County lends support to KTEC effort

By MAUREEN DOLAN

Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE — The county's government leaders are behind the

Kootenai Technical Education Campus, and they think you should be too.

The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation

today stating they support the passage of facilities levies going

before voters at polls in the Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and Lakeland

school districts on Aug. 24.

If approved, the levies will finance construction of a $9.5 million

professional-technical high school building on a 20-acre site on the

Rathdrum Prairie.

"In our opinion, this is a wonderful, wonderful project. We've talked

about this over the years, about doing something like this," said

commissioner Rick Currie.

In the proclamation, the commissioners urge citizens to vote in favor

of the project in their respective school districts.

The development of KTEC is a joint project between the Post Falls,

Lakeland and Coeur d’Alene school districts, many area business and

industry leaders and North Idaho College.

"I think it's very exciting that the county commissioners recognize

the value of professional-technical education," said KTEC Committee

Chairman, Paul Anderson. "The county commissioners have been involved

in Jobs Plus for many years, and they understand fully how important

it is to have a trained workforce for employers to draw from."

Anderson said the commissioners also understand the importance of KTEC

for the region's young people, that it will provide them with the

training they need to get jobs that pay well and provide good

benefits.

With successful passage of the levies, it is expected that the doors

of the high school. could open in 2013.

North Idaho College has purchased property adjacent to the proposed

high school’s location. The college plans to eventually move its

professional-technical programs onto the campus.