MOVING HISTORY FORWARD: The first North Idaho College Board and becoming an accredited state college
We finished the last installment of the story of the formation of North Idaho College and its early presidents with the voters of Kootenai County demonstrating their overwhelming approval June 2, 1939, of a special referendum authorizing the establishment of a junior college district.
A canvas of the votes by the county commissioners a week after the vote revealed that 1095 had voted in favor and 473 against, or 69.8% of the voters were in support of the question. Only the voters in the Athol, Rose Lake and Spirit Lake school districts chose to reject participating in the junior college district.
The approval of the junior college district moved the college away from being solely dependent on tuition fees and external donations. They now would have access to a revenue stream in the form of a small tax levy and a portion of the state liquor tax revenue. All faculty henceforth had to meet state board certification standards. Tuition was now state-regulated, with $50 in fees being expected from resident students and $100 from non-residents.
The college also immediately became a fully accredited state institution. Under the provisions of the Junior College Act, the school was also to be governed by an elected board of trustees. The initial board was appointed by the State Board of Education and they were to serve until a trustee election was held.
The appointees were Mrs. Nora Schmidt, a pioneer school teacher from Coeur d’Alene; Mrs. Anna Edminster, another former school teacher and leader of youth groups, Mr. Warren T. Shepperd, the Kootenai County assessor (and my grandfather); Mr. Charles D. Simpson, the supervisor of Coeur d’Alene National Forest, and Alvin S. Green, a respected banker from Rathdrum.
At the first board meeting following their appointment, Mrs. Schmidt was elected as president of the board, Mr. Green as vice president, and Mr. Shepperd as secretary-treasurer. All but Mr. Green had served on the last of the Coeur d’Alene Junior College boards.
A board of trustees election was held Sept. 5, 1939, but the vote would be nothing more than a formality. The appointees ran unopposed and all were elected to the now-official board for terms of one to three years.
On Sept. 15, 1939, North Idaho Junior College officially held its first classes. By the time final enrollment figures were tabulated in October, 100 students had registered for the 1939-40 school year. The enrollment figure was far more than any previous registration had produced and put further stress on the college’s classroom space and equipment.
In late August 1939, the board of trustees set the operating budget for the 1939-40 NIJC school year. It was announced as being $21,299.50 ($482,374 in 2024 dollars) with estimated revenue to cover costs at $22,035 (or $499,031 in 2024). No longer would it be necessary for the Sponsors Club to have to raise funds to pay the bills and to keep doors open, and the school in operation.
In the next installment, President Lee and the NIJC board will find the college a permanent home and begin building for its future.
