Klamath Community College could soon count northern Lake County residents among its service population, pending the passage of a bill by the Oregon Senate and Gov. Kate Brown.
The bill approves an order from the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission that transfers the northern quarter of Lake County from Central Oregon Community College’s district to Klamath Community College’s district.
The Oregon House passed the bill on Monday.
The Higher Education Coordinating Commission received a petition in 2019 from residents in north Lake County to remove the area from the COCC district, saying COCC wasn’t adequately serving them. The petitioners indicated that they preferred not to have their taxes go to a community college and instead contract directly with KCC, which had already been offering distance learning to some residents in northern Lake County.
The commission rejected that petition but said it would pursue transitioning the north Lake district from COCC to KCC. The commission issued an order to that effect later that year, which said that both colleges were on board with the move.
“If we’re going to remain in a taxing district, I would like to be affiliated with Klamath Community College because they have ag programs,” petitioner Alan Parks said before the commission’s initial vote in 2019. “They have a far better outreach to our community and our county.”
KCC President Dr. Roberto Gutierrez said the college has been operating some remote classes in Lake County, for several years — from high school dual credit classes to fire science and medical education classes. He said the college received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund the technology equipment required for that, and would have continued to offer those services regardless of the district switch.
“It was the citizens of that community that came up with the idea [to move districts],” Gutierrez said. “We’re honored that they want to be part of our district.”
Gutierrez estimated that the expansion will add a couple thousand residents to the KCC district. Community college taxes in Oregon from all counties go into one pot, which institutions draw from based on their enrollment, so Gutierrez said there isn’t really a loss or gain in revenue for any one institution.
The taxes, however, are lower for the KCC district than the COCC district, so the expansion will likely be a benefit to taxpayers in northern Lake County. Because so few people will be involved in the switch, Gutierrez said the reduction in revenue to the state will likely be minimal.
Gutierrez said folding the rural area into the KCC district will give them better representation in the running of the institution. They’ll be represented by a board member, have more visits from faculty and staff and receive more frequent technology updates.
“They will have a seat at the table as far as the policies at the institution,” Gutierrez said.
If signed before March 31 of this year, the order effectuating the expansion will go into effect this July. Otherwise, it will take an additional year for the boundary to change.
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