HAS COLLEGE GONE BACK ON JANUARY PROMISE?
Despite objections from all seven Verde Valley superintendents to imposing a per credit fee on high school students in the dual enrollment program, President Penelope Wills pushed ahead with her fee demand. Her demand was approved by the Governing Board June 14 via an intergovernmental agreement and students will now pay $10 per credit while in high school taking a dual enrollment credit course.
Of concern is the fact that the Intergovernmental agreement approved by the Governing Board June 14 does not contain any provision for continuing the small stipend that the College was paying each high school instructor who was teaching a dual enrollment class. Under intense questioning from Deb McCasland, the College stated that it would not pay anything toward the teachers. There was no mention of the stipend. (You may view the June 14 questioning by Ms. McCasland at the Board meeting by clicking here.)
At the January, 2016 Governing Board meeting, interim Vice President Scott Farnsworth was specifically asked about the stipend. He specifically stated it would continue.
So where is the stipend? Why isn’t it in the contract? How much of a stipend will be paid to each teacher and who decides this amount? Who decides what teaches will receive the stipend? What is the total amount to be paid out? Who decides the total?
Thanks to the Blog and Representative Deb Mc Casland this issue will be raised at the next Governing Board meeting in August. At that time the public should receive information about whether the stipend was discontinued or is to be continued. Hopefully, the public should also discover the criteria and amount to be paid to each teacher. (And how that was decided.)