Boise residents on the move for college options

TWIN FALLS, Idaho – More residents are moving to other parts of Idaho since lawmakers in the last legislative session failed to act on several measures that would bring more community college classes to the Boise area.

Jennifer and Skyler Johnson are selling their home in Emmett, about 30 miles north of Boise, and moving to Twin Falls to enroll in the College of Southern Idaho.

“As a newly married couple, CSI is easier to afford. Especially because both my husband and I will be taking classes,” Jennifer Johnson said.

Currently, BSU offers community college and vocational classes, but there is no stand-alone community college in the Treasure Valley. The metropolitan area is one of the largest in the country without a community college.

North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene and CSI in Twin Falls are the state’s only two stand-alone community colleges.

A newly created panel, the joint Legislative Interim Committee on Community Colleges, is studying the issue of creating more options at a series of hearings this summer. It will present a proposal next year when the Legislature convenes.

Almost six months ago, CSI requested permission to offer low-cost courses in the Treasure Valley. But that plan unraveled when BSU complained to lawmakers that it was not aware another institution planned to operate in its service area.

Boise’s community college vacuum glares in enrollment figures. During 2005, more than 300 residents from Ada County enrolled in courses at CSI, and almost 240 more came from counties in Boise metropolitan area.