Spokane7
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February 2, 2012 in Idaho
Idaho kills NIC board-expansion bill
BOISE - All three of Idaho’s community colleges strongly opposed legislation designed to expand their boards and impose new residency rules on the additional members, and after hearing from them this morning, the House Education Committee killed the bill.
Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, proposed the measure; he had 22 legislative cosponsors.
But college officials, including North Idaho College President Priscilla Bell and NIC’s trustees, said the move was unneeded and would be costly and disruptive for the schools.
Henderson said he’s received more than 40 emails from people who want more representation from “the outlying areas” when community college boards vote on budgets and taxes.
His bill, HB 411, would have expanded the boards of NIC, the College of Southern Idaho and the College of Western Idaho from five to seven members, while requiring the two new NIC trustees to come from outside the Coeur d’Alene school district; the two new CWI trustees to come from Canyon County; and the two new CSI trustees to be one each from Jerome County and from Twin Falls County west of Highway 93.
CSI trustee Karl Kleinkopf told the committee, “It’s worked good for us for 46 years. I meet monthly over at Jerome. … Let me tell you, if there’s something they want from Jerome County, I hear about it. … I think we do a heck of a job representing everyone.”
NIC trustee Judy Meyer told lawmakers, “There’s no need to grow government in these lean times.”
Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, defended the bill, saying, “This is an agricultural state. It is moving fastly towards urban control and that’s what we don’t want to have happen.”
The committee killed the bill on an 11-6 vote.
Eked-out win teaches Idaho Democrat a lesson 
oneanddone on February 02 at 3:40 p.m.
NIC trustee Judy Meyer told lawmakers, “There’s no need to grow government in these lean times.”
Typical doublespeak from those who want to keep their liberal tax and spend policies for NIC and other colleges. What financial impact would additional representation have? These people don’t get paid! It’s all and only to cut down on honest discourse. And of course the Bozos in Boise went along because they understand how important it is to control the message.
RedCedar on February 02 at 4:29 p.m.
Expanding the boards sounds like a good idea to me. The additional cost is a drop in the bucket, and the additional representation would be helpful. One thing educators definitely know how to do, though, is to lobby the legislature, and that usually means lobbying against any proposed changes.