Penelope Wills’ administration and West voting block romp over East County in 2015
In reviewing 2015 it is clear that the once again the residents of the East side of Mingus Mountain were trampled by the political power of the West County Wills’ administration and the three-member voting block representing the West County. Virtually every effort by the Verde Valley to stop the wild spending spree for more and more construction and renovation under the current Administration failed. A call to come together and “cooperate” in solving the post-secondary education issues in the Verde Valley was ignored by College President Penelope Wills’ and her handlers. They no doubt raised a champagne toast at their year-end party to their continued political post-secondary educational trouncing of the Verde Valley. Here is the record:
Stomping on high school students for revenue. The Penelope Wills’ administration announced at the December 8, 2015 Governing Board meeting that it was moving ahead on charging each high school student who takes a dual enrollment class at a high school in Yavapai County at least a $10 per credit fee. The administration ignored a letter from all eight Verde Valley Superintendents opposing such a fee. The administration also ignored a letter delivered to the Board containing the unanimous recommendation of the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee opposing such a fee.
Folks say Wills administration should leave. A poll conducted by the Sedona Redrock News in the late fall showed that 90% of the persons responding were dissatisfied with Yavapai College and its current administration. Click here to see the poll. Given Wills’ comfortable salary, it is very doubtful she will ever leave.
Wills’ keeps tight reigns on Verde Valley. The Wills’ administration continued its strategy of filling top administrative spots in the Verde Valley with trusted Prescott employees with the appointment of Kelly Trainer as Assistant Dean. The top four administrators on the Verde Campus/Sedona Center all reside in the Prescott area and are considered Wills’ loyalists.
Wow—now you know why millions in construction money is available to Wills. The Arizona Tax Research Association (ATRA) released a report in September, 2015 showing that Yavapai College is collecting double the amount of property tax per full-time student than is the average in Arizona. You may read the report by clicking here. Despite this evidence, Wills’ insisted on increasing student tuition and property taxes in 2015.
You’ve got to be kidding. A wine tasting room was opened on the Verde Campus with the College setting $50,000 as the revenue goal for the room in its first year of operation.
Don’t tread on me. The suggestion by the Board Advisory Committee for a joint meeting with the Governing Board, the Administration and the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee to discuss a long list of post-secondary educational issues affecting the Valley was snubbed by Wills’ and the three-member voting block on the West side of the County. In response to the Advisory Committee’s Chair’s request for a meeting, District Governing Board Chair Pat McCarver said in ignoring the request: “You shouldn’t have to negotiate with our own committee.”
So, I was fibbing; I’m a politician. New District Governing Board member Steve Irwin had his first chance to vote on a property tax increase in June. During his campaign for the Board seat in 2014 he had promised that “A vote for me equals no new taxes.” Irwin was the swing vote that pushed property taxes up once again for County homeowners. So much for facebook political campaign promises.
Property taxes go up. The Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee recommended to the Governing Board that it not increase property taxes at its June, 2015 meeting. The District Governing Board (3-2) voted to increase taxes. This was the 6th time in the last ten years that property taxes have been increased. (The dissenting votes were the two Verde Valley representatives.) Residents now pay more in primary property taxes to Yavapai College than to Yavapai County.
Keep hitting the College students for more money. The Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee recommended no tuition increase in 2015. The District Board 3-2 voted to increase tuition—the 10th time tuition of some kind was increased in the last ten years. (The dissenting votes were the two Verde Valley representatives.)
What? You need a plan? Not in Prescott. The Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee recommended that there be a short moratorium on building projects until a strategic plan that included the Verde Valley and Sedona be in place. It was ignored at the June, 2015 Board meeting by a vote of 3-2. (The dissenting votes were the two Verde Valley representatives.)
Wills’ refused to provide an opinion about whether she supported the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee at an October 27, 2015 meeting with the Sedona City Council. Can you guess what her opinion was?
Center saved by citizen advocates. The District Governing Board removed the Sedona Center from the auction block at the request of the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee.
I never heard of Sedona. While traveling the County and speaking to various City and Town Councils’ about her tax increase proposal, Wills’ overlooked Sedona. She later apologized after the vote by the Governing Board raising taxes but offered no explanation to Sedona’s mayor or City Council for overlooking Sedona.
$7 million and nothing to show for it. Several editorials in the Sedona Redrock News have suggested that the residents of East County secede from the District so that the $7 million or so dollars now going to Prescott to support its programs and building projects will remain in the Verde Valley.
Will $60 million settle it? The College failed to settle the multi-million dollar lawsuit brought by the former Yavapai College Director of Aviation Programs, Daniel Hamilton. Hamilton is a professional aviator, a veteran and a decorated former F-16 fighter pilot who served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force from 1997 to 2007. He reportedly started his job with Yavapai College in Sept. 6, 2011, and was terminated on or about May 31, 2012. He sued for a variety of reasons including being fired because of protesting not complying with VA regulations.
Why should we follow the rules? The Veterans Administration found the College in violation of its 85/15 rule in operating the helicopter program. It terminated the funding of the program in March, 2015.
Those middle east sheiks have money. The College says it may seek foreign students to help revitalize the helicopter (aviation) program.
Secrecy is the key. The Governing Board approved another contract year for Penelope Wills. The contract is rumored to be around $250,000. Why it was not made public is not clear.
Top Wills’ administrator booted. Yavapai County Supervisors voted 4-1, September 21 to remove Yavapai College Representative Alexandria Wright from the local Workforce Development Board. According to Anita Payne, Development Board Chair, Ms. Wright demonstrated “an adverse and disruptive pattern of behavior that is considered to impede the efforts of the WDB” while she was on the Board. She stated in a letter to the Supervisors that the Executive Committee saw “no contribution from the College that supports our mission, vision and structure.” President Penelope Wills’ has made no comment on the mess. However, Wright continues as the head of the economic development program for the College and new quarters were built for her by Wills at the Career and Technical Education Center.
Smokescreen. The College invested no more than $35,000 in a small culinary effort at the Camp Verde High School. It replaced the 60 credit plus Sedona film school with a 12 credit face-to-face media offering on the Verde Campus. Its efforts at launching a hospitality training program apparently failed. It did nothing to improve access to Career and Technical Education at the CTEC campus in Prescott for high school students in the Verde Valley. (The programs are available to all high school students on the Prescott side of Mingus Mountain; they are not available to students on the East side of the County.)