College considering employee base salary increase of 2%, Employee bonus program adding $764,000, and employee benefits to increase by 5% – Special Initiatives and Promise program will cost an additional $950,000. County Property Tax levy rate hike will probably be asked for by the Administration in May 2022
The Yavapai Community College Administration rolled out its first budget estimates for the 2022-23 academic year at the October 19, 2021 Governing Board meeting. The purpose was to provide overall estimates of changes in the 2022-23 budget while specifically setting the tuition rate at this meeting.
During the Administration’s presentation, it said that it will most likely be asking for a 2% increase in the County primary property tax levy at the May 2022 Governing Board meeting. It will also most likely be asking to increase staff and faculty base salaries automatically by 2% and establish a 2% employee bonus program it calls “gainshare.”
Its Special Initiatives and Promise programs will cost an additional $950,000.
The Administration noted that because enrollment has declined by 11% the State of Arizona’s contribution to the College is anticipated to go down by $282,000. Fourth District Representative Chris Kuknyo inquired about the State providing additional funding to the Community College because it had received so much Covid money from the Federal Government. The Administration agreed that was something the Community Colleges could lobby for.
The only final decision made at the Governing Board meeting regarding finances was establishing a tuition rate increase of on average three percent per credit hour.
Although the tuition rate is set by Board action at this meeting, the remaining information supplied the Board is all based on assumptions. The final budget will be approved by the Board in May 2022 and some of the assumptions and requests for funding various portions of the budget may change by that date.
The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board will hold its monthly General Open Public Meeting on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at the Rock House on the Prescott Campus in Prescott, Arizona. 
Why is the College so slow to react? Is it because the Sedona Center is so far from the Community College’s executives based in Prescott that actual development will never be a priority in the lens of the administration? Maybe, in the far reaches of their minds, the Community College executives are still contemplating what the former president tried to do in 2013-14, that is, shutter the Center for good.
In a press release authored by Yavapai Community College reporter Tyler Rumsey on September 30, 2021, it was announced that the College has set up a process to bring four-year degrees to its campuses and centers. The release said a formal working group has been created and already established a tentative timeline for the first four-year degree to be available to Yavapai students by the fall of 2023.
Yavapai Community College is host to the multi-day Prescott Film Festival October 14-17. All events are held on the Prescott Community College Campus.
Among Arizona community colleges, Yavapai has by far the largest and most modern theatre operation in the state in the the Performing Arts Center. Located at the Prescott Campus, most community college have nothing approaching the grandeur of this facility.
