Trustees from a pair of Montgomery County community colleges want to ask voters to approve a consolidation plan.
Trustees for Independence and Coffeyville community colleges voted unanimously to adopt a preliminary agreement for consolidation, the first step toward creating a single college, the Montgomery County Chronicle reported.
Although state law provides the framework for a consolidation, the merger of two community colleges in Kansas has never been pursued, according to the Chronicle.
Financial difficulties at Independence, compounded with expected drops in state funding, lower enrollment and higher expenses, sparked the consolidation talk, the newspaper reported.
Trustees at Independence heard Monday from faculty members and other citizens, many of whom decried the lack of transparency and sudden urgency for such action, the Chronicle said.
Cynthia Sherwood, ICC president, told the paper the financial situation has to be addressed or the Kansas Legislature “will starve us out.”
There are several steps to clear before the question goes to voters.
Trustees from both colleges must first agree on a “road map” to present the consolidation question to county voters, the newspaper noted, such as the name of the consolidated district, the number and makeup of the new institution’s trustees board, and if needed, a description of member districts.
The question also requires the blessing of the Kansas Board of Regents before it goes up for a vote.
An election date has not yet been set.
If voters approve consolidation, a second election would be necessary to elect the new board of trustees, the newspaper said.
Independence trustees also announced the search for a new college president was put on hold, pending the consolidation matter.
There were considerably fewer fireworks at the Coffeyville trustees meeting, the Chronicle reported, because the consolidation question was not placed on the agenda until minutes before Monday’s meeting.
