Carol German letter typical of request for help
Verde Valley residents are contacting the Governor and State Legislators over the treatment being afforded them by the Yavapai College Administration and the West County majority on the District Governing Board.
The letter that follows is typical of the letters being sent. The Blog encourages it readers to contact the Governor’s Office and your Legislators to urge them to consider a separate Community College taxing district contiguous with the Verde Valley for a separate Community College. The following is Ms. German’s letter.
Carol German
YAVAPAI COLLEGE DISENFRANCHISES THE VERDE VALLEY
Yavapai College has done it again. With a 3 to 2 vote at a Board Retreat they abolished the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee. This action was a direct slap in the face to the entire Verde Valley. You had elected officials who worked very hard to select candidates for the YC Governing Board Advisory Committee. It was also a slap in the face to a Governing Board member who worked diligently to construct an Advisory Committee structure that was acceptable to the Governing Board and well as the communities in the Verde Valley. And, think of the time and effort that the County Superintendent of Schools spent in vetting the candidates that had been selected by each community’s elected officials.
The Committee itself worked very hard to determine the needs of the Verde Valley and to make recommendations to the YC Governing Board. These recommendations were, for the most part, ignored. It was as if the College felt threatened that millions of tax dollars paid by Verde Valley residents would be used in the Verde Valley instead of on the West side of the County. Right now our tax dollars will be used to build a 9 million dollar soccer complex in Prescott and also to build a multi-million dollar lecture hall in Prescott. This is in addition to the millions that have been spent to build and remodel buildings in Prescott and Prescott Valley. The College Governing Board should consider investing that money in Career and Technical Education Programs in the Verde Valley.
The Verde Valley greatly needs Post Secondary Education opportunities for our youth and others who want training for good paying jobs. Education and Economic Development go hand in hand. The Verde Valley needs a work force to encourage economic development. It is time Verde Valley residents are given a fair shake considering the millions of dollars they pay to Yavapai County Community College.
Bob Oliphant is correct; the Verde Valley needs to lobby the State Legislature to create a separate contiguous taxing district for a Verde Valley Community College. This would give Verde Valley residents the opportunity to develop programs and training to meet the needs of the 70,000+ residents on the East side of the mountain.
Carol German