BOISE, Idaho
Voters in Idaho’s two most populated counties will decide Tuesday whether to build a new community college in the Treasure Valley.
The state already has two taxpayer supported community colleges, one in Twin Falls and the other in Coeur d’Alene, with combined annual budgets of about $64 million.
But supporters of the proposal say the time has come for Ada and Canyon counties to have a two-year college of their own to serve the needs of students, employers and the regional economy. The measure requires a 66 percent yes vote to pass.
The proposal has drawn financial commitments from some of the region’s biggest companies, including Micron Technologies Inc. and Washington Group International. It calls for building the College of Western Idaho in Nampa and starting classes in the fall of 2008.
“There’s nothing here” for locals,” Nampa resident Heather Atherton told the Idaho News Tribune. “It’s either go to Boise or go to Ontario (Ore.)” for higher education.
Nearby Caldwell is home to a small satellite campus of Ontario-based Treasure Valley Community College.
