Special interests apparently driving these additions rather than detailed analysis showing need; Are special interests money for limited support being used as a salve to discourage questions about data and need?  

Editor: Robert E. Oliphant

OPINION. It’s hard not to ask whether Yavapai Community College administrators have a double standard when it comes to producing hard data showing a need for a program or project:  One standard seems to exist for Prescott  and a second standard for the east side of Mingus Mountain. 

If there isn’t a double standard, how do you explain, for example,  the current drive on the Prescott Campus to recruit athletes, hire coaches, find offices and add  two new expensive  athletic programs to the already bloated athletic department without publicly producing independent data showing either an academic or community need for them?

These additions come at a time when the Administration has been constantly preaching to the public  at various meetings, especially those in the Sedona/Verde Valley area,  that it will only invest in projects and programs where it is demonstrated by production of reliable data showing an educational and/or community need.  The absence of data showing need, the administrators claim,  is why, for example, it is not planning to expand and enhance the nursing program in the Verde Valley.  The absence of need is why it did not build a 30,000 square foot Career and Technical Education Center on the Verde Campus; only a 10,000 square foot structure (versus 104,000 square foot CTE facility on the Prescott side).  And on and on and on.

This handy off-the-shelf rhetoric to show need is particularly useful  when issues about serious future development of housing to support the fledgling destination programs at the Sedona Center and Verde Campus come up.  The rhetoric was  particularly evident when the current crop of consultants hired by Prescott administrators explained the meager development plans for Sedona/Verde Valley over the next eight to ten-years, ignoring most, if not all of the input from the public at public meetings.

Along with the dual standard comes a salve typically used by Prescott to temporarily divert attention away from the need for data to support any project it wants such as a professional tennis complex (no tennis team), an indoor Olympic pool (no swim team), or a state-of-the-art auditorium that services only the Prescott area.  In each of these projects, Prescott special interests kicked in a little “taste” money to stimulate College and Governing Board approval. After that, the millions of dollars to complete and maintain these projects fell like a heavy financial yoke on the already burdened shoulders of County taxpayers. 

The salve  being used for the basketball programs is a rumor that special interests are going to give a financial “taste” to support the teams for three years.  A good whiff from the balm of the salve is usually all it takes to block rational thinking about the  50 years after that special interest money runs out when  the bill for the teams will be footed by County taxpayers.

For most, adding these teams to the already overstuffed athletic department baggage seems incredible given the relative tiny student enrollment at Yavapai Community College with at least five NJCAA teams already being heavily supported by taxpayers. 

But what the heck.  Isn’t it more important to add the cost of supporting basketball teams than it is to enhance the nursing program in the Verde Valley or expand the Career and Technical Education facilities?  How do you explain this kind of prioritization?

A double standard, I suggest, is all the explanation you need.`

Managing Editor Christopher Fox Graham argues “Verde Valley tax dollars provide more than a third of his college’s budget, ergo, we should have a third of the programs we pay for”

Managing Editor Sedona Redrock News, Christoper Fox Graham

Sedona RedRock News Managing Editor Christoper Fox Graham took strong issue with the views of Yavapai Community College’s Fourth District representative, Chris Kuknyo, who made them known at the November 16 Governing Board meeting held at the Career and Technical Education Center located at the Prescott airport.  This was Editor Graham’s  second editorial based on comments made by  Governing Board members at that meeting.  In this  editorial, published December 12, Editor Graham argued that “Kuknyo fails to grasp taxes are public’s money” when discussing the Verde Valley.

At one point during the November 16 meeting Graham noted that  Kuknyo had expressed dismay with Third District Paul Chevalier’s routine effort to ask questions related to the impact a Community
College program may have on the Verde Valley (or the fact one did not exist there).  “It makes me not want to help and just push away and concentrate on the other stuff,” Kuknyo said.

Editor Graham responded to Kuknyo writing that he:

“fails to comprehend that Verde Valley tax dollars provide more than a third of his college’s budget, ergo, we should have a third of the programs we pay for.

Yet, how would Kuknyo’s `sudden decision’ to ignore the Verde Valley’s concerns be any different than the last 40 years of the community college ignoring, cheating, short-changing and stealing tax dollars and programs from the Verde Valley to benefit the Prescott side?

Editor Graham also wrote that:

“The previous community college president and her then-board picked a fight with the Verde Valley a decade ago, and in so doing lost a huge land endowment that went to the Pima County-based University of Arizona instead and faced a Verde Valley secession drive that only diminished with the president’s retirement and Chevalier’s election. The risk of secession still looms if ignorant board members want to revive abuse.

“Kuknyo is impressed by the Verde Valley wine center at Yavapai College as well as “… the food-makin’ place …,” which we can only assume is what the officials like Kuknyo who run the board of a higher education institution call the “Sedona “Culinary Arts Program.”

“The wine center is in the Verde Valley because Prescott college officials can’t physically steal and move the land the Verde Valley vineyards sit on.”

There is much more to Editor Graham’s editorial.  You can read it in its entirety by clicking here:   http://www.redrocknews.com/2021/12/12/yavapai-college-board-member-kuknyo-fails-to-grasp-taxes-are-publics-money/

Should the 50-year-old model in a county larger than Connecticut or the state of Israel  be scrapped to give east county residents an opportunity to develop their own Community College  model that they can claim as  their own? And provide them with accountability?

Editor: Robert Oliphant

EDITORIAL:  At the time the decision to create a Community College District was made a little over 50 years ago, recognition of a District meant certain requirements had to be met.  As a result of Arizona law, those wanting a community college in Yavapai County were forced  to include its  entire high school population and its entire land value. Today, whatever legal requirements are needed to create a Community College District, the residents of the East side of the county with a population over 75,000 can meet them.

If it weren’t for the legal requirements of 50 years,  creation of a single community college district encompassing  such a huge  land mass makes no sense at all.  The Yavapai Community College  District covers all of Yavapai County consisting of 8,125 square miles. The size of the County  is comparable  to states such as Connecticut (5,543 sq. miles — 12 community colleges and universities), Delaware (1,982 sq. miles — three community colleges and universities), Rhode Island (1,214 sq. miles— one public and two private community colleges)  and New Jersey (8,723 sq. miles — 19 community colleges and universities). The state of Israel encompasses  8,550 square miles (ten universities and 53 colleges).

Once Prescott was chosen as the  location for the first community college, the architects designed an institution resembling a state university.  This was most likely  an effort  to provide education to those in the far reaches of the County.  Since that time, and despite the many changes in population in the County, the Community College has expanded on the original model and remained tightly focused  on developing the Prescott side of the County.

Today, most agree that Yavapai Community College  operates and resembles  a state college or university.  On the Prescott side of the County, it boasts  six athletic teams, athletic fields, a cadre of coaches, two residence halls, a major gymnasium, heated indoor swimming pool including special therapy pool for seniors; professional tennis complex, weight complex, 104,000  square foot Career and Technical Education Center, and a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center  (PAC) with an 1,100 seat ultra-modern auditorium. The PAC provides over 50 major theatre cultural performances annually and at least 20 free special events – probably many more. The College  offers a wide variety of music and performing arts courses not offered elsewhere.  It  will be offering four-year degrees shortly.

 It has even dropped the name “Community College” in favor of being called “Yavapai College.” 

The Community College Governing Board is dominated by west county Governing Board politicos who in 2012-13 boldly approved a $103.5 million plan to further develop the institution with less than 5% of development flowing to the east side of the County.  The administration is staffed by all Prescott based executives and the vast majority of faculty and staff live and work on the Prescott side of the County.  All political control rests with Prescott based people. All decisions regarding courses, construction of facilities, and other projects come directly from Prescott and must be approved by them.  The current Dean of the Sedona Center/Verde Campus is not considered an important voice in decision making.  In fact, the current Dean has major duties that take her away from the Verde Valley on a regular basis.  Even the College Foundation is controlled almost entirely by the west side of the County despite the fact that  the current president is from the Verde Valley. 

Few of the dozens of  accoutrements associated with operating the Community College on the west side of the County exist on the East side. 

Examples of just how weak is the control of east side residents over how the community college is developed in their area of the County  are easy to find.  For example, after ten years of constant effort by east county advocates, its Governing Board Third District  representative, and a few politicians, the College agreed to construct a  10,000 square foot Career and Technical Education Center (CTE).  East County residents were demanding a minimum of 30,000 feet so the facility  could be easily, inexpensively,  and quickly expanded to meet unique training needs that might come to it in the future.  They based this view on the fact that the west side CTE campus is at least 104,000 square feet and has historically been used to quickly meet unanticipated   local CTE needs.  They also wanted it at another location. 

Despite the demands from east-siders, Prescott administrators decided to build a tiny 10,000 square foot facility on the Verde Campus on  a rocky plateau of sorts and promise that if there were a future need, they would  build another facility (“phase two,” they said) to meet the need.  In essence, they easily handcuffed future CTE development with the facility and its location on a rocky plateau ― there are 60-70 acres of land a few feet away where a CTE facility on a flat surface with acres of parking space could easily have been built.

Another example is reflected in the history of Building “L,” which was renovated a couple years ago to provide improved nursing training and a small manufacturing training area.  Recall that the Prescott administration initially was going to move all nursing training to a new facility it was constructing at its  Prescott Valley Center.  However, the uproar from the Valley eventually caused them to back off; but it took an uproar to stop it.   The most recent renovation of Buiding “L” appears to be its third.  It was originally built with the aid of Federal Government funding to be used as a  major Career and Technical Education facility.  That focus and development of CTE programs on the east side of the County pretty much ended when Prescott purchased the 104,000 square foot building at the Prescott airport for CTE training.

As now operated, the Yavapai Community College fails to provide locally to east side county residents what these institutions are supposed to provide.  Most obvious is the failure to  effectively serve east-side live-at-home students and part-time students with face-to-face courses.   The current set-up  is far less than ideal for east-side students who want to save room,  board and travel money by living at home, and for students who want to further their educations while balancing work and family.

It is failing to offer cultural programs with nothing comparable to what is offered on the west side of the County.  It is failing to offer  courses in areas of common interest such  as music and theatre to east-siders.  Those courses are taught only on the  west side.

Sometimes Yavapai Community College appears to  ignore whole areas of the Verde Valley.  For example, the unincorporated area of the Verde Villages that abut the city of Cottonwood have a population of about 12,000 residents. The Verde Villages are not  mentioned even in passing in various reports about the demographics of the County when they are made by the Community College.

Furthermore, with all of the demands needing attention to operate the massive west side complex, there is little time left for the Prescott-based executives to seriously consider east side educational and cultural needs. At best, east siders are given an occasional visit  by Prescott executives or an appearance at an occasional meeting.  The east side gets whatever is left over after the west side operational cup is filled.

Moreover, there is a long-standing sore spot among east-side residents regarding Community College accountability to them. The Community College executives refuse to provide detailed information about how much money is collected from the east side of the County in primary taxes, tuition, construction taxes, government grants, and state taxes. It similarly refuses to explain in detail how much of all those funds collected are returned to the Verde Valley, a figure some estimate should be  around  $35 million annually. 

Maybe it’s  time to reconsider the current model? Maybe it’s time to give the east side residents an actual voice and actual control over their post-secondary community college training. Maybe it’s time be accountable and explain how the east side residents  financial contributions to the Community College are being used. Maybe?

With others in Advocates Group,  helped save Community College in the Verde Valley  from perceived shuttering of Sedona Center; losing nursing programs, and dropping many other educational offerings

Dick Dahl 1937 – 2021

Dick Dahl, a gentle, tireless, humble but effective advocate as a member of the Verde Valley Community College Citizens Advocates group passed away January 11 at age 83 from Covid-19.  Dick began with the advocates back in 2013   when the group was first  organized. The Advocates, from areas throughout  the entire Verde Valley, had  joined hands  in response to perceived efforts by the Yavapai Community College administration to shutter the Sedona Center and reduce or drop many programs being offered at the Verde Campus in Clarkdale, including nursing.

He often spoke to members of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board in opposition to the  unfairness of decisions that he and the Advocates believed were  adversely affecting the future of  education in the Verde Valley.  He was an opponent, for example,  of  the District Governing Board’s December 2013 decision to  spend $103.5 million on a ten-year-development program, with around 95% of the development  slated for the Prescott Campus and the Prescott side of the County.  Five percent  or less of the plan was scheduled for development in the Verde Valley. 

His wisdom, gentle  advocacy and patience are in part, along with his many advocate colleagues, the reason the Sedona Center was not sold; the nursing program is in full swing on the Verde Campus, and a CTEC facility is being constructed right now.   

He will be missed by everyone in the Verde Valley, but especially the members of the Advocates group.

Bob Oliphant

Below is an article written by Ron Eland about Dick that appeared in the January 27, 2021 edition of the Sedona Red Rock newspaper (See http://www.redrocknews.com/2021/01/27/remembering-the-late-dick-dahl/).

Remembering the late Dick Dahl,  By  Ron Eland,  January 27, 2021.

For more than 40 years, Dick Dahl served the residents of Sedona by way of both as a Realtor and a member of a variety of organi­zations throughout the Verde Valley.

Dahl died Jan. 11. He was 83.

“Myself and many, many others are grieving the loss of my brother,” Joyce Partain said. “We were just at a point where we were able to spend some more time with each other. The far reaching influence of Dick Dahl has been enormous. I’ve heard it said most people are lucky to be able to count on one hand the number of lifelong best friends. My brother’s are too numerous to count.”

Dahl was born in Denver and was the oldest of four children. The family moved to Arizona in 1955 where he earned a degree in elementary education and served as teacher or school headmaster for nearly two decades.

In 1978 he began his career in real estate before moving to Sedona two years later. By 1983 he purchased a Century 21 franchise and would later have four additional branches.

For 38 years Dahl used his real estate background and knowledge to serve as an instructor for the Best School of Real Estate. He also served as an expert witness for civil lawsuits involving real estate transactions.

According to Partain and the Veteran Equine Therapeutic Alliance, of which he was a member, Dahl was very civic minded and served in a variety of capacities in local organizations. Some of these include serving on the Sedona Chamber of Commerce board for eight years; four years on the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission, of which he was chairman for two years; an appointed representative on the Board of the Verde Valley Regional Economic Development Council and its president; and the Arizona Governor’s Small Business Executive Council in 1990, where he served for eight years.

“Dick was a long-time friend and dedicated volunteer with many local nonprofits in the Verde Valley,” Sedona Mayor Sandy Moriarty said. “I had not seen him for over a year, and wasn’t sure that he was still in the community. I was very sorry to hear of his passing due to COVID-19, he will be missed.”

In addition, Dahl served as the founding president of the Verde Valley Land Preservation Institute and remained a member of the board. Steve Estes, the current president of that organization, said Dahl’s death is being felt by all those he worked with over the years.

“Dick was a key figure in Arizona Town Hall events,” he said. “The 2004 Verde Valley Forum, addressing economic sustainability and diversity was one of those. The Verde Valley Land Preservation Institute was conceived and formed in response to the forum’s focus on open space in the Verde Valley as a critical asset both aesthetically and economically.

“Dick Dahl led the effort to form the nonprofit and act as the first president and perennial board director of VVLPI, one of the region’s most productive nonprofits.”

Hope is new President will have the creative skills and courage to stand against the powerful Prescott based politicians and begin to seriously develop post-secondary education for the 70,000 residents of the east side of the County

Commentary

Wow!  Have the west side Yavapai  Community College politicians and presidents ever delivered to Prescott and Prescott Valley residents in the last two decades! On that side of Mingus Mountain, you’ll find a new tennis complex, swimming pool, therapy pool, 1,100 state-of-the-art dinner theater, renovated residence halls, renovation of all parking lots and every campus building, $20 million new CTE Campus, a huge athletic program, baseball field, softball field, leased soccer fields, major sized gymnasium, new 4-year program with ASU, a new Allied Health facility, new police training building,  and much more.  Meanwhile, east side residents have either slept through all this selfish development for one part of the County or have been marginalized during this period.

One can only wonder at the self-interest of the West County voting Bloc and the college presidents in terms of equitably sharing post-secondary community college resources throughout Yavapai County.  According to College documents, since 2000, the College administrations, with Governing Board agreement (often voting 3-2 during this period)  have pumped somewhere around $150 million dollars into west side community college development. 

To illustrate, almost $60 million (maybe more) of the $69.5 million 2000 bond went to west County development.  In addition to the bond money, the College spent other funds to build an $11 million heating plant, a $20 million dollar Career and Technical Education Campus at the Prescott Airport, and around $7 million to renovate two dormitories.  If that doesn’t take your breath away, recall that in 2013 the Governing Board approved in concept spending around $100 million on the west side of the campus for additional construction and renovation. (That has been reduced to something around $65 million.)

Meanwhile, the College spent $18 million to replace the infrastructure, renovate and replace the 40 year-old falling down wooden buildings on the Verde Campus and about a half million for the poorly designed outdoor pavilion. After citizens put a halt to the idea of selling the Sedona Center, and after it was essentially closed for over two years, the College has invested around $5.5 million in renovation and a parking lot and street.   

East side taxpayers, of course, paid for all of the renovation and construction on their side of Mingus Mountain. They also paid for a substantial portion of the multi-million dollar construction and renovation program on the west side of the County but receive little or no benefit from it.

Isn’t it time to seriously lay out a clear, comprehensive and understandable post-secondary five-year development program for the east side of the County?  Isn’t it time to begin developing new programs and projects on the east side of the County using east side property taxes that now flow to Prescott?

If this is to happen, however, it will require the College’s new president to first recognize the plight of east side residents and then creatively initiate a major development program over here. If the new president continues in the mold of the former president and the West County voting Bloc continues its domination over the 70,000 residents on this side of Mingus Mountain, the east side of the County will eventually become a post-secondary wasteland.

More than 250 stories were posted on the Blog in 2018; below are listed only the headlines for 48  that were posted in the last six month period.

The Eyeonyavpaicollege.com Blog has been busy this year.  It has posted over 250 stories during the entire year.  Listed below are the headlines related to 47 stories about the College, some of which appeared only on the Blog.  The Blog has grouped the stories into broad general categories.

1. New President. (Dr. Penelope Wills resigns, Dr. Lisa Rhine hired.
2. Lawsuits. College loses first round in Arizona Court of Appeals in Donovan v. Yavapai College, et. al. lawsuit.
3. Yavapai loses summary judgment motions in federal court in Hamilton v. Yavapai College lawsuit.
4. Resignation. Director of OLLI program in Sedona/Verde Valley Robin Weeks resigned.
5. Dominance of west side. Dominance of Prescott area campuses revealed in faculty & staff directory; 87% faculty/staff employed on west side of County.
6. College web shows 110 community education classes offered this fall in Prescott; in contrast, Sedona offers 16, Verde Campus 9, and Camp Verde (0). (These are not OLLI classes.)
7. College athletic teams continue strong showing; teams play matches & games only on west side of County.
8. Retirees on West side of County continue to enjoy tennis complex, indoor swimming pool, Performing Arts Center, therapy pool and other College run projects.
9. Emergency student food/financial aid available to students on Prescott Campus; not on Verde Campus.
10. $2 million police training building going up on Prescott Campus.
11. $1.5 million second floor renovation in Prescott Valley progressing.
12. New indoor ambulance lab constructed for EMSs training on Prescott Campus.
13. College pours money into unneeded renovation of Prescott Campus rock house.
14. ASU announces it will begin joint Bachelor of Applied Science program with Community College in allied health at Prescott Valley Center.
15. Drug abuse. Two Community College students die of drug overdose in Prescott Valley.
16. Parents sound alarm at possible drug use by Community College baseball players
17. Board election/politics. Paul Chevalier elected to represent third district on Community College Governing Board.
18. Verde Valley and representative Deb McCasland protests cause Community College to abandon plans to send alleged politically tainted postcards support incumbent Governing Board members prior to election. Attorney General launches investigation.
19. College issues story critics claim was crafted to influence the election of Board member Sigafoos.
20. Paul Chevalier explains basis for seeking injunction before college pulled mailing of politically tainted postcards.
21. Board member McCarver harshly attacks board member McCasland in Board evaluation.
22. Prescott dominated Community College foundation influence begins trickling into Verde Valley College Governing Board election.
23. Three of four Verde Valley legislative candidates view education and the community college in the Verde Valley as a “most important issue”; Thorpe (who won) makes no comment.
24. Enrollment. Dual enrollment declines in Verde Valley for second year in a row; big change after years of increasing enrollment in these classes.
25. Arizona state university reports 12% increase in freshman enrollment this fall.
26. Fall enrollment on Verde Campus/Sedona Center estimated to have about same number of students (13 down) in face-to-face classes but students will take fewer courses with a corresponding drop of about 300 contact hours. College attributes decline in students taking courses to part-time employment.
27. Eight-week lead program attracts 25 students this year. Prescott students stay in residence halls; Verde Students drive to school each day; program enrolled 25 when 48 has been the historic but never attained goal.
28. East County (Verde Valley) residents, politicians, educational experts’ express needs/hope for the future. Verde Valley Academy for Technical Superintendent hopes College CTE facility will be built on east side of County in not too distant future.
29. Poor Building “L” on Verde Campus up again for discussion of future use another time in January 2019.
30. Yavapai-Apache Nation (east side of County) Chair Jane Russell-Winiecki says Business of running Yavapai College sadly lacking.
31. President of Beaver Creek Association on east side of County reminds Board the Valley residents have repeatedly asked for lower taxes, lower tuition, more academic classes, better CTE and more services with little response.
32. East side citizens remind Governing Board that they have “explained” and asked “over and over” for a centralized CTE facility.
33. Mayors, superintendents agree on host of needs in Verde Valley at Community College public forum August 17. Critical need for affordable student housing; major economic development; centralized Career and Technical Education Center and improved cooperative relationship between East Valley and College; overarching theme was “it’s finally time to invest in the Verde Valley: Take some chances.”
34. College tells Sedona Mayor and City Council it has done little in response to specific request made 18 months earlier that it look into CTE training for carpenters, plumbers, HVAC, etc. on east side of County. College says request was forwarded to Vice President Liss but knows of no progress being made on it.
35. Verde Campus trail project (completely different than Prescott Campus project) moves slowly forward.
36. Verde Campus free fall concerts attract few attendees.
37. Southwest Wine Center. Wine & Dine in the Vines fundraiser on Verde Campus Saturday, October 27 a success.
38. College’s Southwest Wine Center continues to win awards for its products.
39. Southwest Wine Center on Verde Campus harvests 24.8 tons of grapes with help from students and volunteers.
40. Biggest failure. The RESA Corporation and the Community College training program to supply RESA with college-trained technicians begun with great anticipation in January 2018 will be shuttered when the eight remaining students complete their training this fall.
41. Ceremonies/awards. College 50 Year Anniversary Celebration held at campuses and centers.
42. College awarded Emmy in the informational/instructional category by Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the national academy of television arts & sciences.
43. Yavapai college awarded a partnership for success grant from the Center for Substance abuse.
44. Jewish Community Foundation with help from others makes hundredth healthcare scholarship award.
45. Athletics. Roster for Yavapai Community College male soccer team announced; only one member of team from Yavapai County.
46. Other. College administration moves $2 million from general fund to capital accumulation fund for capital projects. Money could but won’t be used for educational programming, paying down existing bonds, or scholarships.
47. Yavapai Community College creates office of Alumni Affairs.
48. Don’t miss professor Justin Brereton’s weekly gardening suggestions; a prof who is truly giving back to the community.