Brief ⁽¹⁾

SB 7 concerns accreditation of community colleges and would remove from the statutes the requirement that they be accredited by the State Board of Education.

Background

SB 7 was introduced by the Legislative Educational Planning Committee at the request of the State Board of Regents. The bill would amend a section of the law that dates back to the early years after community colleges became part of a state system in 1965. At that time, the State Board of Education was charged with accrediting public and private junior colleges. Since that time, community colleges have come under the accreditation of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges/Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. They also have been transferred from the State Board of Education to the State Board of Regents.

The rationale for the proposed change is that North Central accreditation ensures that standards of instructional quality, governance, administration, and consumer protection have been met. The community colleges presently are the only post-secondary institutions under the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents that are required to be accredited by either the State Board of Regents or the State Board of Education.

A representative of the State Board of Regents appeared in support of the bill. The legislation would have no fiscal impact.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext.cgi