KTEC: A tribute to determination

Steve Wilson provided safe harbor and warm cookies at the Coeur d'Alene Inn.

A dozen or so smart people, passionate people with vision, were gathered around a conference table. Sometimes the talk got testy. Sometimes the struggle for momentary control or long-term influence was evident. Sometimes there were belly laughs all the way around that table.

But ultimately, all the talk didn't vaporize into nothingness like it usually does. Today there is a new school on the prairie, a metal, concrete and sweat testament to a great idea. It's not the answer to everyone's dreams, but the Kootenai Technical Education Campus - KTEC - will make a dramatic impact on this region for many years to come.

That original group of cookie tasters and visionaries goes back a half dozen years. They met quietly, if not quite secretly; The Press was invited to sit in on some meetings with the understanding that it was in an observation/understanding capacity, not a reporting one.

From the beginning, it was clear that Ron Nilson was the alpha male. His determination and ability to keep disparate but desperately dependent interests at the table - business and education - was the single greatest reason KTEC will be celebrating its opening tomorrow.

Before it has trained or certified its first student, KTEC has drawn jaw-dropping praise and admiration across the state. From the governor's office and the office of the state superintendent of public instruction on down, all of Idaho is astonished and impressed at what Nilson started.

As Ron would be the first to tell you, he didn't do this thing alone. KTEC exists because of many thousands of people, from the original handful of business and educational leaders to the group of donors and solicitors who acquired the KTEC property and materials to the voters throughout three school districts in Kootenai County who welcomed an additional tax burden two years ago this month, when the pain of recession was acutely felt in almost every household. From here forward, KTEC will train high school students in ever-changing but in-demand careers, with the clear objective of preparing them for good jobs or continuing education.

It's our strongest belief that this addition to Kootenai County's educational arsenal will repay, many times over, the investment citizens have made in KTEC. The good life starts with a good job, and KTEC is about to open that door to generations of students who otherwise might have headed in the wrong direction.