College general fund budget for 2014-15 leaves $2.9 million in unspent revenue

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, February 13th, 2016

Another reason property tax increase was not warranted

Thanks to Board Representative Deb McCasland, we now know much more about where the College is getting all the money to fund its multi-million dollar building program.  The newest discovery of a source of revenue came during the February 9 District Governing Board meeting. At that meeting Ms. McCasland was unwilling to let a resolution transferring almost $2.9 million from the general revenue fund to the Capital Accumulation account as a part of the “consent agenda”  pass without question.  Consent agenda items are usually approved without discussion and Ms. McCasland asked that this item be pulled from the consent agenda. The Capital Accumulation account is used to pay for construction projects.

While questioning Vice President Clint Ewell, Ms. McCasland discovered that the policy of the current administration, and one followed for at least the last seven years, is to take any budgeted but unspent year-end revenue in the General Fund and put it into the Capital Accumulation account, where it is used for capital projects. 

The fact that there was $2.9 million excess revenue not needed to meet items in the 2014-15 general budget was not disclosed to the Governing Board in June, 2015 when the College administration asked for a property tax increase.  Had it been disclosed, or a reasonable estimate of the unspent revenue provided the Governing Board, it is hard to believe that the three-member West County block of representatives would have supported the request to increase taxes.

The brief discussion in response to Ms. McCasland’s inquiry can be viewed by clicking here.

CAPITAL ACCUMULATION FUND TRANSFER

Categories : Budget

College moving ahead on $4.6 million fine arts building on Prescott Campus approved by 3-2 vote

By R. Oliphant
Friday, February 12th, 2016

To house fine arts programs and music courses; West County wins again

Yavapai Community College expects to spend $4.6 million dollars in the next two years to renovate current building 15 and construct an addition that will house fine arts and music courses.  The decision to allocate this amount of taxpayer money to the project was approved 3-2 last year by the Governing Board.  The construction is moving forward despite the continued decline in the number of students attending Yavapai College on the Prescott campus.winner takes all

The majority decision to move forward on this building was made by the vote of three-member West County representatives on the five member District Governing Board when they approved the budget in June, 2015.

Here is the chart that shows the expenditure, which was shown to the Governing Board by the administration at the February 9 workshop.

CAPAITAL IMPROVEMENT BUILDING 15

Categories : Construction

College says it will close Chino Valley Campus unless enrollment picks up

By R. Oliphant
Friday, February 12th, 2016

Sale of Chino Valley Campus will provide funds for $45 million new campus in Prescott Valley

The Yavapai Community College administration, led by President Penelope Wills, is dead set on selling the Chino Valley Campus unless enrollment picks up.  This was clear from the presentation made to the College Governing Board at the February 9, 2015 workshop.

The Blog suspects that the technique  the College may use to accomplish the closing will no doubt be similar to that used in Sedona.  That is, put in as few class offerings at the Chino Valley Campus as possible and then conclude there is not sufficient enrollment to justify continuing with it. 

Reproduced below is the chart used by the College for the Governing Board workshop showing its determination on this issue.

CHINO VALLEY SALE OF CAMPUS

Categories : Chino Valley campus

Verde Valley Governing Board Advisory Committee Chair corrects editorials

By R. Oliphant
Friday, February 12th, 2016

Points out errors in content of them

Paul ChavPaul Chevalier, Chair, Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee responded in the Verde Independent to two editorials that contained either errors or misleading information.  The two editorials written by the Verde Independent can be read by clicking here (open meeting law) and here (separate administrative college not possible).

Mr. Chevalier’s response to both editorials can be read by clicking here.

Categories : Administrative College

Blog sets the record straight with Verde Independent on Administrative College

By R. Oliphant
Friday, February 12th, 2016

Verde Independent editorial failed to understand need and law about setting up Administrative Colleges in Arizona

The Blog responded to an editorial of February 4 in the Verde Independent entitled “Creating Verde Valley College ’tilting at windmills’” that strongly suggested a separate administrative college was not possible in the Verde Valley.   Click here to read the Verde Independent editorial.

setting the record straight

The Blog responded in detail to the editorial.  There is no doubt that a separate Administrative Community College can be set up to service Sedona and the Verde Valley.  Click here to read the Blog editor’s response in the Verde Independent datet February 9. 

Categories : Administrative College

College produces misleading population density map

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, February 11th, 2016

Consultants apparently are unaware of over 13,000 residents living adjacent Cottonwood

Yavapai College uses a population density map that significantly misleads anyone seriously interested in determining population density in the Cottonwood area.  The map omits the fact that two unincorporated areas, Bridgeport and Verde Village, are immediately adjacent and surround the City of Cottonwood.  According to the 2012 Yavapai County Comprehensive plan, those two unincorporated areas account for 13,483 residents. 

The College has been told about the error in the density map below that occurs by eliminating these unincorporated areas.  However, as late as February 9, 2016 the College continued to produce a density map, which limits density analysis only to incorporated cities and towns.  It is reproduced below and is simply misleading.

Below is the map produced by the College February 9, 2016 to the Governing Board.POPULATION DATA DENSITY 2 WITH LONG ARROW

 

Categories : Verde Campus

Editorial, “Send Arizona to college” laments poor post-secondary education opportunities

By R. Oliphant
Monday, February 8th, 2016

Community Colleges failing to  recognize the importance of setting goals to increase the number of residents who have post-secondary degrees or certificates

In an editorial appearing in azcentral.com, Linda Valdez lamented the failure of Arizona Community Colleges to increase the number of persons who have post-secondary degrees or certificates.  You may view her editorial by clicking here.

She writes that “ by 2020, 68 percent of jobs in Arizona will require a post-secondary education, according to a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. At least 31 states have recognized the importance of setting goals to increase the number of residents who have post-secondary degrees or certificates. Arizona isn’t one of them.”

GoalShe stated that “ Not only is Arizona’s post-secondary education level low, it is significantly lower among the fastest growing demographic in the state. Currently, the majority of K-12 students in Arizona are Latino.”

Valdez quotes Arizona State University President Michael Crow as saying that raising Arizona’s post-secondary education rate is a “prime directive” and an “apple-pie agenda.  It is essential to our economic competitiveness and our social and cultural success.“

That’s in line with what states like Colorado and Texas have done in recent years, says Valdez.

Wouldn’t it be great if Yavapai College began to focus on increasing the number of residents who have post secondary degrees and certificates in the County  rather than continuing its wild spending spree on nice but unnecessary building projects! Wouldn’t it be great if the Governing Board set a specific goal that we all could understand for the coming year for the present administration to reach!!! Oh yes, the Carver model doesn’t allow setting a simple goal.  Maybe someone will have the courage to finally get rid of that model. 

Categories : Yavapai Community College

Recall Pat McCarver Trial Baloon

By R. Oliphant
Monday, February 8th, 2016

Letter to editor seeks recall of Governing Board Chair

In a letter to the editor of the Cottonwood Journal of January 13, 2016 John Lamerson of Prescott floated a trial balloon seeking support to recall the Governing Board Chair Pat McCarver.  Lamerson wrote that “Yavapai College is spending millions of taxpayer education projects with minimal educational value.”

recall“Millions of badly needed education dollars are being poured into a professional tennis complex, an 1,105-seat dinner theatre –the only one of its kind in the nation – and other building projects on the Prescott campus,” he opined. 

With frustration Lamerson wrote that “We see no alternative but to obtain that one fiscally responsible vote on the District Governing Board to stop this outlandish spending of dollars for non-educational projects. To this end, the people of Yavapai County are called upon to recall Governing Board member, Pat McCarver.”

 

Categories : Politics

Governing Board meets Tuesday, February 9

By R. Oliphant
Monday, February 8th, 2016

Early morning budget workshop to be followed by general meeting

MEETING NOTICE 1The Yavapai College District Governing Board will hold a District Governing Board Budget Workshop on Tuesday, February 9 beginning at 9:30 a.m. 

It will be held at the Rockhouse, Prescott Campus, 1100 E. Sheldon Street, Prescott , AZ 86301.  The session, which may take up all of the morning, is devoted to a review of Yavapai College’s 2016-17 Preliminary Budget.  

The Governing Board will reconvene for its regular Board meeting that afternoon at the Rockhouse.  The regular Board meeting begins at 1:00 p.m. and is scheduled to run until a little after 5 p.m.

There is a call to the public where citizens may express their views on any subject at the outset of the regular Board meeting.  Normally, citizens are restricted to speaking for not more than three minutes.

You may view the agendas in detail by clicking here and here.

 

Categories : Meeting Notice

Verde Independent newspaper questions whether Open Meeting Law violated

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, February 7th, 2016

Wills’ joins newspaper in voicing surprise at Administrative College for Verde Valley discussion

On February 3, 2015 the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee met on the Verde Campus in Clarkdale.  Toward the end of the meeting, under the agenda item of “Ownership Linkage Recommendations,” the Committee discussed whether to bring a motion asking that the District Governing Board consider “to retain an independent consultant to study the structural benefits and costs of a separate Verde Valley college.” The motion was tabled until the next meeting.

The idea of such a consideration seems to raise the hackles of both President Penelope Wills and Editorial writer Dan Engler. Wills’ told Engler that she was in the dark that the issue of creating a separate administrative college was going to be discussed. She also told him that she was even more surprised to learn the issue did not surface until she left the meeting.

Wills’ also agreed with Engler that the agenda as written apparently violated the Open Meeting law.  She stated that “It’s very challenging to work with Paul (Chevalier) in setting the agenda and not always clear what is going to happen in the meeting. It is supposed to be as clear as possible. They have been well versed in open meeting law and how to put an agenda together and it still has been very challenging for us.”

 Given no action was taken and the matter will be discussed at next month’s meeting, the question is whether Wills’ will file an Open Meeting Law violation claim against the Governing Board Committee.  Don’t hold your breath.

You may read the editorial in the Verde Independent by clicking here. You may listen to the brief discussion regarding this by clicking here.

Categories : Administrative College
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