Board approves community college proposal

BOISE – The state Board of Education has given its unanimous approval to a plan to create a community college district in the Boise region.

The board’s approval Monday clears the way for a vote in Canyon County that could create the College of Western Idaho Community College District.

“I’m thrilled that we are moving forward,” board President Laird Stone said. “There is significant need for a community college in this area of the state and we hope the good people of Ada and Canyon counties embrace this opportunity to help their children and grandchildren for years to come.”

Community college supporters gathered 3,200 signatures on a petition seeking to create the community college district in southwestern Idaho. Commissioners in Canyon County, the likely site of a new college, announced Monday that they would meet this week to set a date for an election to form the district. Voters would have to approve the proposal by a two-thirds margin.

Together, Ada and Canyon counties make up one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country without a community college, according to the board.

Campaign co-chair Skip Oppenheimer said a community college would encourage economic growth by providing highly trained workers for local businesses.

“This has been needed in the community for some time,” said Rod Lewis, a Board of Education member from Eagle and Micron Technology Inc.’s vice president of legal affairs. Micron is a primary backer of the campaign.

If voters approve the district, the state board will appoint five trustees to make decisions about the college and its cost.

The college would operate essentially the same as Idaho’s two other community colleges, the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls and North Idaho Community College in Coeur d’Alene, state board spokesman Mark Browning said.