FARGO - Some people fear a proposal to overhaul North Dakota's education system could open the door to closing college and university campuses, but the bill's main sponsor says those concerned see "bogeymen" where they don't exist.
House Concurrent Resolution 3046, which goes before the North Dakota Senate Education Committee on Monday, repeals part of the state constitution that lists campuses and their missions.
It replaces that section with wording that states there will be a "higher education site" in each of the 11 cities where there currently are campuses.
Pat Seaworth, attorney for the state Board of Higher Education that would be abolished if voters approve the educational restructuring, said the wording could be open to interpretation.
"It doesn't say those places have to have a higher education campus," he said. "It doesn't say what the site might be. It just says there is to be some kind of higher education site located in those towns."
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Having something as small as a workforce training center or an office that coordinates online programs in those cities could satisfy that wording, Seaworth said.
House Majority Leader Al Carlson of Fargo, who is the main sponsor of the proposal, said the intent of the bill is not to close campuses or change their missions.
"They're looking for bogeymen that are not there," Carlson said of the proposal's critics.
The resolution, which the House approved last week with a 52-40 vote, would have voters decide whether to put early childhood through higher education under one umbrella.
If approved, the state Board of Higher Education and the Department of Public Instruction would be eliminated and replaced with a Department of Education that administers all public education.
Both the higher ed board and the superintendent of public instruction oppose the resolution.
Closing any of the 11 campuses was never the intent of the bill, Carlson said. In fact, he said the wording lists some cities with campuses that are not listed in the constitution.
"To try and remove one of those (campuses) would be something that nobody here even has an interest in doing, plus it'd be very difficult to do," Carlson said. "That's never been part of the equation."
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Rep. Richard Holman, D-Mayville, who voted against the proposal last week, said it creates some anxiety that the names of institutions aren't listed in the proposal.
There's a vocal minority in the Legislature who talk about North Dakota not needing 11 colleges and universities, Holman said.
"It's a discussion that's always out there," Holman said. "We're constantly on the alert for that."
Grant Shaft, vice president of the higher education board, said he doesn't think changing a campus mission is the intent of the bill, but the wording creates some latitude for doing that.
"Historically, we know that the voting population has spoken on that issue a couple of times," Shaft said.
Board President Jon Backes, who plans to testify against the resolution Monday, said the proposal would make education more susceptible to political changes.
"To me it creates a big bureaucracy, not a smaller one," Backes said. "And bigger bureaucracy is rarely more responsive than smaller."
The resolution doesn't have any Senate sponsors.
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"I think it'll be a harder sell over there, but we'll give it a good run and see what happens," Carlson said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
