provision declared that if Dr. Rhine is fired for poor performance, she will receive at least two years severance in salary. This means that the College would dish out hundreds of thousands of dollars if it was decided her performance was poor and fired her.
It’s a guaranteed golden parachute should she ever be fired for poor performance.
You may view in a short video clip the announcement of the wage increase made at the May hearing following the secret executive meeting by clicking here.
