Board asks for more data regarding County high schools, overall trend in last decade, and ponders  whether remedial classes are needed at all

40% require remedial help.

According to data gathered and reported to the District Governing Board in November by Tom Hughes, Yavapai Community College Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, about forty percent of incoming students require courses in remedial math, English or both.  “They come not ready for College,” said Mr. Hughes.  He pointed out that this costs them more money in terms of tuition and increases the timeline before they will graduate from Yavapai with a degree.

The Governing Board was interested in obtaining additional information about this figure.  Chair Ray Sigafoos wanted to know if things had changed over the past years.  Does the 40% represent and increase, decrease, or no change in unpreparedness over the past? The College agreed to respond at a later date with this information.

Third District Representative Paul Chevalier wanted information about the various high schools in the District.  Do some graduate more students under-prepared for College than others? He also wanted to know if there regional differences between the east and west sides of the County.  The College has the information and will provide it at a later date to the Board.

Second District Representative Deb McCasland shared that during the latest  Association of Community College Trustees conference she attended that  some community colleges  have done away with developmental courses.  The reason for this is a belief that students involved in developmental courses before they get to credit courses “tend to drop out” before completion.  Florida, for example, is a state that has eliminated developmental courses.

You may view Mr. Hughes report to the Board on this topic and the Board discussion in the short four minute video clip below.

Was solicited at hotel and local market while attending conference; finds old San Francisco no longer exists

Yavapai Community College District Governing Board Chair, Ray Sigafoos,  attended the Association of Community College Leadership Conference in San Francisco in October. Steve Irwin and Deb McCasland also attended the same meeting. The conference is described as “the largest professional development opportunity for community college trustees, presidents, and other thought and policy leaders. . . . Community college leaders … share …  experiences and expertise, network with people from around the country and beyond, and expand [their] knowledge of the community college sector.”

Sigafoos brought a chuckle of sorts to some of those in attendance at the November Board meeting when at the outset of his report about attending the conference the lamented the loss of old San Francisco.  Mr. Sigafoos found the “old San Francisco” had disappeared. 

The two-minute vide clip below contains his opening remarks and a comment by Steve Irwin saying he “dressed appropriately” and had no similar experiences.

November 12 meeting   is last gathering of Board  this year; next regular business meeting  Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board will enjoy a nine -week break before its next regular  public meeting.  The last regular  meeting in 2019 was held November 12.  It is not scheduled to meet again until January 21, 2019.  There are currently  no special meetings scheduled during the nine-week lay-off.

In addition to the absence of Board meetings for this nine-week period, the Board has decided it will not meet in June or July of 2020.  It will most likely hold a retreat in August and  return for a regular meeting in September. 

The result of the current schedule is that the Board meets for regular public meetings only eight  times a year.  For four  months (December, June, July, August)  it holds no regular public meetings. It usually holds a special meeting in August and resumes regular meetings once a month in September, October and November.  

Given such a light schedule, there is probably good reason why the members are not paid in any fashion for their service