Archive for ADMINISTRATION – Page 3
Vice President Clint Ewell comments on moving funds during June 2, 2023, interview with Sedona Red Rock News; question remains what was meant by the use of “to other schools”
Due to its strict operational confidentiality policy, determining the exact allocation and utilization of the funds for the 10.6 adjunct positions that were removed from the budget of Yavapai Community College’s Verde Campus in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, and purportedly reassigned to “other schools,” has posed significant challenges. However, the Blog has managed to uncover some information thus far.
Dr. Clint Ewell, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services, addressed the issue of reduced teaching staff at the Verde Campus during an interview with the Sedona Red Rock News. The newspaper’s front-page article on June 2, 2023, which discussed the increase in property tax rates, featured Dr. Ewell’s explanation.
As a reminder, the Blog initially disclosed in its April 21, 2023, post the perception that a significant reduction of 10.6 teaching staff positions at the Verde Valley Campus was evident in the College’s 2023-2024 budget, based on a public discussion between Dr. Ewell and Community College Governing Board member Ray Sigafoos.
The issue was brought up during the April 11 Governing Board meeting in a discussion between Ewell and Governing Board member Ray Sigafoos. Sigafoos sought clarification regarding a reduction that seemed to be indicated by a chart provided by the College (refer to the chart below). Based on the discussion, many observers came to the consensus that it was reasonable to assume that 10.6 positions had been eliminated at the Verde Campus. (Click here to view that discussion.)
However, in response to the Blog story concerning the reduction, Dr. Lisa Rhine made an effort to address any potential misunderstandings. During the District Governing Board and Tax and Budget hearing on May 16, 2023, she provided a brief statement emphasizing that there had been no reduction in faculty at the Verde Campus. Dr. Rhine clarified that the funds were instead transferred to the budget allocated for the dean or deans. (Click here to see the video clip of Dr. Rhine making this statement.)
In a recent article published on June 2, 2023, in the Sedona Red Rock News, Dr. Ewell provided his explanation regarding the 10.6 adjunct faculty reductions. He is quoted as follows:
“We had budgeted for some adjunct faculty in the vice president of academic affairs, which also includes Verde Valley campus administration. What we decided to do is move some of the adjunct faculty budget out to the different schools within the college, where the assets are actually being used. When you look at that table and our budget, it looks like vice president of academic affairs, the number of positions went down 10. But in reality, those 10 positions were simply moved to other schools within academic affairs.”
Despite the provided explanations, some lingering questions remain. Firstly, it is unclear how many adjunct faculty were teaching on the Verde Campus in 2021 and 2022, and whether that number has decreased. Secondly, when Dr. Ewell mentions moving funds to “other schools,” it is uncertain whether he is referring to schools located specifically on the Verde Campus or elsewhere. Thirdly, upon careful examination of the table that supposedly demonstrates a reduction of 10.6 adjunct positions on the Verde Campus, it also indicates that 9.8 positions were added to the school of business, 2.4 to the school of health and wellness, and 1.3 to instructional support (resulting in a sum of 9.8 + 2.4 + 1.3 = 13.5). Furthermore, the table suggests an overall increase of 21.5 positions across various schools (10.6 + 8.6 + 1.5 + 0.7 + 0.1 = 21.5). However, this would seemingly leave a net reduction of eight positions overall (21.5 – 13.5 = 8). Please refer to the table below, highlighting the schools and Verde Campus in yellow.
Without a public records request and the College’s willingness to respond to it, it seems that residents of the County may never obtain the complete story behind this fund reallocation. The transparency and cooperation of the College are crucial factors in shedding light on the matter, but even then, the full details might not be readily accessible to the public.
Board member Sigafoos indicates her viewed work exemplary; other Board members do not explain their vote
The Yavapai Community College Governing Board met in a secret Executive session on Tuesday, May 23 and discussed two issues. First, extending the contract of the current president, Dr. Lisa Rhine (Ph.D). Second, to decide whether to increase her current base pay.
Following the secret meeting, the Board reconvened and announced that it was extending her contract to June 30, 2028. This is somewhat unusual as these types of employment contracts are normally not extended beyond a three year period.
The Board provided very few details to support its unanimous decision. Representative Ray Sigafoos, who brought the motion to extend the employment period, praised Dr. Rhine and made it clear he felt her work was exemplary. However, Mr. Sigafoos failed to offer any concrete details that led him to his overall conclusion.
None of the other Governing Board members provided any specific reasons, which they must have had, for voting to extend the contract for five years. Following a second to the motion to extend the contract brought by Mr. Sigafoos, which then allowed Board discussion, none of the Board spoke up to explain why they thought the long extension was necessary.
The Board voted unanimously to approve the extension.
Please click here to view the short videotape clip of the voting process followed by the Governing Board.
Statement by Board member Sigafoos that “we’re dropping ten positions in the Verde Valley” apparently did not literally mean there was a reduction (Blog has provided links to video clips of April exchange in re positions and President Rhine’s statement on May 16)
Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine stated at the District Governing Board and Tax and Budget hearing on May 16 that there will be no reduction in faculty positions on the Verde Valley Campus. This was in response to the discussion at the April Governing Board meeting where Vice President Ewell presented a table and Board member Ray Sigafoos initially interpreted it as “dropping ten positions in the Verde Valley.”
After listening to the video clip, the Blog interpreted brief discussion as involving a reduction of ten faculty on the Verde Campus. Dr. Rhine says that interpretation is not correct.
Click here to view and hear Dr. Rhine’s statement at the May 16 Governing Board meeting. https://app.screencast.com/SZMjRnVuZTwym
Click here to view and hear the exchange at the April Governing Board meeting regarding lower head count and “positions” plus Mr. Sigafoos’ initial interpretation of the table. https://app.screencast.com/0F38VlSGNr3yi
You can see the confusion that was caused by the table, which is reproduced below. The table was presented by the College to the Governing Board at the April 2023 meeting and used by Vice President Clint Ewell. Note the use of words such as “positions,” and phrases such as “lower heard count.” Also note that the Verde Valley is specifically identified on the table by red arrows.
Dr. Rhine did not offer any data at the May 16 meeting showing the current number of part-time and full-time faculty now on the Verde Campus. The Blog has asked for that information.
College says it needs about $2.5 Million in new Primary County Property Taxes for it 2023-2024 budget and will not invade any of the millions in its cash reserves
The upcoming meeting of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board on May 16 on the Prescott Campus is expected to result in the approval of a 5% county-wide tax rate increase. With a majority of the five-person Board living on the west side of the County, the decision seems all but certain.
A further indication of the likelihood of the tax rate being approved is the lack of any serious opposition coming from Board members in previous meetings where the increase was proposed by the administration. Based on this lack of serious opposition, it appears that the Board is in agreement with the need for a tax rate increase to support the College’s initiatives.
Moreover, sparse public attendance at past rate hearings suggest that the public may not be particularly interested in the matter, making it likely that only a handful of taxpayers will appear at the May 16 public tax hearing and voice opposition to the increase.
At prior meetings, the Community College justification for a tax rate increase has rested on arguments about inflation and the fact that it has not requested an increase in the past four years. The College argues that these justifications support its view that it is making a responsible decision to maintain its funding levels and continue providing quality education to its students.
In addition to the proposed tax rate increase, the Board will be tasked with approving over $18 million in new permanent construction, which is set to exclusively benefit the west side of the County. The largest allocation of funds, around $15.3 million, will be spent over a three-year period to renovate Building 19 on the Prescott Campus. Another portion of the funds, amounting to $3 million or more, will be allocated to build a small faculty village consisting of ten homes just outside Prescott Valley. These proposed projects represent a significant additional investment in the College’s infrastructure on the west side of Yavapai County.
The Administration has also indicated it is reluctant to invade millions of dollars it is holding in its reserve accounts as this may affect future capital construction plans.
Alert sent out by College late Friday afternoon, May 12 advising faculty to be aware of text scam aimed at them
Yavapai Community College faculty were alerted Friday afternoon, May 12 that they were being sent a texting scam. Faculty were advised not to open the scam message and if they did, to delete it from their computers.
The College did not explain in any detail the nature of the content of the texting scam sent to Faculty. It did say the scam message purported to be coming from the College leadership.
Public being kept totally in the dark about location, purpose or amount of taxpayer funds being used to purchase these properties
Yavapai Community College has gone into the land purchasing business in a big way during the last few weeks. Recall that on February 24, 2023, the College District Governing Board held a two-hour closed door executive meeting focusing on purchasing land in Prescott Valley and leasing land in the Verde Valley. Following the session, the Board issued a vague statement in the form of a motion, unanimously approved, directly the staff to move as directed in the closed door session. The public was left in total darkness about what was happening.
Now, a little over a month later, the College is again looking to purchase more land, this time in Prescott. Like the February meeting, the public received no information about the Prescott purchase at this April meeting. It was again left in the dark.
So far, the Prescott-based executions have kept quiet about the amount of taxpayer money to purchase the Prescott Valley property, where it is located, or its precise purchase. It also has yet to learn what property the Community College is leasing in the Verde Valley, the amount of taxpayer money being used to pay for the lease, or the purpose. Likewise, the public has no information about the Prescott land purchase either.
It would appear that all of the new land will mostly be paid for by County taxpayers from their primary property taxes.
All classes, offices and services are closed
😛 Yavapai Community College is closed until March 30. The closure is due to its spring break. During this period all classes, offices, and services are closed.
Mr. Payne is a second-generation Arizona native, raised in Phoenix, who spent twenty-five years in Cave Creek/Carefree, and now lives permanently in Clarkdale
Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter announced March 10, 2023, the appointment of Mr. Alton “Toby” Payne to the Yavapai College Governing Board to represent District 3 (Sedona and the upper Verde Valley). Mr. Payne is a second-generation Arizona native, raised in Phoenix, who spent twenty-five years in Cave Creek/Carefree, and now lives permanently in Clarkdale.
The following is a portion of the press release regarding the appointment as released by Mr. Carter’s office:
Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Alton “Toby” Payne to the Yavapai College Governing Board to represent District 3 (Sedona and the upper Verde Valley).
Mr. Payne is a second-generation Arizona native, raised in Phoenix, who spent twenty-five years in Cave Creek/Carefree, and now lives permanently in Clarkdale. He spent thirty years as an entrepreneur in the audio-visual industry, as the founder of State Sound of Arizona. He has toured with Andy Williams, Sammy Davis Jr., Waylon Jennings, and designed and supplied the sound systems for the Papal Visit to Arizona State University. He also taught for ten years at the International Communications Industries Association Institute for Professional Development.
Mr. Payne has served on the Governing Board of the Cave Creek Unified School District, serving as President of the Board twice. The district spanned 144 square miles and included several municipalities including portions of Scottsdale, Phoenix, Carefree and Cave Creek. His service was at a time of rapid growth for the area when school construction was needed.
He has been working with various non-profits and community groups for many years, including Arizona Town Hall, Kiwanis, site survey for the Mabery Pavilion on the Clarkdale campus of Yavapai College, Growth Committee of the Clarkdale-Jerome School District, and the Verde Valley Amateur Radio Association.
Mr. Carter received a letter of resignation from Yavapai College Governing Board Member Paul Chevalier, effective January 30, 2023. Dr. Chevalier said, “today I turned 84 and, while my health is good, this is the moment for me to step down and let someone younger take my position.” Mr. Carter thanked Dr. Chevalier for his service to the residents of District 3. Mr. Carter posted the vacancy for this non-partisan seat for the remaining two years of the existing term. Prior to the deadline for receipt of letters of interest and the supporting information, Mr. Carter received the required materials from five qualified candidates.
Superintendent Carter makes use of a Candidate Review Committee in making community college appointments. This is a process which engages a cross section of community members from District 3 in the process.
He would like to express appreciation to the committee for their volunteer services to the community. County Supervisor Donna Michaels (Sedona) served as the elected official as she represents the same geographical area and residents within Yavapai County, Mrs. Barbara U’Ren (unincorporated areas) represented taxpayers, Chell Smart (Clarkdale) represented students, Kimberly Gould (Cottonwood) represented the college faculty, and Ruth Ellen Elinski (Cottonwood) represented economic development entities.
The committee reviewed the materials, prepared interview questions, decided who to interview and participated and evaluated the interviews. The committee also provides Mr. Carter with insight about their collective perception of each candidate, and they made very valuable recommendations for his consideration. The Superintendent and committee interviewed three finalists on Monday, March 6th in Sedona.
Mr. Carter hosted an opportunity for the public to meet with him personally in face-to-face meetings on March 9th in Sedona. He provided his email address and cell phone number for those individuals wishing to use one of those options. He spoke individually with many of the current Yavapai College Governing Board Members and college administration in person or on the phone prior to making the appointment. Forty-four (44) residents communicated with the Superintendent in one manner or another about their preferences. He appreciated and respected the responses.
Mr. Payne will be sworn in at a public event at Yavapai College, Sedona Campus at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. His term will end December 31, 2024. He has indicated an intent to run for the seat in the 2024 election cycle for a six-year term starting January 2025. He may be reached at 480.544.2290. Mr. Carter may be reached at 928.925.6560.
After three years, building two additional printers, incurring continual major highly technical and practical issues, College still hasn’t met goal of building one small facility with its four machines
Yavapai Community College’s CTEC faculty has faced apparently unforeseeable and massive technical and practical challenges after the College and its Governing Board was convinced by someone to purchase two 3D cement printers three years ago, January 2020. The price tag on the two 3D printers was a half million dollars.
Enormous amounts of CTEC faculty time and energy plus expenditures of an unannounced amount of revenue have been spent on trying to turn the project around and solve technical and practical problems — in addition to building two new printers while sidelining the original purchases.
These revelations were shared by CTEC Dean John Morgan during the District Governing Board meeting held February 21, 2023. Morgan explained to the Board that after realizing the first two machines it purchased were not suitable for the College’s intended use, it proceeded to construct two more machines that it felt would meet its purpose. And began the long road to solve the technical issues associated with using them.
According to Morgan, after the 2020 purchase, the Community College faced a variety of challenges including a need to build its own machines, a cement mix shortage and many extraordinarily difficult technical issues.
One can get gain a glimpse into the time and effort dedicated to the project when the Community College recently recognized Matt Mintzmeyer, Director of Aerospace Science/3D Printing and Manufacturing, for his tireless work on its behalf.
The College in recognizing Mintzmeyer said, in part:
He has spent 100’s of hours outside of the workday getting the machines to function properly, while also battling COVID. Without this commitment, we would not be able to move forward with 3D house printing due to the complexity of the operation.
Director Mintzmeyer has been successful at putting together a good team to keep going with the ongoing learning curve involved in 3D house printing. His easy going and “can do” attitude have been very noticeable. He has communicated well with the 3D team, and has them coming in to run test prints on a regular basis. As we inch closer to building a house, those skills will continue to be needed, and he will have to keep that team motivated in his role as Director.
Matt has spent many a late night working on improvements to the 3D printing lab at CTEC, as well as mastering the 3D house printing machine as part of the construction program. He has reached out to industry concerning directions we need to go in 3D printing, and has gleaned some good ideas that he has helped incorporate into the classroom. At a time when frustrations have been high, Matt has continued to work through problems pertaining to 3D house printing.
It can be noted that the College has refused a request from the Blog to provide estimates of the cost of building the two new machines or the amount of any grants that were used to construct any of the additional equipment or pay for all the unanticipated staff time needed to try and save the project.
Below is a copy of the decision by the Governing Board made at a hurriedly called Executive session to alter the 2019-2020 budget so the half million could be spent on the two 3D printers. The College still has them but they have been sidelined in favor of the two the College built on its own.
Here is a photo shown to the Governing Board of the original two 3D printers purchased for a half million. Dean Morgan said the manufacturer stood by its warranties on the machines. Although able to function, they are apparently serving no purpose at the present time.
Here is a photo of the two 3D printers that the College built at its own cost after it concluded the two it had purchased were not adequate to perform the tasks it thought they could.
