North Carolina aims to reform community colleges with change to appointment powers

A state Senate committee in North Carolina has approved a measure that would take away the appointing powers of the governor for community college leaders.

The bill would remove the governor’s ability to pick community college board members, and subject board hirings of the system president to oversight by the General Assembly, according to EdNC.com.

“There are underlying issues with the community college system which must be addressed,” Republican state Sen. Amy Galey, one of the bill’s sponsors, said at Wednesday’s committee meeting. “We have to be sure that our community colleges are as well positioned as possible to meet the needs of new employers.”

Republican members of the legislature have complained that the community college system has failed to produce students that meet the workforce needs of the state, Fox News reports.

“I believe that there is a strong impression that in … some corners of the state that there are community colleges which have been less responsive to the needs of prospective employers than others,” Galey told the Senate education committee, according to Fox.

North Carolina is currently looking for its sixth community college system president in the last seven years, following the resignation of  Thomas Stith in July, said EdNC.

Republican members of the education committee said that the system president should be able to work more closely with economic leaders in the state to improve the system. 

“The president of the Community Colleges System needs to be able to run the system,” said Republican state Sen. Todd Johnson, according to a release from the Senate Republican press office. “The State Board will be able to focus on the policy decisions it should make instead of being tied up by tasks best performed by the System President.”

Specifically, the bill looks to divide the power of appointment for local community college boards between the General assembly and county commissioners.

Currently, the appointment powers are divided up between the governor, the local school boards, the county commissioners and a non-voting student representative, according to EdNC.com 

“It is imperative that local officials play a role in determining the future of their community college,” Republican state Sen. Tom McInnis said via the GOP press office. “By having the county commissioners and the General Assembly members appoint the boards, we will be able to have boards that best represent the needs of our residents, students, and employers.”

The bill now advances to a vote of the full state Senate where Republicans hold the majority, 30 seats to 20. 

Republicans also control the state House, 72 seats to 48.

But, even if the measure passes both chambers of the legislature, it’s unlikely that Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper would approve the bill in its current form, because it weakens the power of his office.