Iowa Valley Board hears legislative, funding update
Tuesday / April 21, 2015
The Iowa Valley Community College District (IVCCD) Board of Directors heard a report on state funding and other legislative issues when it hosted M.J. Dolan, Executive Director of the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees (IACCT), at its April meeting.
Dolan reported that state funding for community colleges is currently at a standstill until legislators agree on a percentage increase. She said discussion has recently been centered around a 1.75 percent increase for all sectors of higher education … this would equate to an additional $41 per student for community colleges, $59 per student for private colleges, and $189 per student for the state universities. She also discussed other pending legislation that could impact Iowa’s community colleges, noting that it’s possible some issues won’t be resolved until June.
In other matters, the Board: approved a $900 per month lease agreement with Main Street Real Estate for storage for the Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown; approved the Ellsworth Community College (ECC) and Marshalltown Community College (MCC) spring 2015 graduation application lists; approved the receipt of an additional $8,184 in planning dollars for the transition from Workforce Investment Act to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; approved agreements between Iowa Library Services and the ECC and MCC libraries for the Enrich Iowa Program; and accepted donations of $100 from Greenbelt Bank and Trust in Iowa Falls and $600 from Iowa Falls Community Chest for the Read Across America program.
The Board held a closed session to discuss collective bargaining strategy, but took no action upon returning to open session.
The IVCCD Board of Directors will hold a special Board meeting on Wednesday, April 22, at 3 pm, followed by a Board retreat at 4 pm in Marshalltown. The next regular meeting will be May 13 at 3:30 pm in Marshalltown.