Renew Kirkwood's lifeline

Kirkwood Community College is a lifeline to better opportunities for more and more students of all ages. And especially during this economically difficult time, it's important to maintain the financial base that supports what Kirkwood can do for those students.

One of Kirkwood's lifelines is the building fund levy. Every 10 years, voters in the seven counties Kirkwood serves are asked whether they want to renew this property tax, which is 20 1/4 cents per $1,000 assessed value. That amounts to $9.23 per year on a home valued at $100,000.

The levy is up for renewal on Tuesday's school election ballot. It's been in place since 1966. No increase in the rate. It provides a lot of bang for relatively few bucks.

And it deserves voter approval.

The $3 million this levy generates annually goes toward maintaining and improving the college's facilities, which include the main campus and 12 satellite centers. And more. It pays for such things as new lab, technology and library materials. It helped fund a new $3.3 million medical simulation center, hailed as an innovative and more cost-effective way to train students for various medical careers. Half of the recent $8 million Jones Hall renovation and expansion was levy-funded.

And now the college plans to upgrade its oldest facility, Linn Hall, as well as improve Johnson Hall and its Iowa City campus, with levy assistance.

These projects and improvements are a response to steadily growing student demand. A record enrollment of more than 16,000 showed up this semester. No wonder, given the economy and Kirkwood's extensive offerings and reputation for quality education.

Kirkwood's tuition cost of $111 per credit hour is lowest in Iowa.

The school provides more than 120 programs of study toward bachelor's degrees and beyond. Kirkwood supplies half of the community college transfer students to the University of Iowa.

Kirkwood offers many technical and professional programs as well as classes that help local companies retrain their work forces to compete in a fast-changing world.

Continuing education classes enrich and enable older adults.

Another benefit: Kirkwood's graduates tend to stay in Eastern Iowa - about three-fourths of them still live in the seven-county area. That helps offset the state's “brain drain” of talented young people to larger metropolitan areas.

Kirkwood President Mick Starcevich says the levy is simply a “good investment in our students.” It's also an investment in our region's future. We hope voters agree.