Believes expenditure should focus on expanding facilities to train students in high-paying CTE jobs fearing Brewery/distilling courses will provide only a tiny number of such opportunities; says College provided Board insufficient data showing need for Brewery training when presenting budget; subsequent informal requests for data after Board meeting have not been answered
Third District Representative to the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board, Paul Chevalier, has been an outspoken opponent of spending $10 million on developing a commercial brewing/distilling program to replace the existing program in the Verde Valley. (See fall registration below.)
During the May Governing Board meeting where the $10 million expenditure was approved 4-1, he argued the Community College should focus on using the money to develop a wide variety of high-tech training opportunities for Verde Valley students that may pay as much as $75,000 upon receiving a two-year certificate. He questioned whether a brewing program had the same potential. (Hear his arguments during the May Governing Board meeting by clicking here.)
Chevalier also raised the question of whether the College had conducted a sufficient needs assessment. One that would show that there is a significant need for a brewing/distilling program in the Verde Valley. There was no answer to this question at the May meeting.
Since the Governing Board meeting in May, Chevalier, who was interviewed by the Blog, says he has tried to obtain data from the Community College that would support using the money for a brewing program rather than a high-tech program. Specifically, data that would show a need for such training that would lead to high paying jobs for numbers of Verde Valley residents. However, his requests for data directed to the Community College have been rejected. The College administration’s refusal to provide such information has been supported by the Governing Board Chair.
In a last ditch attempt to obtain reliable data from the College, if it exists, Chevalier has turned to the Arizona Public Records law in an effort to obtain the information used by the College administration to make the $10 million recommendation to the Board. He is now awaiting a reply from the College to his Public Records request.
FALL 2022 ENROLLMENT IN VERDE CAMPUS BREWING PROGRAM
