HB 411, a proposal from Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, to expand the boards of all three of Idaho's community colleges from five to seven members and impose specific residency requirements on the two new members is drawing strong opposition this morning from all three of the colleges, North Idaho College, the College of Southern Idaho and the College of Western Idaho.

"It's worked good for us for 46 years," CSI trustee Karl Kleinkopf told the House Education Committee. "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, and I think the five-member board has worked wonderfully and that's where we want to stay." NIC trustee and former State Board of Education President Judy Meyer told the lawmakers on behalf of the NIC board, "We are unanimously opposed to HB 411. We believe there is no need for this legislation." Regional representation has never been an issue the three times she's run for the NIC board, Meyer said. "Five members is a good working number. ... There's no need to grow government in these lean times."

Guy Hurlbutt, CWI trustee, said, "We fail to see the problem." NIC President Priscilla Bell told the committee, "There would be significant costs to each of the colleges." She urged the lawmakers to back "local control and keeping government lean and not growing." Henderson has 22 co-sponsors for the bill; it would require the two new NIC trustees to come from outside the Coeur d'Alene school district; the two new CWI trustees would have to come from Canyon County; and the two new CSI trustees would have to come one each from Jerome County and from Twin Falls County west of Highway 93. "Let us at the local level solve these problems," CWI President Bert Glandon told lawmakers.

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