It's been 40 years since such a venture has been launched, and over those years, state law and processes have changed.
The six members of the Bitterroot Valley Community College Exploratory Committee have gathered a petition with more than 5,000 signatures in support of the proposed college, which is enough to take the issue to voters.
“This is truly a test for higher education because it tests, for the first time in decades, whether and how to establish a community college district, and whether and how a community college is different from a college of technology,” said Sheila Stearns, Montana commissioner of higher education.
The nuts and bolts of getting the initiative drafted and placed on the ballot falls to the Montana Board of Regents, which includes all Bitterroot school districts except Florence-Carlton.
It's an unfamiliar procedure involving a state law that hasn't ever been utilized, and one that regents are just now learning about.
Regents are the designated oversight group, and will follow as much guidance as state law provides for the issue to take its necessary next steps, Stearns said. “But we are really going into new territory here.”
Regents and the commissioner's office aren't the only ones wondering how the process and the outcome will unfold. Many longtime Bitterroot Valley school board members have similar questions.
“I have been on the school board for 20 years, and I had no idea the law was set up so a community college election would get piggybacked onto a school district election,” said Tonia Bloom, a Corvallis school board trustee.
While she is a proponent of education and new educational opportunities, Bloom said she's concerned voters will be confused by the community college initiative and think it is an effort put forth by the school district.
“It's important for people to understand these are separate issues,” Bloom said, “that the community college is not part of the school levies, and to decide each of them on their own merits.”
Aside from all the other questions surrounding the establishment of a new college, such as who will pay for it and what it will offer, moving the concept forward is so filled with concerns that Stearns asked the Montana attorney general to weigh in on the matter.
If Bitterroot voters pass the initiative, the most “uncharted part of this process” will begin, Stearns said.
Montana law is less than clear on those next steps, and whether legislative approval happens before or after the election, Attorney General Mike McGrath said in a recently released opinion.
McGrath noted that the statute is a blend of three different bills, including one intended to require “final” approval of the Montana Legislature.
“Given the detailed procedural requirements set forth elsewhere in the statute,” McGrath said, “the inclusion of the word ‘final' can fairly be read as an indication that the Legislature intended its approval to be the last substantive step authorizing the district to begin operation.”
Although voters may approve of a community college district - giving a community the authority to tax its residents to support a community college - the Montana Legislature has final authority to approve such a district, and thereby a college, McGrath said.
McGrath said state law requires that the Board of Regents submit to the Legislature its recommendation on establishing a community college district, but the fate of a new community college does not require the board's approval.
With the issue now before voters, regents and the commissioner of higher education are not at liberty to express an opinion.
“My office will not or should not take a position on the merits of a community college,” Stearns said. “What we will do is prepare fact sheets to the extent we can on various options, alternatives, costs and the like so that voters have information that is not based on perception, but that is information based on fact.”
Organizers of the Bitterroot Valley Community College Exploratory Committee are pleased that their hard work has paid off so far, said Victoria Clark, a Hamilton resident and one of the founding committee members.
“We are very encouraged, and now that regents have called for an election, we will begin our education campaign, which will kick off on Monday,” Clark said. “We've redesigned our Web site, we are planning on doing three communitywide saturation mailings, and will be available for presentations.”
Plans are also in the works for a series of town hall meetings in April, a few weeks before the election.
“We really encourage people to ask questions and (start a) dialogue about this,” Clark said. “Our Web site has a blog and we would love for people to post questions.”
“There's a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding out there, and this is a complicated issue, or least an issue that can be complicated,” she added. “What we want now is to make sure people go and vote on May 8 with the best possible information to make an informed decision.”
As people learn more about the community college proposal, understanding the language of the ballot initiative is critical, said John Matt, Hamilton K-12 schools superintendent.
“I want people to know what they are voting for is a tax initiative, even though the ballot language doesn't mention that - and that could end up being a big concern.”
Matt doesn't want people to feel they have been misled, and he doesn't want this potential misunderstanding to create negative blowback for the K-12 system just because it is attached to the school district election ballot.
“We have been working hard to build a trusting relationship with our community, and that they supported our levy last year is indication that we are building that trust,” Matt said.
The effort to create a community college, he insisted, is not the doing of Ravalli County school districts. His statements, Matt said, should not be taken as a statement that he is against or for the college, rather he is trying to clarify how the initiative landed on the school election ballot.
With Hamilton and the Corvallis area some 50 miles from Missoula, it makes sense to establish a community college, Clark said.
Why not roll out the welcome mat for the University of Montana, which has proposed to expand its College of Technology into the Bitterroot in 2009?
“There's four words I like to use to describe a community college,” Clark said. “Education at a community college is affordable, administration is accountable, a community college is committed to its community, and services are comprehensive - meaning that a community college will provide adult literacy education and GED prep work.”
Backers of the initiative believe a community college offers a wide array of services - everything from noncredit education and work force training, to professional development and personal enrichment courses like fly-fishing.
“The situation in Missoula is just very different in how things are set up, and what Ravalli County lacks is a lead education agency for adult learning services that is responsive to residents' needs,” Clark said. “A COT doesn't provide those services - in Missoula, those services are provided by the Dickinson Lifelong Learning Center, not the COT.
“In the Bitterroot Valley, nearly 6,000 people are in need of adult literacy services - they can't read or don't have a diploma. That means if you have a COT, there's 6,000 people who can't use those services and who won't be going through those doors.”
Like Flathead Valley Community College, proposed funding for the Bitterroot community college would come from a combination of tuition, local levies, state funds, grants and private donations.
“The advantage of a community college, certainly for a community that addresses local needs, is that it is responsive to local needs and has local control because it has a locally elected board of directors,” said Jane Karas, president of Flathead Valley Community College. “That does make a big difference.”
Flathead is funded through a local mill levy; when its doors opened in 1967, there were a lot of challenges, Karas said.
“People weren't sure what they were getting for their money, and sometimes people still don't realize what a college brings,” she said. “For me, it's kind of a James Stewart-It's-a-Wonderful-Life thing - you don't know what you have and what would happen if it's gone.
“What I have seen is that Flathead has had such an impact across so many broad spectrums and has impacted a lot of people who otherwise would not have had a start in college.”
Reporter Betsy Cohen can be reached at 523-5253 or at bcohen@missoulian.com
How committee is pitching proposed community college
Here, at a glance, is the Bitterroot Valley Community College Exploratory Committee's pitch for their project.
Question: Why does Ravalli County need a public community college?
Answer: Ravalli County residents are notably disadvantaged in terms of access to higher education. Current higher education options are: commute to Missoula or pursue distance education.
Also, the economic returns of higher education are considerable: Labor force participation increases, as do earnings. There's a lessening of the earnings gap, lower unemployment, more stable employment, greater business productivity, growth of the regional economy, less dependence on public assistance and higher tax revenues.
Q: What services will the community college provide?
A: Vocational-technical education students will be able to earn occupational certificates and licenses and associate degrees in the applied arts and sciences.
General education students will be able to earn up to two years of transferable credits in general/core requirement areas. Associate degrees in arts and sciences will be awarded.
Continuing education students will be able to take noncredit courses for work force training, professional development, and personal enrichment - from computers to cooking to fly-fishing.
GED and adult literacy students will be able to earn high school equivalency diplomas; beginning literacy services will be available.
College preparatory coursework students will be able to take refresher courses in reading, writing and math to ensure their success at the college level.
High school students will be able to take college courses and earn college credit while simultaneously earning high school credit.
Specific programs offered will depend on community demand and interest, as determined by the locally elected board of trustees.
Q: What is a community college district? Who will be included in the district?
A: A community college district is drawn around existing contiguous school districts. The boundary of the community college district is the extent of its taxing authority. All those residing within the community college district can attend as in-district students.
The proposed Bitterroot Valley Community College district includes all of the school districts in Ravalli County, except Florence-Carlton. Because of Florence-Carlton's location (partly in Ravalli County and partly in Missoula County), there are statutory difficulties regarding the inclusion of Florence-Carlton during the initial formation of a community college district.
However, Florence-Carlton residents may elect to annex the school district to the Bitterroot Valley Community College district at a future date.
Q: How is a community college district governed?
A: A locally elected, seven-member board of trustees manages and controls a community college district. The Montana Board of Regents retains supervisory and coordinating powers over the district.
Q: Where will the college be located?
A: Decisions regarding the location of community college services will be made by the college trustees. However, it seems likely that during the initial phase of the college's development, the elected board would rent space and/or utilize existing instructional space.
Eventually, the college trustees might consider purchasing or building a college facility.
The Bitterroot Valley Community College Exploratory Committee is advocating that college services be provided at several valley locations. The BVCC-EC envisions a central service location in the Hamilton/ Corvallis area, with outreach services in Darby and Stevensville.
Q: What programs and services will the college offer?
A: Programming decisions will be made by the elected board under guidance from the Board of Regents.
Q: Will the college affect my local property taxes?
A: At the current level of state funding and the current mandatory local mill levy average, a student body of 175 full-time equivalent students would require 3.88 mills, costing a local taxpayer $8.50 per year per $100,000 in residential property value.
For more information about the proposal, see the Bitterroot Valley Community College Exploratory Committee Web site at http://bvcc-edu.org/index.htm.
Or call (406) 821-1682, or e-mail committee@bvcc-edu.org.
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