UNA educator asks House committee for separate two-year college board

MONTGOMERY - A new look at an old idea for a separate board of education to govern the state two-year college system is one option now before a legislative committee studying the system.

Earl Gardner, director of education research and inservice center at the University of North Alabama, recently presented the idea to the House committee, called Assess the Two-Year College System.

Gardner initially brought up the concept about forming a different board for the two-year system when he ran for the District 7 State School Board seat in 2008. Gardner, a Democrat, lost the race to Gary Warren,

R-Haleyville.

At present, one board oversees operations for both K-12 schools and two-year colleges.

Gardner said his interest in improving the two-year college system was there before he sought office and it continues today.

Gardner's proposal phases in a new governing plan for two-year colleges that includes district elections for a new school board and expanded board oversight of the system chancellor. The first election to choose board members would be in 2012, but the entire plan would be phased in through 2014.

Gardner is not the first person to propose separating oversight of the college system from the K-12 public school system.

When the late Thomas Corts was interim chancellor in 2007, he told reporters that the education board has far too much on its plate to manage K-12 education and also a college system that was, at the time, fraught with scandal.

Corts' suggestion drew ire from Democrats and Republicans on the board at the time, who said he was wrong not to discuss his ideas with them first.

Board members then, including Mary Jane Caylor, D-Huntsville, Sandra Ray, D-Tuscaloosa, and Stephanie Bell, R-Montgomery, said the systems are interconnected in many ways people may not understand.

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education made a similar suggestion to form a separate board to the Legislature in 1995. Lawmakers were cool to the idea and the measure failed.

Democrats in the Legislature looked at the idea of studying the proposal in 2009.

They created the interim committee to study the two-year system on the last day of the regular session in May.

Republicans charged that the commission was formed to retaliate against Gov. Bob Riley's push to ban legislators from holding jobs at the two-year colleges while also serving in elected office.

The Republicans questioned whether the committee was a way to dilute the influence of Bradley Byrne, the chancellor Riley helped put in place to carry out his plans.

Gardner said he began thinking about his idea long before his board race or Byrne's resignation in May to run for governor as a Republican.

Instead, the scandals associated with ousted Chancellor Roy Johnson, who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges for on-the-job misdeeds, started Gardner thinking of ways to improve the system.

The retired UNA professor said his part-time job as director of the in-service center involves training educators to work together on better education services and plans.

He said the system's college presidents need support from people who know their system well and understand needs on a local level, something his proposal would bring.

"I would think Mr. Byrne would be happy about this," Gardner said.

Rep. John Robinson, D-Scottsboro, chairs the study committee. Rep. Tammy Irons, D-Florence, and Rep. Jeremy Oden, R-Eva, are members.

Irons said the meeting where Gardner made his presentation was the first committee meeting. She said other meetings and presenters with other viewpoints are anticipated.

"The committee will study the system, hear testimony and focus on ways to improve the system, including but not limited to focusing on ways to provide more openness, transparency and accountability within the system," Irons said. "The system is a great asset of this state and it is critical to the state's economic development and work force training."