CACMonitor

CAC Monitor

Accountability at Central Arizona College

This site is dedicated to getting accountability with Central Arizona College of Pinal County Arizona, beginning with financial accountability that will lead us to what the college is actually doing. The district spends about $100 million dollars a year and accounts for about 13% of the property taxes on an average Pinal County home, or about $350.

The only financial transparency the district offers are the audited financial statements from over a year ago, and a 3-page budget summary with no explanations. Those documents can be found here https://centralaz.edu/about-cac/about-central/finance/#toggle-id-1 .

Discussions at Board meetings consist of a few minutes with reference to a financial packet not posted to the public. The 2024-2025 budget had no discussion or public input. I was I told I could not see the 2025-2026 budget until it was approved by the board and one Board member suggested I get a FOIA request. Only after I asked how the public could comment on a budget they hadn’t seen did they share a budget with me. I was the only member of the public to discuss the budget and there was no discussion by the Board.

I’ve asked some budget questions from the CFO and multiple times asked to sit down with here, once in the spring and once at the end of June and have not gotten a response. It is because of this War on Transparency that I’m sharing these concerns with the public.

So exactly what are trying to find out?

The final goal is to see how the $100 million dollars is spent. From here we will try to determine how those costs are spread among various campuses, programs and various classes. While the public can debate these priories, that debate begins with understanding what those priorities cost. If you think these are valid questions, I challenge you to find this information on the website.

Capital Costs

I’ve asked how much funding they have left for capital projects, whether they have a 3-5 year plan for spending and what that plan, if any is.

I’ve asked how much in bonds the district has been authorized to sell, and when they plan on selling them.

I’ve asked if they plan on seeking authorization for further bond sales and if so, for what, for how much and when.

Schedule C of the 2025/2026 budget shows $55 million of an unexpended plant fund and schedule B shows $80 million with the difference being maintained for future projects, which I assume to be in subsequent years. I understand that the use of the $25 million has not been determined, but hopefully there is a plan for the $55 million this year. If so, it is not on the website nor in the budget summary and was not discussed in the public hearing of the budget.

I don’t think these are trivial questions, but I haven’t even gotten a cursory estimate.

Operating Costs

Of the $84 million budgeted operating costs, only $28 million, or less than 1/3^rd is allocated to instruction. Meanwhile $32 million is budgeted for administration ($18M), student services ($10M) and academic support ($4M) plus an additional 11 million for scholarships. Exactly what those services are, who these people are and what do they do?

There’s a year old organization report on page 9 of the 6-30-24 Financial report, which may be a starting point. With a budget of $100 million and an administrative budget of $18 million you’d think there be at least some resources to explain, beyond generalities, of how that money is spent.

Vision, Mission and Goals

The districts Vision and Goals can be found here:

https://centralaz.edu/about-cac/about-central/vision-mission-and-goals/

These statements were made 13 years and should probably by revisited by the Board, especially the part about accountability to external stakeholders, which include the taxpayers who are the main source of resources.

What can you do?

I’ll continue to raise my questions and will update this page should they answer any questions. You can share your concerns with me or contact these administrators yourself.

Luisa Ott, the Chief Financial Officer can be contacted here luisa.ott@centralaz.edu or by phone @ 520-494-5283.

Jacqueline Elliott, the College President can be contacted here Jackie.Elliott@centralaz.edu

The Board Members can be found here:https://centralaz.edu/about-cac/governance/board-of-governors/

Here’s a map of what district you’re in, which is the same as the County Supervisory Districts.https://centralaz.edu/about-cac/governance/district-boundaries/

Board Members for Districts 2, 3 and 5 will be up for election in 2026. This is a partisan race and we’re looking for conservative voices. If you’re interested in running for one of those seats or know someone who may be, please contact me about this or any other questions at CACMonitor@proton.me.