Mystery sweetheart lease could cost East Valley Institute of Technology millions

Sep. 22—A lease potentially costing the East Valley Institute of Technology millions in lost revenue has surfaced during an internal audit.

Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson in a special meeting last week informed the board of concerns regarding a lease EVIT executed in 2011 with Adelante Healthcare for land on its main campus in Mesa. He pointed out that the lease occurred well before his or the current board members' tenures at EVIT.

"One of the concerns is that the lease for 2.5 areas of land is roughly $2,700 a month, which was based on fair-market value at the time of the lease," Wilson said Sept. 19, adding that given "today's fair market value, and even the fair market value moving forward, $2,700 a month seemed a bit low."

A message left at Adelante's corporate office asking for comment was not returned by the Tribune's deadline.

Over 5,000 high school students living in the boundaries of 11 East Valley school districts, including Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Chandler and Tempe take classes at EVIT. The school offers over 50 career training programs such as in nursing, cosmetology and automotive technologies.

According to Wilson, there was no "increase clause" in the 40-year lease, keeping the rent unchanged at $2,700 a month for the duration