Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s Board of Trustees and its president met behind closed doors for six-and-a-half hours on Monday, then adjourned with a collective “no comment.” The board took no action in public.
Meeting on the 11th floor of the BB&T Building in the offices of Roberts & Stevens Law Offices, 13 of the college’s 15 trustees — including one member by phone — met with college President Dr. Betty Young and board attorney Chris Campbell.
The special called meeting of the board, which usually meets on only a quarterly basis, was held to discuss a personnel matter. Campbell told Xpress last week that in a Nov. 20 meeting, trustees asked him “conduct a review of certain personnel matters” and report back to the board, which he planned to do Monday.
After the marathon meeting, Campbell emphasized that personnel issues regarding state employees are confidential by law, and that he and trustees would have no comment, though Campbell added that “further information will be forthcoming.”
Campbell said that final action terminating an employee must be taken in open session, adding that other personnel actions could be taken behind closed doors. Campbell would not comment on whether any other actions were taken in the Monday session.
During a portion of the session, Young waited in a room outside the boardroom in which the trustees were meeting.
Young declined to comment, as did Board of Trustees Chairwoman Carol Peterson.
The community college has a $54 million budget and serves a mostly part-time student body — nearly 18,000 continuing education students and about 9,400 curriculum students. Young was inaugurated in May as the college’s fourth president. The first woman president of the school, Young replaced K. Ray Bailey, A-B Tech’s president since 1990.
Young was president of Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio, for four years before being selected to lead A-B Tech. Under Young’s contract with the college, she’s paid an annual salary of $190,104 and receives a $200 monthly “technology stipend.”
— Jason Sandford, multimedia editor
I hear Betty had an altercation with a student last week. She publically humiliated them and on the heels of belittling everyone she has come in contact with since coming to our fair city and taking the place of a well beloved educator, one would have thought that she would be minding her P’s and Q’s. I do not think that has been the case and a new job will be shortly in order for Ms Young.
Peace Out
The phrase “certain personnel matters” suggests some layoffs may be forthcoming.
if by layoffs you mean one, than yes.
Will keep tracing on this one!