Lawmakers, faculty protest policy changes

BOISE - Lawmakers joined faculty from Idaho universities in protesting changes to state Board of Education policies that give the institutions' presidents broad power to make cuts in a financial crisis.

Reps. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, Liz Chavez, R-Lewiston, and Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, cautioned the board Thursday against adopting the policy changes, which would allow university presidents in tough times to make permanent salary reductions regardless of contracts with tenured and non-tenured professors and some staff members.

The presidents also would be able to temporarily reduce wages through furloughs, according to faculty, who have criticized their lack of involvement in the plan.

Trail told board members that faculty rights to due process and tenure are being lost in the adoption of the policy changes, which board members approved later in the meeting.

"The process raised serious concerns about potential violations of the law," Trail said.

Board members contend the changes will give presidents more authority to make cuts amid state shortfalls and would not allow them to target individuals but rather make university- or department-wide cuts.

"Ultimately, the board wants to give their presidents the ability to most efficiently manage their campuses," agency spokesman Mark Browning said.

Public universities and colleges, which were forced to hold back spending by another $15.2 million in September to help offset a much bigger shortfall in state revenue, now face the very real possibility of more cuts.

"When financial hard times hit, the entire university community must pull together and find a solution," said Ringo, who represents a district that includes the University of Idaho.

"Faculty must feel they are part of the process."

Joni Mina, an associate professor who chairs the Lewis-Clark State College Faculty Senate, claimed the revamped policies are destined to foster distrust and poor morale among higher education employees, making it harder to retain and recruit.

The trustees who govern higher education in Idaho previously had to declare a financial exigency - a severe financial crisis that board officials likened to declaring bankruptcy - to give the presidents this kind of authority.

But trustees have not declared a financial exigency since the 1980s, when a University of Idaho faculty member successfully sued the board over her dismissal.

While the board tried to appease faculty concerns with slight revisions to the policy changes, Mina said the result is still troubling and presidents will be able to take drastic action without the declaration of financial exigency.

"These revisions have not really altered anything," Mina said. "We're still going to get meaningless contracts."