Posted: Friday, January 5, 2007 12:00 am
CHEYENNE (AP) - Lawmakers may consider a new direction for the state's community colleges when the Legislature meets beginning next week.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal has proposed a blue-ribbon commission to study the future of the community colleges, and Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne, plans to introduce a pair of bills that could change the organization and funding of the community colleges.
Illoway said there's not enough coordination among the eight schools - Casper College, Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, Gillette College, Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Northwest College in Powell, Sheridan College and Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs. And, he said, the burden of funding those schools currently falls too heavily on the host counties.
"Community colleges are more than 'community colleges,"' Illoway said. "It is getting bigger than just individual colleges doing their own thing."
Sen. Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, agreed. He said the current system leaves the community colleges fractured, with little incentive to work together when it comes to state funding.
"(They) are all competing for the same dollars rather than a comprehensive system that treats everybody the same and meets their needs," Ross said. "Each community college is lobbying for their own piece of the pie, and that's not working very well."
One of Illoway's bills would create funding districts for each college, with a statewide mill levy to fund the schools. Currently, only the county where the campus is located is taxed.
The second bill would create a higher education council to consider integrating the community colleges, the University of Wyoming and the state superintendent's office.
Darrel Hammon, president of Laramie County Community College, said it's important that people understand the variety of roles community colleges play in Wyoming.
"People really need to look at what we do and understand that our role and mission continue to expand because the needs in our community continue to expand," Harmon said.
Rob Black, a spokesman for Freudenthal, said the blue-ribbon panel would allow both the Legislature and the governor to hear ideas regarding the future of community colleges. Black said Freudenthal sees the community colleges as valuable resources for training Wyoming workers, but that the schools could coordinate better to reduce duplication of programs.
"(The governor) believes the colleges are truly the vehicle for work force training," Black said.
Sen. Mike Massie, D-Laramie, said he thinks such a panel is a good idea. He didn't specifically address Illoway's bill to create a higher education council, but he did say the Legislature should have some input in the future of the community colleges.
"The blue-ribbon panel is the way to go," Massie said, "but the Legislature needs to provide that panel with some direction."