The Yavapai Community College Governing Board and Chairwoman Deb McCasland, the District 2 representative who officially represents Camp Verde, have taken another step to attempt to restrict the rights and powers of the elected board members by scheduling a possible rule change that may make it more difficult for board members to discuss issues affecting the college and continue the college’s process of centralizing control in unelected administrators.
Board member Toby Payne, who represents District 3, serving Sedona, Cottonwood, Clarkdale and Jerome, sent a letter to McCasland on Jan. 19 requesting that she agendize “a discussion and education session led by our attorney to distinguish between delegating authority and relinquishing or waiving authority” and schedule a work session on governance regarding the board’s Policy 310 and its apparent contradiction of state statutes and Higher Learning Commission guidelines.
“Policy 310 was presented to the board as part of a packaged consent agenda, with no prior engagement or shared governance process. As such, it cannot be considered a ‘board policy’ but rather one imposed on the board,” Payne wrote to McCasland. “Arizona Revised Statutes §15-1444(A) explicitly state that each district board shall ‘visit each community college under its jurisdiction and examine conditions and needs.’ This duty cannot be restricted by the administration and contradicts the resolution’s assertion that ‘the board’s sole official connection to the operational organization, its achievement and conduct is through t he college president.’”
In addition to stating that “the governing board has delegated the day-to-day management of Yavapai College to the president” and that “members will respect the delegation of authority to the president,” which appear to conflict with ARS §15-1444, Policy 310, which was adopted on Nov. 19, also attempts to prevent members of the board from exercising both their First Amendment rights and their duties as elected officials by forbid ding them to speak to the press or YCC staff or to “publicly criticize the president or the college.”
Payne’s request that McCasland agendize a discussion of Policy 310 was made pursuant to Governing Board Policy 308, which provides that “any board member who wishes to place an item on the agenda should do so [sic] the following through the board chair: If it is the board’s issue it will be placed on the next board agenda. If it is the president’s issue, the chair will refer it to the president to be addressed in accordance with board policy and inform any board member concerned. If the board member feels that this process has not been followed appropriately, she/he will inform the chair who will place the matter on the next board agenda.”
Policy 308 specifically states that issues raised by board members “will,” not “may,” be placed on the agenda by the board chairman upon request. However, during the board’s meeting on April 22, rather than holding a vote on agendizing Policy 310 for discussion in accordance with procedures, McCasland instead called a vote on agendizing Policy 308 itself for future discussion.
“Mr. Payne notified me that he had really asked for board Policy 310, but we really need to have 308 on a future agenda,” McCasland said. “The information that we have in the policy has been misunderstood.”
“I’ve read board Policy 308. It doesn’t seem to be deficient,” District 1 representative William Kiel said. “What are the concerns that we’re going to be looking into? What are the deficiencies of the policy?”
“We will discuss that when it’s presented,” McCasland said.
“As it stands, board members are entitled to have items put on the agenda, and I am wondering if this revision is to eliminate that as something that board members can do,” Kiel said.
“That will be discussed in a future board meeting,” board attorney Lynne Adams said.
“I’m asking for clarification on board Policy 308 because my interpretation is it specifically allows board members to put things on the agenda and doesn’t require a vote of the entire board,” Kiel said.
“It really does,” McCasland said.
“That’s why we’re going to discuss Policy 308,” Adams said.
The board then approved agendizing the discussion in a 3-2 vote with Kiel and Payne opposed.
Payne submitted a guest perspective on April 27 objecting to McCasland’s action, which appeared on Page 4A of the May 7 Sedona Red Rock News.
On April 29, Larson Newspapers Managing Editor Christopher Fox Graham asked McCasland for comment about why she has refused Payne’s requests and violated Policy 308.
McCasland emailed Graham on April 30, “I think Toby might have changed his opinion after our April meeting. Why don’t you ask him if he still believes his agenda requests haven’t been addressed?”
She then emailed Payne and President Lisa Rhine, “Do you agree with Christopher’s statement? If not, can you respond to him? I think you realize that your agenda requests were addressed.”
“I have reviewed your email, and cannot agree that my agenda request from Jan. 19, 2025, has been addressed by adding it to a board agenda for discussion,” Payne wrote to McCasland. “The request has specific key concerns and proposed actions. To my knowledge and per our attorney, the entire board has not even seen this request.”
“The two items brought to the last board meeting April 22 and voted by the board to be placed on a future agenda were unrelated,” Payne continued. “One was regarding board Policy 308, which was not part of my Jan. 19 request. And the other was to have an HLC representative give an update presentation to the board, which does not invite discussion … This policy does not require or even suggest that the board votes to place such an item on the agenda.”
McCasland then emailed Graham, “If you review the video of the April 22 YCDGB meeting, you will see that the board has voted to place some of the items requested by member Payne on a future agenda. Some of the items he requested were operational in nature, and they were forwarded to the president for her review and response. We have followed Policy 308. I believe that Yavapai College is ‘on track.’”
The next governing board meeting is currently scheduled for Monday, May 19.
