Community reacts to North Idaho College turmoil

COEUR d’ALENE — Neighborhood members on and off the North Idaho Faculty campus are responding to 2 fiery conferences of the board of trustees this week.

A divided board voted Thursday to put President Nick Swayne on administrative go away and invite former wrestling coach Michael Sebaaly to switch him. Sebaaly served as interim president of NIC for about 10 months, from October 2021 till he was changed by Swayne final summer season.

“We don’t care what individuals suppose,” school lawyer Artwork Macomber mentioned to the general public throughout Thursday’s board assembly, in reference to bringing Sebaaly again below his earlier contract. “We don’t care what you’re feeling.”

Sebaaly, who returned to his place as wrestling coach after Swayne got here on board, resigned from NIC in late September, for unknown causes, after the school positioned him on administrative go away for an undetermined time period.

The web worker listing for Doan College in Crete, Neb. lists Sebaaly as an assistant wrestling coach. He couldn’t be reached for remark Friday.

The board’s choices got here three days after Trustee Todd Banducci launched a decision to rent Macomber, an actual property lawyer and failed lawyer normal candidate, to function the school’s lawyer.

Swayne initially refused to signal the payment settlement Macomber had written, which pays Macomber $325 an hour, about 62% greater than NIC’s former authorized counsel was paid. Swayne mentioned he would signal it as soon as he was capable of affirm it was a authorized settlement.

It was Macomber who beneficial that trustees place Swayne on administrative go away, citing a change in Swayne’s contract that occurred in September.

The board’s actions have reportedly left many NIC workers feeling uneasy and unsure about what may occur subsequent.

“Individuals are involved for his or her jobs,” mentioned College Meeting Chair Ben Tschida. “Not essentially people feeling focused in the mean time, however a broad sense of concern for the way forward for this school.”

Workers Meeting Chair Keri Simonet mentioned she was confused by the resolutions handed Monday by trustees.

Each resolutions cited the school’s fast want for authorized counsel whereas working to handle the issues of its accrediting group, the Northwest Fee on Schools and Universities.

“I’ve repeatedly heard sure board members say throughout board conferences that they imagine we’re not at risk of shedding accreditation,” Simonet instructed The Press on Wednesday.

Banducci and fellow trustees Greg McKenzie and Mike Waggoner have maintained that the school’s accreditation just isn’t in danger, regardless of a sanction from the NWCCU.

The sanction could also be eliminated or continued based mostly on the outcomes of an onsite go to in March.

Gil Rossner Jr., of Hayden Lake, shared in a letter to the editor of this newspaper a standard chorus amongst neighborhood members discussing this week’s occasions at NIC.

“I’m completely confused as to the motivations of the brand new majority bloc on the board,” Rossner wrote, in reference to Banducci, McKenzie and Waggoner. “I’m satisfied they wish to burn the school down. However why?”

Each the workplace of Idaho Gov. Brad Little and the Idaho State Board of Schooling had acquired a handful of inquiries in regards to the NIC board as of Friday afternoon.

The state board is monitoring developments at NIC, spokesman Mike Keckler mentioned Friday, however hasn’t had an opportunity to fulfill and focus on actions that occurred this week.

The subsequent assembly of the Idaho State Board of Schooling is Dec. 21. The assembly agenda just isn’t but finalized; Keckler mentioned it’s attainable NIC might be up for dialogue.

The faculty printed a discover Friday of a particular board assembly scheduled for at present at 3 p.m. within the Pupil Union Constructing on the NIC campus. The assembly may even be out there for viewing on-line by way of Zoom with a hyperlink discovered at nic.edu/board.

On the agenda are motion and dialogue gadgets associated to the president’s contract, in addition to “board of trustees help,” chain of command and Navy Drive rental properties.

There’s additionally a presentation connected to the board guide of paperwork for the assembly. It particulars the creation of a brand new place, a “volunteer board analyst” to gather and interpret knowledge for the board in alternate for paid gas and provide bills, an NIC e-mail account, a parking move and “non-disclosure.”