Sunday, November 23, 2008

Hold that Thought

In addition to the two flagship institutions in Bozeman and Missoula, counting the other units in Havre, Dillon, Billings and Butte, community colleges, colleges of technology and tribal colleges, Montana has a large number of units of higher education.

Some say too many.

Never mind that.

There is a proposal pending before the Board of Regents to add yet another unit, this one in Ravalli County. The Board is set to make a recommendation in early December regarding the advisability of creating another community college to the next legislative session.

If ultimately approved by the 2009 Legislature, Bitterroot Valley Community College would begin operations shortly after the approval.

Last week in Missoula, the Regents had a full-blown presentation and discussion about the proposal. Despite the fact those shepherding the idea did an abysmal job of providing data essential to justify the thing, Bitterrootters flocked to demonstrate their support.

http://mus.edu/board/meetings/2008/Nov08/OCHEanalysisBVCC.pdf

To their credit, by hammer and tongs, the faithful obtained the signatures needed to place the question on the ballot and then won narrow approval in May, 2007.

Yes, sir, they said, Ravalli County taxpayers were prepared to pay a new property tax for a community college.

Oh, yeah?

On November 4, 2008, a mere sixteen days before the Regents meeting, Ravalli County voters resoundingly voted against the 6-mill property tax levy for the University System. Mind you, the vote was whether to continue an existing property tax levy to support the University System. The voters have approved the levy every 10 years since 1948.

11,366 voted ‘no.’

9,342, or 45 percent of those voting, said ‘yes.’

[Statewide the levy approved by nearly 57 percent of those voting.]

Paradoxical? I’d say so.

Then, there's the matter of paying for this new initiative.

State funding for higher education will be tight next session. Just under half of the community colleges’ funding comes from the state If a fourth community college is approved, the pie, which is barely sufficient when currently cut three ways to support the existing community colleges, is likely to be cut into four pieces.

That is unless the Ravalli County delegation works and then actually votes to provide the needed additional funding.

Stoker, Lake, MacLaren, Hawk, Laible and Shockley. Most of these folks, like their constituents believe that the only good government is one that is shrinking.

Not exactly an all-star line-up when it comes to supporting higher ed funding.

The balance of the funding for community colleges comes from tuition and property taxes, above and beyond the 6-mill levy mentioned above.

Facts are stubborn things. K-12 school district property tax levies in Ravalli County are far more likely to fail than they pass.

Just how long do the supporters believe voters will tax themselves for the community college? And, when they decide not to, then what?

So, those of you in Ravalli County are saying: We won't vote to support the University System. We will send legislators to oppose funding for the System and, in the process, weaken the existing institutions. We may not provide our share of the funding for our college.

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable proposition to me.

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