by Debbie Pope, Corvallis
In her “Give a man a fish” letter in the March 2 Bitterroot Star, Linda Schmitt writes that voters have a “dramatic choice” on the ballot in May. She writes, “The Bitterroot College will be on the ballot in May: we fund it or it disappears.” Maybe Linda is confused, because the permanent levy on the ballot in May would fund the Bitterroot Valley Community College, not the current Bitterroot College. The Bitterroot College can still choose to continue if the permanent levy fails again in May. A permanent levy to fund the community college failed in May of 2020 and guess what, the college didn’t disappear! Claiming that the college will disappear is like a dramatic two year old threatening to hold her breath if she doesn’t get what she wants. If the college needs more funds it can raise tuition and raise donations by convincing donors to voluntarily give their own dollars to the college.
Linda also tells voters they only have two options: “We fund the College or assign our kin to low skill, low wage, minimum level work. They suffer and we suffer. Who will help us in our businesses, on our farms, in our health care facilities?” What??? How did anyone in Ravalli County ever succeed before there was a college in Hamilton? The attitude that college is the only path to success insults all the people who didn’t go to college, and who have worked hard and learned on the job to advance and be successful without going to college. For many people in the Bitterroot Valley, going to a vocational school, training in the military, learning on the job, and starting a business are better options than going to college.
It’s no surprise that colleges want to convince more and more people to go to college so they can get more money. As always, follow the money. It is unfair to increase taxes to make people who didn’t go to college pay for others to go to college. Linda is right that this permanent levy to permanently increase property taxes is a no-brainer. Vote against the permanent levy for the college (and tell your neighbors!)
Linda Schmitt says
One correction. The name is the Bitterroot Valley Community College. It is a new organization. The previous “bitterroot college” was a college in name only. It was a “program” belonging to the University of Montana, not a college. It had no ability to set up new courses or curricula without genuflecting to the University, seeking their permission. The University in most cases said, “No” and said students could drive to Missoula for courses. A good example is a new course in, I believe, it was welding — not sure exactly it was that or HVAC — but the bitterroot college here had fully funded the course, found and paid for a professor. They asked the university. The answer? No. No. No. As to the rest of Ms. P’s diatribe, if you want to believe there is nothing left to learn, well, fine.