Bingham County one step closer to joining college district

Bingham County is one step closer to becoming part of the College of Eastern Idaho District.

In May, voters in Bonneville County voted ‘yes’ to Eastern Idaho Technical College in Idaho Falls becoming the College of Eastern Idaho – a community college.

Now, Bingham County wants to be included in the community college’s district.

The Bingham County Republican Central Committee is spearheading a petition to do that. The petition received the required 100 signatures needed. It was also approved by the county clerk.

Dan Cravens, with the central committee, said there are several reasons why Bingham County being a part of the district is a good thing. First, it would offer local high school students the chance to take dual enrollments and get college credit. It also offers a two-year associate’s degree, which Cravens said would have a positive ripple effect itself.

“It’s not only a benefit to the students, but it’s also a benefit to our economy because we’ll have more folks with post secondary education, more folks with professional and technical training in our workforce,” Cravens said. “It’ll also enhance our ability as a local economy to attract employers that can offer high wage jobs.”

Cravens said there are colleges close by, such as Idaho State University or BYU-Idaho. But the community college offers a different education opportunity for students.

“What community colleges do very well is there are a lot of individuals who leave high school who are maybe not prepared for college and it provides that nice bridge between the standard four-year degree college and a two-year, almost introductory, community college.”

Cravens said whether or not the county becomes part of the college district, there will be a cost to taxpayers.

He said if the county is not part of the district, Bingham County will be charged a fee for each of its residents who are a student that attend CEI. The county would be responsible for paying $50 per student per credit, up to 10 credits for one student each semester. Cravens said that could get very costly.

However, if the county were a part of the district, there would be no fees based on individual students who attend. There would be an increase on property taxes, which for the average homeowner, would cost $11 to $12 per year.

Cravens said citizens need to know this and keep in mind what they would rather be paying for.

Cravens said it really is a good opportunity not only for Bingham County but for the entire region too.

Now that the petition has been certified by the clerk, it will go to the community college board for approval. If approved, it would then go to the Idaho State Board of Education, where it would have to determine whether or not the petition meets an educational need for Bingham County.

If it’s approved at the state level, it would then go to the public for a vote on the November ballot. Bingham County residents would vote whether or not to approve it. If it goes on the ballot, it needs a simple majority to pass.

The petition will go before the community college board on Wednesday afternoon.