(Section 33-2101) Idaho has six community college districts and each district has a designate higher education institution designated to serve the community college function. (Click here to view a state map and click here to view a list of cities in 10 counties of Idaho.)

• Area 1: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, and Shoshone counties - designated community college service provider: North Idaho College, Coeur d'Alene
• Area 2: Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce counties - designated community college service provider: Lewis and Clark State College, Lewiston
• Area 3: Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Gem, Payette, Valley, Washington, and parts of Elmore and Owyhee counties – designated community college service provider: Boise State University, Boise
• Area 4: Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, Twin Falls, and parts of Elmore and Owyhee counties – designated community college service provider: College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls
• Area 5: Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, Power, and parts of Bingham Counties – designated community college service provider: Idaho State University, Pocatello
• Area 6: Bonneville, Butte, Clark, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison, Teton, and parts of Bingham counties – designated community college service provider: Eastern Idaho Technical College, Idaho Falls

The State Board of Education has authority to change the boundaries of each area upon 30 days’ notice to the boards of trustees of each school district in the community college areas affected.

Idaho has two community colleges, established under Title 33-2101, which was passed by the 1963 Legislature:

• College of Southern Idaho (CSI) in Twin Falls. Twin Falls voters established the district in 1964 and Jerome County joined in 1965. Full-time enrollment for 2004-2005 was 4,009 students. Total enrollment was 7,074 in 2004-2005.
• North Idaho College (NIC) in Coeur d’Alene. Established in 1933 as Coeur d’Alene Junior College, the institution became North Idaho Junior College in 1939 and then North Idaho College in 1971. Full-time enrollment in 2004-2005 was 3,153 students. Total enrollment was 4,368 in 2004-2005.

In Idaho Falls, Eastern Idaho Technical College (EITC) is Idaho’s only state-funded, stand-alone postsecondary professional-technical school. Created in 1969, EITC provides professional-technical education as well as limited community college programs.

1. (Title 33-2103) Minimum requirements: Area must include at least 4 or more school districts with aggregate enrollment in grades 9-12 of at least 3,000 students. Property in the proposed district must be assessed at not less than $100 million.
2. (Title 33-2104) A petition with at least 1,000 signatures of area residents, describing boundaries of the district and giving the name of the proposed community college, is filed with the clerk of the Board of County Commissioners in the county in which the district is to be located.
3. The County Commissioners notify the State Board of the petition. The State Board reviews the need for postsecondary education in the district, the number of students to be served, and the district’s financial ability to sustain the college.
4. Then the State Board advises the County Commissioners that an election should be called.
5. The County Commissioners order a special election to be called to vote on creation of a community college district. The ballot offers the following two choices: “Junior College District – Yes” and “Junior College District – No.” A two-thirds affirmative vote is required to pass the issue.

General Funds (state):

Professional/Technical Funding (state):

General funds for professional-technical education – in addition to the basic higher education funding in 2007 – go to Idaho State University ($10 million), Selland College at Boise State University ($7.1 million), EITC ($5.8 million), CSI ($5.8 million), NIC ($4.2 million), and Lewis-Clark State College ($3.9 million). In other words, CSI receives total general funding for FY06 of about $15, 925,300, while NIC receives about $13,998,600.

EITC is funded entirely through the Division of Professional-Technical Education and its own student fees (no property tax revenues).

Tuition & Fees (local):

• Resident Tuition (local funds): (Section 33-2110):
  Board of Trustees sets tuition rates at a minimum of $350 a year, which can be increased in increments of not more than 10% a year up to a maximum tuition of $1,250 a year. The Board also sets various fees and special course or instruction fees. Tuition is defined as "a sum charged students for cost of college instruction, and shall include costs associated with maintenance and operation of physical plant, student services and institutional support."
• Out-of-district tuition (local): (Section 33-2110a):
  Students attending either one of Idaho’s two community colleges, who are from a county outside of the community college district, or in a county without a community college district, shall have a portion of their tuition paid by their home county. The county of residence shall pay two-thirds of the resident student tuition up to $500 a year for a max lifetime of $3,000. These tuition funds come out of the county liquor funds whereby 50% of each counties liquor funds are designated for community college tuition.

Property Tax (local):

Once a community college taxing district is established, the college Board of Trustees may levy a property tax up to 0.16% of assessed market value on property within the district. That ceiling may be exceeded only by a supplemental levy in a specified amount authorized by a simple majority vote in an election according to Idaho Code Sections 33-401 and 406.

If liquor funds are inadequate to pay non-resident tuition, the Board of County Commissioners is authorized to levy a property tax up to 0.06% of assessed market value in the county to provide enough money to pay non-resident tuition.

(Section 33-2110a): 50% of all liquor fund revenues apportioned to a county are to be deposited in a fund for payment of non-resident tuition. If liquor funds are inadequate to pay non-resident tuition, the Board of County Commissioners is authorized to levy a property tax up to 0.6% of assessed market value in the county.

Permanent Building Fund (state):

The two community colleges annually receive funds for alterations and repair of buildings. Recently they received bond revenues to build a building on each campus, with debt retirement funds coming from the Permanent Building Fund.

(Title 33-2106) Each Idaho community college shall have a five-member Board of Trustees, serving six-year terms, elected in even-number years.

The community college Boards are independent of the State Board of Education.

Candidates for the Board must declare for a specific seat. The Board elects its own chairman, vice-chairman, a secretary, and treasurer. Three members of the Board make up a quorum for transaction of official business.

1. Adopt rules and regulations for governance of the Board and of the college;
2. Acquire and hold, or dispose of, real and personal property, and to build, repair, remodel, or remove buildings;
3. Issue general obligation or revenue bonds;
4. Acquire, hold and dispose of water rights;
5. Accept grants or gifts of money, materials or property;
6. Invest district funds in securities and use the interest.

The State Board of Education governs accreditation, faculty certification, and state budget oversight for community colleges in Idaho.

Idaho Community Colleges are funded by several sources including local property taxes, student tuition and fees, and state liquor funds, general funds, professional-technical funding, and building funds. For a more complete description of the funding structure, see the What is the Current Funding Structure for Community Colleges in Idaho? section above.

2006 Funding Model for Community Colleges of Idaho

Most community colleges are operated either by special districts that draw property tax revenue from the local community, or by a division of the state higher education system. In the first case, the special district is governed by a board of trustees that is elected by the local community and is subject to limited control by a state agency that supervises all community college districts.

Either way, the local board or the state higher education system selects a president, who then acts as the chief executive officer of the college and controls the faculty and staff.

• 42% - state funds
• 18% - tuition and fees
• 24% - local funds
• 6% - federal funds
• 10% - other

• More than 600 boards of trustees
• 6,000 board members
• 29 states - local boards
• 16 states - state boards
• 4 states - local/state boards