Says that since he left as the Third District representative to the Board (Sedona, most of Verde Valley) that the Community College leadership with west side majority support has sought to erode its power. Will new Board in January alter these policies?
Paul Chevalier
Opinion: When I was on the Yavapai College Board for four years the subject of the college silencing the Board was brought up at least three times at meetings I was at by the administration but never as a Board action. Each time it came up I stated it was unconstitutional under both the state and federal Constitutions. The college then said it had instructed its management not to answer Board members questions and that was the end of the discussion.
Since I left, the college administration has eroded Board power continuously, all with the consent of the four Board members who live on the west side of our county. Only the east side member who replaced me opposed it. Four members of the five member Board, with two of them being lame duck west side members in their final Board meeting, have now agreed (by resolution) for the Board to be almost powerless under the control of the President and her senior management, That is the opposite of Arizona legislative intent. The Board by law is supposed to govern the college administration not vice versa.
Unless three members of the next or some future five member Board decide to end this unconstitutional resolution the Yavapai College Board will remain what it has become, which is a meaningless entity. I expect Board members will follow the resolution even though, I believe, it has no legal standing. We, on the east side, can expect practically no educational classroom courses for our residents from this administration which has broken promises it has made to improve it. The college administration will do whatever it feels like doing and it doesn’t feel like doing much in the way of classroom education for the east side residents. Moreover it is continually raising taxes for all county residents through the roof for land purchases that make no logical sense.
Paul Chevalier
Elected Yavapai College Board member representing the east side 2018 to 2022