NIC BOARD: Goals are to clean up messes they have made

During the public comments section of the Jan. 24 meeting of NIC’s Board of Trustees, a community member asked for certain trustees to stop making inappropriate, derogatory and intimidating remarks to those giving comments to other trustees and to any spectators. That request was immediately followed by an inappropriate, derogatory and intimidating response by one of the trustees. Was that request beyond understanding, or did the trustee simply need to feel more powerful by demoralizing someone?

Again during public comments, concerns were expressed about the board’s significant waste of taxpayers’ money, alluding to regrettable hires, poorly designed contracts, excessive litigation and overpaying unqualified attorneys. Paying for trustees to attend the Association of Community College Trustees national conferences was offered as justification for trustees’ spending and was not excessive. Since the mistakes of the board majority have cost taxpayers millions of dollars, the real point was ignored. Hopefully the ACCT conference attendance has helped them learn from their mistakes.

The board chair was proud to announce the “progress” being made by the board, including the complex non-renewal of acting president South’s outrageous contract in June. The acting president worked for 75 days and will be paid for 18 months. Other items of “progress” were efforts related to avoiding the loss of accreditation. Is it reasonable for the board majority to claim “progress” by spending time and resources repairing what they broke? The board’s goals are now to clean up the messes they have made. They still seem reluctant or unable to describe their vision for NIC’s future. Hopefully, they haven’t entirely missed the point and will discover something better than just making new messes.

GARY COFFMAN

Coeur d’Alene