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Yavapai Community College in Northern Arizona

Archive for Politics – Page 3

EXAMINATION OF HALF CENTURY DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, ETC. IN PRESCOTT AREA HELPS EXPLAIN WHY PRESCOTT DOMINATES ALL THINGS COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN SEDONA/VERDE VALLEY TODAY

By R. Oliphant

Friday, March 18th, 2022

Detailed charts illustrate why the dominance will continue into the future

There appears to be little doubt but that the Prescott based executives and the west-side voting block on the Yavapai Community College Governing Board will continue to control all things educational for Sedona and the Verde Valley into the future. The residents on the east side of Mingus Mountain are virtually helpless to do anything about it.

The charts below illustrate the west side’s total dominance over the past half century and explain why it will continue in that role absent a major legislative change. The hope that the current administration would be amenable to considering creating two Administrative College Districts, one on the west side and the other on the east side, apparently sent shivers about cash flow down the backs of Prescott executives.

A primary reason there will be no major development changes is that the Prescott executives, after five decades, have completed most of their dreamed for facilities and programs on the west side. Now that they have most of them (they have just recently set aside a couple million to expand in Prescott Valley), it’s going to cost a lot of money to maintain and keep them going. They just dished out over a million, for example, to fix the roof, air conditioning, etc. on the Performing Arts Center.

The upkeep alone on the west-side “empire” will require continued significant financial help over the years from east side residents. The money flowing to the west side comes via east-side property taxes, construction taxes, student tuition, plus state and federal grants based in part on east side student enrollment. Having spent so much money on developing the west side of the County, it is reaching a point so it “just can’t afford much investment in Sedona/Verde Valley.” Just enough, probably, to keep the 70,000 residents from seriously uprising against the incredibly unfair treatment suffered by them over the past 50 years.

Review the charts for greater details and explanation.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, MASTER PLAN, Politics

COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO HOLD SECRET INVITATION ONLY MEETING MARCH 22 WITH SELECTED VERDE VALLEY POLITICOS — PUBLIC IS BARRED – TOPIC TO BE MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN

By R. Oliphant

Tuesday, March 8th, 2022

Governing Board members are directed by College Administrators to not ask questions, a tactic most likely aimed at Third District Board representative Paul Chevalier | Knowledgeable members of the public barred | Secrecy like this is hardly in keeping with the Community College claim that it is always “open” and “transparent”

Robert Oliphant, Editor

OPINION. Yavapai Community College will hold a private meeting with the public barred with selected Sedona and Verde Valley politicians in Sedona sometime in the late afternoon of March 22.

Information about the private meeting sent out by the College administration that was provided by reliable sources and verified by the Blog states that the meeting “is by invitation only . . . It is not an open meeting for the public.”

Furthermore, other information supplied by reliable sources and verified by the Blog about this meeting sent by the Administration directs that “Board members may attend but are there to listen only.”

The Blog surmises that in the game of politics played by the Community College administrators, their strategy is to try and persuade the local politicians that the new Master Plan, which once again heavily favors the west side of the County, is “really good for the east side, too.” That is the political game the Prescott dominated Community College administrators have played for a half century. It is disappointing that the new administration is following the same old path taken by Prescott for decades.

The Prescott administrator’s goal for the meeting is simply this: “Sedona and Verde Valley — be thankful for the development crumbs we are so graciously sending over Mingus Mountain. You deserve them.”

Categories : Politics

CHEVALIER ADDRESSES VERDE CAMPUS OLLI GATHERING ABOUT YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

By R. Oliphant

Friday, March 4th, 2022

Argues that over the years the east side of County has been overlooked by Community College administrators and Board while the west side has prospered citing Camp Verde as one of those overlooked areas

Third District Yavapai Community College Representative Paul Chevalier spoke to a group of interested citizens about Yavapai Community College’s past, present, and future at an OLLI gathering on the Verde Campus in Clarkdale March 2. Chevalier reviewed the background, history, and future of the Community College. He also shared his experience working on behalf of improving the Community College in Sedona and the Verde Valley as Chair of the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee and as a member of the Community College District Governing Board.

Representative Paul Chevalier

Chevalier was particularly focused on what he sees as the inequitable development that has occurred between the east and west sides of the County. The inequity has occurred, according to Mr. Chevalier, despite the fact that Sedona and the Verde Valley have been paying “mega millions of dollars” to support the Community College over many years.

He used the town of Camp Verde as one example of an area the Community College has overlooked. He said Camp Verde is the fastest growing east side community with a growing population estimated at over 13,000. The Community College collects Camp Verde citizens’ property taxes, he said, “but spends practically nothing there. Its elected Town Council, representing their residents, understandably is not happy about that.”

He urged the College to correct the inequities “between the two sides of the County as soon as possible.”

Chevalier estimated that for every 10 people that live in the County on the west side of Mingus Mountain approximately four live on the east side. If the College spent $10 for every west side citizen and $4 for every east side citizen, said Chevalier, that would be equitable. However, he continued, that “is not the case.”

Chevalier also asserted that there is “major resistance” for equitable spending of Community College revenue on both sides of Mingus Mountain. The west side competes very effectively for dollars and “wants their projects to be the top priority.” He pointed out that more subtle influences or biases may be at work favoring the west side of the County simply because the College administration is based in Prescott, the College president and vice presidents all live there, and four of the five present Governing Board members live there.

He evinced concern about the huge gap between the east and west sides of the County in providing performing arts programs. He said he believed the College should start construction on enhancing its fledgling 10,000 square foot Career and Technical Education facility by adding from 20,000 to 30,000 square feet this year.

He urged his audience to attend and encourage others to attend a public meeting to be held about the future of the Community College at the Yavapai Community College Sedona Center March 22 at 4 p.m. “Frankly,” he said, “I need your help. I cannot do this alone.”

Mr. Chevalier has furnished the Blog with a copy of the speech that he gave to the OLLI group. You may read it in its entirety by clicking on the link below.

PAUL CHEVALIER SPEECH MARCH 2 TO OLLI IN VERDE VALLEY

Categories : Camp Verde, Politics, Sedona Campus, Verde Campus

GOVERNING BOARD LAWYER QUICKLY CLAMPS DOWN ON “INVESTING IN THE VERDE” PUBLICATION KERFUFFLE

By R. Oliphant

Thursday, February 24th, 2022

College claims it intended to include Chevalier and other east side people in publication, but he rejected its efforts; Chevalier replied he “did not decline” to be in it; “that’s not the case,” he said

As the Yavapai District Governing Board was within a few seconds of adjourning its all-day meeting on February 22 in Prescott, Fourth District Board member Chris Kuknyo raised a question about the absence of any reference to Verde Valley Representative Paul Chevalier in the recent Community College publication, “Investing in The Verde.” Kuknyo asked, “Is there a reason he wasn’t asked to be in this magazine?” Dr Rhine quickly responded explaining: “Our original communication plan that we had with our marketing department in putting together this edition, particularly, we planned to include Mr. Chevalier and five other constituents from the east side and do a feature article. And we asked Mr. Chevalier to do that and he declined their request.”

Mr. Chevalier immediately responded that he did not “decline to be in it.” As Mr. Kuknyo began to further pursue the issue, Governing Board lawyer Lynn Adams stepped in saying “we, are way off topic now, we are supposed to be adjourning” and halted any further discussion. She said, “Paul, if you want to say that is not the case, that’s fine, but I do not want to get into a topic here that is not on the agenda”. Chevalier said, “that’s not the case.”

The Board adjourned and Ms. Adams avoided a potentially more lively kerfuffle from breaking out between the two representatives.

It is reported that Mr. Chevalier and a member of the staff who was in charge of the publication met shortly after the meeting adjourned. You may view the video of the brief back and forth on the video clip below.

Categories : GOVERNING BOARD, Politics

SLICK PR/MARKETING COMMUNITY COLLEGE PUBLICATION BOASTING OF “INVESTING IN THE VERDE” ODDLY EXCLUDES REPRESENTATIVE CHEVALIER

By R. Oliphant

Friday, February 18th, 2022

Omits the one person who for the last several years has been a constant public voice and elected leader urging greater Community College investment in the Verde Valley

Robert Oliphant, Editor

Opinion. Yavapai Community College has just issued a slick public relations/marketing publication boasting about how it is “Investing in The Verde” Valley.” You may read the entire “Special Verde” Spring 2022 publication by clicking here.

One assumes that the persons prominently pictured on the front cover (see below) and featured throughout the publication of the “Special Edition” (see below) were carefully selected to show Verde Valley citizens the faces of those who have been and are the driving political and administrative forces behind investing in the Verde Valley. Otherwise, why were they chosen?

There is, however, one person who is conspicuous by his absence from the publication. That person is Yavapai Community College District Three Representative, Paul Chevalier. In truth, Chevalier has been a vocal driving force behind efforts to persuade the Community College to invest in the Valley for at least the last seven years.

When interviewed about his conspicuous absence from the publication, Chevalier said he was not contacted to participate and was not involved in any way with it.

Chevalier’s omission is all the more puzzling because his District makes up most of the Verde Valley including Jerome, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Sedona, and the Verde Villages. Governing Board Representative and Chair Deb McCasland’s District encompasses only a portion of the Verde Valley, which includes Cornville, Beaver Creek, and Camp Verde. She also represents a portion of the west side of her District, which includes the Prescott Country Club, Stoneridge, Sugarloaf, and Verde Lakes.

Chevalier’s vocal and political efforts directed at encouraging the College to increase its investment in the Valley began in 2015 when he was the Chair of the Verde Valley Governing Board Advisory Committee. That Committee consisted of a group of outstanding local residents who represented every corner of the Verde Valley. It was created in 2015 by former Third District Representative Al Filardo.

Over a period of more than a year, the Advisory Committee held dozens of community meetings in the Verde Valley with local educators and educational experts. The result was about twenty recommendations sent to the District Governing urging greater investment by the College in the Valley. Regrettably, virtually all of the recommendations were rejected by the Governing Board, which was and is completely under the political control of a West County Governing Board Representative voting bloc.

By September 2016 most suspect the West Side politicos on the Governing Board were seething because of the number of public recommendations for investment in the Valley streaming from the Advisory Committee chaired by Mr. Chevalier. The West County dominated Board either had to publicly reject or quietly ignore them, which was embarrassing. In retaliation, during the final hour of an all-day retreat on September 11, 2016 at the Prescott Campus, the West side voting bloc Board members in stealth-like fashion joined together to quash the Verde Valley Advisory Committee. Quickly, and without adequate notice of their intentions to the public, they voted 3-2 to abolish the Committee. Just like that, it vanished and was never heard from again.

However, in 2018 Chevalier returned to the public arena on behalf of Verde Valley citizens. This time he won a hotly contested election for the six-year term for the Third District Governing Board seat on the Yavapai Community College Governing Board. He pledged to advocate on behalf of the Verde Valley and the entire County.

Going into his third year on the Board, Chevalier has been true to his word. He is a constant strong voice for additional Community College investment in the Verde Valley. At times his efforts appear to irritate some Governing Board members.

Most close observers of Governing Board activities have found that Chevalier is by far one of the most well prepared, if not the best prepared, of the Board members when attending either a workshop or meeting. He is always present.

There is no question about his efforts to constantly persuade the College to make a greater investment in the Verde Valley. And he has been quite successful in his efforts, as the “Investing in the Verde” publication so beautifully illustrates. Yet, that publication contains not the slightest attribution to Mr. Chevalier.

It is not totally clear, of course, why the Community College chose to completely overlook Chevalier in the “Investing in the Verde” publication. It is not that they are ignorant of his efforts. Maybe he is seen enviously as far too devoted to his constituents. Or, that he is too focused in his persistent efforts to ensure that every penny of a local taxpayer’s annual contribution to the College is equitably returned to the Verde Valley. Who knows?

As René Descartes is quoted as saying: “The last rule was to make enumerations so complete, and reviews so comprehensive, that I should be certain of omitting nothing.” This is apparently not a rule followed by Yavapai Community College.

(L to R): Verde Valley Dean, Dr. Tina Redd; Vice President Dr. Diane Ryan; District Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland; Yavapai College President Dr. Lisa Rhine; and YC Foundation Board President Valerie Wood. Photo for Yavapai Community College publication by Bill Leyden.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, Politics

ENTHUSIASTIC/HOPEFUL SEDONA/VERDE VALLEY RESIDENTS TURN OUT FOR MASTER PLAN FORUM ON DECEMBER 6

By R. Oliphant

Thursday, December 9th, 2021

Participants express strong views on need for significant ten-year development on the Verde Valley Campus/Sedona Center for housing, enhancing CTE, expanding viticulture program, developing Sedona Center Culinary, paying more attention to outlying areas, and much more

Sedona/Verde Valley residents gathered in room 137 of building “M” on December 6 to voice their views on the future of the Verde Campus in Clarkdale and the Sedona Center. The gathering of around sixty included political representatives including Sedona’s mayor and vice mayor and members of the local town and city councils. There were also interested east side citizens and a few faculty from the Verde Campus.

For about 45 minutes the attendees shared their ideas on the future of the Verde Campus/Sedona Center. In general, they saw a need for faculty/student housing on campus, enhanced and expanded Career and Technical Education facilities, an enhanced and expanded vineyard and viticulture program, an expanded and improved culinary facility at the Sedona Center, and continued support and expansion of the allied health programs. They also encouraged the College to consider adding programs that are not included on the east side of the County (such as music and theatre).

There were concerns from some about the composition of the present ten-year plan steering committee, which consists of fourteen persons from Prescott and only two from the Verde Valley.

There were also expressions of concern among some that ten years ago the same planning team now once again doing the planning had created a $103.5 million dollar development plan with over 95% of development on the west side of the County. There were hopeful expressions that a new ten-year plan would not yield a similar result.

The discussion was directed by a member of the Smith Group consulting organization, the group that has been again hired to draft a ten-year development plan for the Community College.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, OPINIONS, Politics

SEDONA RED ROCK NEWS TAKES ISSUE WITH VIEW THAT REPRESENTATIVE CHEVALIER SHOULD BE SILENCED AND STOP REPRESENTING VOTERS OF HIS DISTRICT

By R. Oliphant

Thursday, December 9th, 2021

Says Chevalier should “shake the dust, rattle the walls and bring the house down” when asking questions of the Community College about the impact of programs and projects on Verde Valley

Sedona Red Rock News Managing Editor Christopher Fox Graham

The Sedona Red Rock News was sharply critical of the treatment afforded Third District Yavapai Community College representative Paul Chevalier at the November 16 Governing Board meeting held at the Career and Technical Education Center located at the Prescott airport. In an editorial Managing Editor Christoper Fox Graham argued that Mr. Chevalier should continue to fight for his constituents; he should not be silenced.

Editor Graham wrote that Mr. Chevalier’s:

“job as an elected official is to fight for his constituents in District 3 and thus, every time a college staffer makes a presentation, Chevalier should ask, “how does this benefit my people in District 3?” Department heads are spending our tax dollars to educate our population and if they can’t demonstrate how it helps our students and benefits our taxpayers, then the program should be culled to make room for a better one that does help our residents.”

Editor Graham was also critical of Fourth District Representative Chris Kuknyo’s view that performing arts programs and courses offered only on the west side of the County are easily accessible to east side residents. Graham wrote that:

“Kuknyo then stated that any of these west side performing arts programs are`available’ to students on the east side. His false claim is misleading because geography exists. Programs are `available’ to anyone on the east side, but not offered here, meaning our taxpaying students have to drive 90 minutes a day to attend a class in Prescott. Kuknyo’s dumb claim is akin to saying Arizona has oceanfront beaches right there, on the west side of California.”

On silencing Mr. Chevalier, Editor Graham wrote that:

“Kuknyo explicitly wants Chevalier silenced; he told Verde Valley’s Chevalier to shut up and smile while the county community college steals our tax dollars and provides us nearly nothing while dumping our tax money on Prescott area campuses. That’s not hyperbole: Toward the end of the meeting, an irritated Chevalier asked the board, “So at public meetings, I should never mention discrepancies or inequities in the Verde Valley?”

“Not at all,” Kuknyo immediately answered. Kuknyo explicitly told Chevalier to stop representing us, his voters. If Kuknyo demands Chevalier’s silence, we demand Chevalier shake the dust, rattle the walls and bring the house down. We demand Chevalier get louder. We demand he be more combative about getting what our tax dollars pay for.”

There is much more to Mr. Graham’s editorial. You can read it in its entirety by clicking here. Or by clicking on the link below.

http://www.redrocknews.com/2021/12/04/yavapai-college-board-needs-to-retake-basic-geography/

Categories : OPINIONS, Politics

WILL “DREAMERS” EVENTUALLY BE ELIGIBLE TO PAY IN-STATE TUITION AT YAVAPAI COLLEGE?

By R. Oliphant

Friday, May 14th, 2021

Voters to answer question in 2022 state-wide voter referendum

Voters will decide whether undocumented students that graduate from Arizona high schools, widely known as “Dreamers,” will be eligible to pay in-state tuition at Yavapai Community College and other Arizona colleges and universities.

The Arizona House of Representatives decided to place the question on the 2022 ballot for voter decision. If approved by voters, the referendum would repeal portions of Proposition 300, a 2006 voter-approved ballot question that required the verification of immigration status to access several publicly funded services, including college tuition and financial aid.

The resolution does not need the governor’s signature.

“Dreamers” are young people who have grown up as Americans, identify themselves as Americans, and many speak only English and have no memory of or connection with the country where they were born. Under current immigration law, most “dreamers” have no way to gain legal residency despite living in the United States most of their lives.

Many “Dreamers” did not discover that they were unauthorized immigrants until they were teenagers when they discovered they couldn’t obtain a driver’s license, or complete financial aid forms for college because they didn’t have Social Security numbers.

Categories : Politics

ARIZONA LEGISLATURE CONSIDERING $10 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIP AID TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES

By R. Oliphant

Friday, April 2nd, 2021

Has also resurrected legislation designed to allow community colleges to offer some four-year degrees

Most recent reports from Arizona’s legislature is that a bill is moving forward that will set aside $10 million for scholarships designed to assist struggling community college students. The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday agreed to the scholarship assistance without dissent. If approved in the House, it will provide aid to about 3,000 students.

As written, to be eligible, someone would have to qualify for a federal Pell Grant. These are available to anyone with family income less than $50,000 but are generally reserved for those below $20,000.

As to offering some four-year degrees, the House Education Committee, without dissent, resurrected legislation last week designed to allow community colleges to offer some four-year degrees. Reporter Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services, reported that the newest version of the bill had cleared the House last month on a 57-3 vote. However, it had not gotten a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee where it is assigned.

According to Mr. Fischer, “[t]he new version seeks to get around that by taking the language and stripping it on to an unrelated measure on school expenditures that already had cleared the Senate. That means if the now-revised SB 1453 is approved by the full House — and there’s no reason to expect that won’t happen, given the prior vote — it then goes back to the full Senate for up-or-down review, bypassing the ability of any committee or chairman to kill it.”

Categories : Politics

TWENTY-THREE PAGE REPORT ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES DELIVERED IN THE SHADOW OF A HALF CENTURY OF AGGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT ON WEST SIDE OF COUNTY

By R. Oliphant

Saturday, March 13th, 2021

Representative Chevalier calls into question whether County communities really have equitable access to Community College social and cultural opportunities given the details in the report; Chair McCasland points out Prescott was selected 50 years ago as College site; also says there are opportunities for everyone to come to Prescott to participate in cultural activities and there have been some cultural activities in the Verde Valley

As a part of its report to the Yavapai Community College Governing Board at Tuesday’s meeting, the Yavapai Community College administration delivered a detailed, comprehensive 23-page report on its commitment to provide “access to social and cultural opportunities” in the County. This is one of three major goals adopted by Yavapai Community College Administration and its Governing Board.

Third District Community College representative Paul Chevalier took the position that the College was not providing equitable access to social and cultural opportunities throughout the County. In particular, he argued that for a variety of reasons the east side of the County fails to receive “equitable” access to these activities. He provided a list of obvious differences as evidence of his view.

Chair Deb McCasland acknowledged the differences between the two sides of the County but said that history and open opportunities for persons on the east side to visit west side activities support concluding there is sufficient County-wide adequate access to cultural events as provided by the College.

Following presentation of the written report, Mr. Chevalier began to suggest an amendment to what is called the Governing Board’s “ends” statement that was used by the Board to evaluate the “access to cultural activities” report. However, he was ruled out-of-order. He promised to revisit the issue in June when the Governing Board reviews it policies and procedures.

In his written response to the report, Mr. Chevalier stated the following:

“Chevalier: Amend to clarify what we agree should be included here and discuss equity. If I am reading the report correctly, there is continuing inequity by the college between the West and East side of Mingus Mountain. It appears from this report that 176 college performance arts events were scheduled on the west side (mostly in Prescott) with 135 actually occurring but only six such events scheduled on the East side with only four occurring. That is inequality. In addition, all four current college athletic teams are located on the West side, with three more athletic teams being added by the college and all will be located in the West side (Prescott again). These teams are not filled with West side residents. The team athletes (63 or 68 currently) do not come from Yavapai County therefore they could just as well been placed in teams on the East side as the West side and housing could be found or created.

The East side has about 1/3 of the county population, pays about 1/3 of the college taxes but has never gotten anything close to a 1/3 share of social and cultural activities from the college. This is unfair.”

Board Chairperson Deb McCasland’s written response to the report was short. She stated: “An outstanding variety of opportunities for enrichment.”

Representative Ray Sigafoos wrote: “A broad range of cultural activities are part of the heritage of Yavapai College. The College continued that tradition under very difficult conditions last year. The staff and faculty involved in these endeavors deserve our hearty congratulations. This End is an appropriate allocation of our resources.”

The Governing Board’s newest member, Mr. Chris Kuknyo wrote: “COVID has had an effect on this.”

The final vote on the report was 4-1 with only Mr. Chevalier dissenting.

The discussion on this topic at the March 9 meeting can be viewed in full on the video clip below. The entire Governing Board meeting can be viewed at the Community College’s District Governing Board web site.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, Politics