Overall increase puts base salary at 10% more on December 1 than it was just one year ago; while Board released no information regarding actual salary amount, based on previous President’s salary, total may be nearing $300,000
In May 2020, the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board increased College president Lisa Rhine’s base salary by six percent. At the time, the vote was 4-1 (Chevalier dissenting) with the majority explaining the large increase was deserved because Dr. Rhine did not have a salary increase in her first year. (See video clip below for verification.)
At the November 2020 meeting held this week, the Governing Board unanimously approved an additional four percent increase to her base salary effective December 1 of this year. In effect, the Board has increased Dr. Rhine’s base salary a hefty ten percent this year.
Board members at the November meeting lauded Dr. Rhine for her communication and outstanding handling of the Community College during the pandemic. Board Chair McCasland explained that in May the Governing Board was uncertain about the financial impact of COVID-19 on the College finances and “at the time we were discussing a ten percent increase.” She said that because of the financial concern the Board awarded Dr. Rhine a “six percent increase.” However, because of the current financial situation, she was now recommending an additional “four percent increase.”
Pat McCarver took the position at the November meeting that because the Board did not give Dr. Rhine a raise in her first year, and awarded only a six percent increase, the Board was now trying to “catch up a little bit.” She also lauded Rhine for her handling of the “COVID-19 situation.”
Paul Chevalier said the increase was merited because of her “exceptional job.” As noted above, he dissented from giving her a six percent increase in May 2020.
New Board member Mitch Padilla said that Dr. Rhine was “truly a leader on this campus” and that the handling of the pandemic was “appropriate.” He also said she has done “exceptionally well” in her “means of communication.”
It is noted that there was no mention of the almost ten percent decline in the 2020 fall enrollment by the Board. There was also no mention at the time the six percent increase was announced in May that the Board would consider an additional increase during the year if the financial picture improved. (See video clip for verification.)
The Board carefully avoided providing the amount of President Rhine’s base salary when it made the salary increase announcement. The Blog along with County taxpayers are left to speculate on the amount.
The last information about the Community College president’s salary came in 2017 in an article in the Verde Independent newspaper, written by Dan Engler and published July 18, 2017. According to that three-year-old story, a wage study conducted by the Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc. showed that at the time the highest-paid County official was Yavapai Community College President Penelope Wills. The story reported her annual salary was at $277,811. According to the study, the salary at the timed exceeded the “second highest paying government job in the region,” which is held by the Yavapai County Medical Examiner, by $63,611.
The Blog speculates that if Dr. Rhine was hired at near the same salary as Dr. Wills was reportedly receiving, the total base salary for the Community College president is now nearing $300,000.
You may view the brief discussion regarding the salary increase in May and the salary increase in November in the video clips below.