Pima and Maricopa Community Colleges appear to be greatest beneficiaries; not Yavapai Community College

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has proposed some increased financial aid to Arizona Community Colleges in his budget for the coming fiscal year. He delivered  his proposals to  the Legislature January 14. Legislators will, of course, debate and tweak the budget requests. Unfortunately, the Blog is unable to discover any significant increase in financial aid coming from the State to Yavapai Community College.

Ducey said he wants to provide $20 million for an expanded aviation program at the 40,000 student Pima Community College. This will double the capacity of the Aviation Technology Center, which trains people for aerospace industry jobs. This would add funds for another 75 students.

He also wants the legislature to provide $5.8 million for Maricopa County Community College District to get more equipment to expand its health-care programs. This will allow it to train more students in medical programs for staffing operating rooms, emergency care, oncology and intensive care units.

Under Ducey’s budget, Universities would receive $21 million to expand their teachers academies, designed to address the teacher shortage by allow education students a free college education if they agreed to teach in Arizona. The academies started in 2017, but never received any funding. 

The universities would also get $30 million to put toward health insurance costs and $35 million in one-time operating and capital funds to help support Arizona resident students.

House Minority Leader Charlene Fernandez, D-Yuma said in response to Ducey’s proposals that the state still needs to make up for years of cuts to district schools that have led to a teacher-retention crisis, and restore cuts to community colleges and universities.

In a vitriolic meeting and a show of their raw political power, the west county board representatives again name Sigafoos as Board Chair and reject McCasland, despite her credentials, as Board secretary

The West Yavapai County voting bloc (McCarver, Sigafoos, Irwin) made it clear at the somewhat vitriolic Tuesday, January 15 morning special meeting that it is unwilling to share even a modicum of Board leadership with a member of the east side of the County. In doing so, the west side politicos on the Board flexed their political muscle in a showing of raw political power.

Some observers at the meeting were startled by the hostile, almost angry voice of Pat McCarver when she nominated aging and occasionally rambling Ray Sigafoos for another term as the Board chair. To do this, she forcefully interrupted Paul Chevalier while he was speaking and refused (no kidding, look at the video) to allow him to speak. McCarver’s motion came only after an effort by the east county representatives to select a more neutral Governing Board Chair, Steve Irwin, had failed.  The vote to continue with Sigfoos was 3-2 with east county representatives Deb McCasland and Paul Chevalier in the minority.

In a second effort to obtain a modicum of leadership for the east side of the county on the Board, Paul Chevalier nominated Deb McCasland to serve as Governing Board Secretary.  He argued that she had made a life-long commitment to the College. She was also now entering her fifth year on the Governing Board. (McCasland was first elected to the Board in 2014).  Despite his argument, the west county voting bloc (McCarver, Sigafoos, Irwin) selfishly voted her down.

Paul Chevalier commented that the Governing Board chair had gone back and forth between west county representatives over the past several years.  He argued that the chair should be rotated among the members of the Board similar to how the Yavapai County Supervisors rotate their chair.  In response, Ray Sigafoos claimed that this was talked about once 12 years ago and rejected.  He also said the Board was not a “Rotary Club.”

The west Yavapai County voting bloc ended up giving the secretary’s position to Steve Irwin, which to some observers of the meeting appeared odd, to say the least.  It was odd because  only moments earlier he had told the Board members that medical issues prevented him taking the Board Chair’s position. He did not murmur anything about those issues when McCarver nominated him for the secretary position and astonishingly, he seconded his own nomination. To observers, it appeared that the medical issues disappeared when it came to ensuring that the west county politicos maintained total iron-fisted control of the Governing Board. 

Unfortunately for the 70,000 residents living on the east side of the County, the west county voting bloc has once again cemented its position of control over them. The west side politicos, not east county residents and their representatives, will decide the future of post-secondary education on the east side of the county.  And the west side politicos will ensure that the millions of dollars necessary to continue further developing the community college on that side of Mingus Mountain will contain to flow unabated.

The seven minute video clip of the proceeding appears below. 

New President of Board Linda Thor selected in 4-3 vote

The Maricopa Community College Governing Board coup to oust existing Board president Laurin Hendrix while he still had six months left on his term was successful. According to Arizona Republic reporter Anne Ryman, the 4-3 vote to replace Hendrix  occurred at an unusual special meeting held January 15. He was replaced on the Board by Linda Thor.

Just before the meeting began, Hendrix resigned so that the Board could elect new officers, if they chose. According to reporter Anne Ryman’s story, Hendrix expressed regret over what has been a tough year, including a threat and unknown vandals leaving swastikas in the yard of his Gilbert home.  He also said that “not a single person spoke up,” to condemn the behavior, he said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Thor thanked Hendrix for his work, acknowledging that “it’s been a very difficult year and you’ve put in countless hours.”

You may read the entire story by Anne Ryman in the Arizona Republic by clicking here. 

Joins Second District Representative Deb McCasland as strong voice for the east side of the County

Paul Chavlier

Paul Chavlier will be sworn in as the new member representing the Third District on the Yavapai Community College Governing Board at the Governing Board meeting January 15.  The Third District encompasses Big Park, Bridgeport 1 and 2, Clarkdale, Clemenceau, Coffee Pot, Cottonwood, Fir, Jacks Canyon, Jerome 1 and 2, Mingus, Orchard, Quail Springs, Red Rock 1 and 2, Red Rock East, Red Rock West, Verde Village, Western, and Wild Horse.

Chavlier, who was opposed by sitting Board member Dr. Connie Harris, won the seat in November by receiving almost 55% of the vote. He will join Deb McCasland as a strong voice for the citizens living in the Verde Valley. 

West County Voting Bloc has controlled agenda for at least last eight years by making sure chair is from that side of County; issues regarding east side of County have been blocked from serious discussion

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board will select a new president at its January 15 meeting.  For the past eight years, it has maintained control over the agenda by selecting a member of the Board who represents the west side of the County at is chair.  Who is in the chair is important because he or she sets the agenda for each meeting and controls the ebb and flow of each meeting.

Because of agenda control, issues such as the location of centralized CTEC facility on the east side of the County, a request from the Chino Valley Council to meet regarding a potential raceway, a Board meeting with the Yavapai-Apache Nation, or a serious discussion about the future development of the east side Verde Campus and Sedona Center have been kept from the Board. 

There is hope that neither west-side hardliners Ray Sigafoos nor Pat McCarver will continue as Chair. It is also hoped that the roadblocks for discussion of important issues that current Chair Sigafoos has blocked in the past will be removed after January 1.