Yavapai College and Humboldt Unified outline workforce, degree and literacy efforts

Two education leaders used the State of the Town platform to describe recent accomplishments and new programs aimed at local workforce and student outcomes.

Yavapai College President Dr. Lisa Rhine said the college serves more than 10,000 students across seven locations, awarded over 1,700 degrees and certificates last year and became the first community college in the nation to offer an "optimized" 92-credit baccalaureate in business. Rhine said the 92-credit model reduces traditional credit requirements and that the business degree is textbook-free, carries no additional fees, costs about $10,000 from start to finish, and is offered fully online. She also noted two additional 92-credit bachelor's degrees in public safety administration and graphic design and emphasized new programs in robotics and commercial HVAC to align with Arizona’s semiconductor industry growth.

Humboldt Unified School District Superintendent Brett Dahl said the district, serving roughly 5,000 students across nine schools with about 700 employees, has launched Project Momentum, a district improvement initiative focusing on data-informed instruction and consistency across campuses. Dahl said the district received its first-ever A rating as a district and plans a districtwide literacy effort and protection of dedicated literacy blocks to strengthen early reading outcomes. He also described robust CTE and early college offerings (early college currently serves 58 students in partnership with Yavapai College).

Both leaders tied education improvements to local workforce development and retention, describing partnerships between K–12, the community college, and local employers as essential to keeping talent in the region.