72-4468. Establishment; state board approval and legislative authorization required; standards, factors; procedure; determination of best educational interests of the state.
72-4468
72-4468. Establishment; state board approval and legislative authorizationrequired; standards, factors; procedure; determination of best educationalinterests of the state.(a) An area vocational school or an area vocational-technicalschool may be converted to, established as, and officially designated atechnical college with theapproval of the state board of regents pursuant tostandards adopted by thestate board and subject to specific authorization by act of the legislature. Standards adopted by the state board for approval of the establishment of atechnical college shall address such factors as present andprojected need in the area of the proposed technical college for expansion oralteration of existing educational programs, types and capacities of otherpostsecondary institutions present in the area of the proposed technicalcollege, potential enrollment in the program or programs to be offered andmaintained by the proposed technical college, effect on delivery of vocationaleducation programs to secondary students in the area, operation andaccreditation of the proposed technical college, and such other factors as thestate board may determine to be relevant to consideration of proposals forconversion of area vocational schools and area vocational-technical schools totechnical colleges.
(b) A proposal to convert an area vocational school or an areavocational-technical school to a technical college may be effectuated asfollows:
(1) The board of an area vocational school may propose, by resolutionapproved by a majority of the members of the board, the establishment of atechnical college; or
(2) the board of control of an area vocational-technical school may propose,by resolutions approved by a majority of the members of each participatingboard, the establishment of a technical college.
(c) A proposal for the establishment of a technical college, approved byresolution asprovided in subsection (b), shall be accompanied by an analysis, includingsupporting data, which documents how the educational interests of the statewill be better served by the conversion of the area vocational school or areavocational-technical school to a technical college. Such analysis shallinclude an appraisal of how the benefits to the educational system of the statewould be furthered by merger of the area vocational school or areavocational-technical school with a community college, municipal university orstate educational institution, together with the rationale for thedetermination that conversion of the school to a technical college betterfurthers the educational interests of the state than merger with a communitycollege, municipal university or state educational institution.
(d) If a resolution proposing the establishment of a technical college isapproved as provided in subsection (b), the proposal shall be submitted to thestate board of regents for its consideration andapproval or disapproval. The state board shall consider the proposal and make a determinationconcerning whether establishment of the technical collegeis in the best interest of the educational system of the state. In so doing,the state board shall evaluate whether the educational interests of the statewould be better served by a merger between the area vocational school or areavocational-technical school and a community college, municipal university orstate educational institution than by the proposal oftechnical college establishment. If the state board determines that a mergerbetween the area vocational school or area vocational-technical school and acommunity college, municipal university or state educational institution wouldbetter serve the educational interests of the state or,for some other reason, determines approval of the proposal should not be given,the state board shall deny approval of the proposal and make a report thereonto the legislature. Otherwise, the state board shall approve the proposal andrecommend establishment of the technical college to the legislature.
History: L. 1994, ch. 246, § 2;L. 1999, ch. 147, § 113; July 1.